Workers unite!
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The once-a-week conversations and shared gossip under the margosa tree were becoming more frequent now as the trio perhaps had many things to talk about vis-à-vis happenings at home during their Avurudu sojourn and the COVID-19 crisis which has seen a surge in cases.On this Thursday morning, the second time this week the trio was engaged in conversation, my attention was drawn to what they were discussing – May Day celebrations.
“Aiyo, eih aanduwa mai dine kata-uthu navathvuye (Aiyo, why did the Government ban May Day rallies and meetings?),” asked Serapina, adding: “Mama balagena hitiye meetim ekakata yanna (I wanted to go for one of the meetings).”
“Eh piyawara gaththe vairasaya hinda asaneepa kattiya wedi wena nisa-ne (That step was taken because of the rise in COVID-19 cases),” noted Kussi Amma Sera. “Eth, deshapalana resweem. Evath navathwanna ona-ne (But what about political gatherings? Shouldn’t those also be stopped?),” asked Mabel Rasthiyadu.
“Ow, anivarya-yenma. Onama kattiya ek-res wena kata-uththak navathwiya uthui (Definitely. Every activity with crowds should be stopped),” replied Kussi Amma Sera.
As I walked away from the kitchen to collect my mug of tea realising that May Day would be a good topic to discuss, the phone rang. It was ‘Nana’ Mohideen, the jolly trader from Moneragala. “Hello, hello… how are you,” he said.
“Fine… nice to speak to you after a long time,” I said warmly. “I wanted to meet you in Colombo as I was planning to attend a May Day meeting. Unfortunately, the Government has cancelled all events,” he said.
“I suppose, given the COVID-19 situation, it was a wise move though opponents of the ban seem to think the decision was based on internal conflicts in the ruling coalition where some of its disgruntled constituent parties were planning an independent rally,” I said.
“Oh, is that so? Anyway, it was a wise move because it’s not advisable to travel in public transport these days,” he said, after which we had a long conversation on the political situation and business-related matters.
This is the second year in a row that May Day celebrations have been banned after last year’s lockdown (during this period). When this edition reaches readers on Sunday May 2, May Day would be over. Thus it’s possible that some trade unions may have tried to hold small pocket meetings and thus challenge the authorities. In some cases, trade unions have said they were organising online meetings, which is the most practical thing to do as the pandemic is raging with a UK variant entering the picture, ostensibly discovered before the Avurudu season.
May Day or International Workers’ Day is an important event in the calendar of worker rights. It all began on May 1, 1886, when labour unions in the US decided to go on strike, demanding that workers should not be made to work for more than eight hours a day. Just three days after the strike began labour activists were killed in a blast at Chicago’s Haymarket Square which triggered a movement across the world.
Today workers in Sri Lanka (and, for that matter, the rest of the world) are confronted with one of the most challenging times as the pandemic has resulted in job losses, lack of secure employment, no overtime and often working longer hours with less pay.
The Ceylon Federation of Labour says that Sri Lanka was back to old times with the current health crisis being used as a pretext to attack labour’s hard fought rights and privileges. It said the deteriorating conditions of labour have resulted in a significant number of working people being reduced to poverty with no income security. Sri Lanka has the lowest minimum wage in the region and globally only 16 countries have minimum wages that are less than that of Sri Lanka. Real wages are declining day by day as a consequence of inflationary pressures on the Sri Lankan economy, it said in a statement to mark May Day.
Perhaps the worst affected in the COVID-19 crisis are Sri Lankan workers in West Asia who, during the first few months of the crisis, were desperate to return home but there were no such mercy flights or too few organised by the authorities.
They expressed their grief on social media. Some of them were living on the streets as job losses mounted and accommodation became a problem. Ironically, these workers were the ones who kept the foreign exchange earnings ticking in the midst of a forex crisis precipitated by fewer exports. According to the ADB, remittances in 2020 rose by an unexpected 5.8 per cent, which may be explained by a shift toward formal remittance channels, returning workers bringing home accumulated savings and migrants sending more to their families.
Unfortunately, migrant workers don’t have an independent trade union to fight for their rights. Some of the current trade unions have arms that deal with migrant worker rights but these units are too weak to canvass support and demand support from the authorities, particularly during the pandemic when a strong voice for migrant workers’ rights was missing unlike the trade unions which fought for the rights of garment sector workers and won most of their struggle.
The pandemic, as it is well known, has caused havoc in the world of work and business. Not only workers but big and small companies, small and medium-scale enterprises, are struggling to break-even, let alone survive. The only institutions that have performed reasonably well are the banks.
It is over a year since a lockdown was held while job security has become a rarity these days as companies wade through losses and workers have to face an environment where their jobs are at stake. It is one of the most challenging times not only for workers but also for companies.
The trio was still in conversation when I walked into the kitchen to get another mug of tea, realising that May Day rallies are in our DNA and such an event without rallies means something is missing in our lives!