May Day

Image removed.

By Martin Vengadesan

May 1, 2022 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from Malaysia Kini — Every year around the world, workers in most countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, a notable exception being the US which celebrates it in September.

It has its roots in the International Workers Day celebrations called by socialists and unionists in the late 19th century and Malaysian workers are naturally part of this larger family.

This year’s Labour Day is part of a long extended break as it also falls near the religious holiday of Hari Raya Aidilfitri at the end of the Muslim fasting month. As such, celebrations can be expected to be relatively muted.

For one man, Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) deputy chairperson S Arulchelvan, it is nonetheless a day he will always celebrate – indeed, he has not missed a celebration for nearly 30 years.

Image removed.

May Day message from the Socialist Alliance, Australia

May 1, 2013 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- As workers around the world take to the streets to celebrate May Day, we are sharply aware that the capitalist system has reached a point of development where it threatens the habitability of the planet on which we all live.

Last month, for the first time in 3 million years, the carbon concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere reached 399.7 parts per million (ppm) at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. In several other parts of the world that day, the reading exceeded 400 ppm.

When CO2 concentrations were last above 400 ppm it was the Pliocene era, when temperatures were 3-4 degrees Celsius and sea levels were 5-40 metres higher than they are today. Capitalism is throwing our planet into dangerous climate change.

Sadly this is no surprise. Capitalism has already devastated the lives of billions of people through exploitation, war and poverty.

See http://www.links.org.au/node/388#comment-527 for a report on the Caracas May Day March.

* * *

Venezuela's labour movement at the crossroads

By Kiraz Janicke and Federico Fuentes

Timor Leste: Workers and students rally for May Day in Dili

By Mericio Akara

Image removed.

April 29, 2008 -- About 1000 workers, students and urban poor held a pre-May Day demonstration outside GKBI Towers in Jakarta, a flashy skyscraper that is the Indonesian headquarters of companies like ExxonMobil, ANZ Bank, Cable & Wireless, Credit Lyonnais Capital, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical,
France Telecom, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, OCBC Bank and the Swiss Bank.

By Michael A. Lebowitz

April 24, 2008 -- As May Day approaches, there are four things that are worth remembering:

1. For workers, May Day does not celebrate a state holiday or gifts from the state but commemorates the struggle of workers from below.

2. The initial focus of May Day was a struggle for the shorter workday.

3. The struggle for the shorter workday is not an isolated struggle but is the struggle against capitalist exploitation.