Though the demand of 8 hour work day was achieved all over the world in a phased manner, the spirit of the May Day still survives all over the world. The place of the Hay Market is now covered by high rise sky scrappens. The revolutionary message of the Hay market incident is still reverberating in all corners of the globe.

When May Day carnage at Chicago had taken place, internationalism had already developed in European countries. The Second International in 1889 decided to observe the 1st of May as an International Day of working class solidarity and since then May Day is being observed all over the world. It began with observation in Europe but later on it spread in all the continents. The working class all over the world began to observe May Day to take a pledge to carry forward the struggle against capitalist exploitation.

Observation of May Day had to face repressive measures in several countries in the early days, since capitalism was not ready to tolerate a voice of protest against the exploitative system itself.

The Communist Manifesto gave a clarion call "workers of the world unite!". The slogan, however, became the central theme while observing May Day by the working class all over the world. Revolutionary heritage of the May Day inspired workers in Czarist Russia to rise in revolt against tyrannical rule - Revolutionaries in China, Vietnam, Cuba, East European countries and Korea were also fired with the zeal of the traditions of May Day.

The working class, on the occasion of May Day, reviews the struggles they conducted during the year, draw lessons from them and take the pledge to carry forward the struggle with more firmness and determination. It is also a day of expression of unity and solidarity with the working class all over the world in the common struggle against the onslaught of capital. Observation of May Day in every country in the world has become a symbol of workers powerful voice to rededicate their conviction for unity and struggle to change the capitalist system and establish a socialist system, free from exploitation.

WATERING DOWN OF TRADITIONS

Attempts are, however, made at a global level to water down the revolutionary traditions of May Day and make it a formal ritual of celebration. Instead of making it a day of pledge to fight against capitalism, the reformist trade union leaders are trying to make a common cause with capitalists and only advocate some reforms within the framework of capitalist system. In several countries today, the reformists trade unions do not advocate class struggle on the occasion of May Day, but offer their co-operation to the capitalist class by accepting compromise on working class issues. Instead of calling upon the working class to strengthen class struggle they advocate class collaboration by emphasising commonness between the workers and employers, thus blunting the edge of class struggles.

Such trade unions go against the historic traditions of May Day and ideologically emasculate the working class. This attitude is hitting at the very basis of working class unity and create a basis of disruption.

On the occasion of May the working class cannot ignore the attempts being made by the capitalism to inculcate bourgeois ideology among the workers, which makes them believe that all their problems can be solved within the framework of the capitalist system. The dismantling of socialism in the Soviet Union and East European countries have resulted in intensifying the capitalist propaganda that socialism cannot be an alternative to socialism.

However, the world experience of the last decade has convincingly proved that the capitalist society cannot improve the standard living of the masses or eliminate poverty in the world. While destitution of the third world countries have increased at a faster rate and the reduction of social security benefits, even in advanced capitalist countries, have underlined the failure of the capitalist system to solve the pressing problems of the world.

The ILO has pointed out that due to competition among the Multinational companies, attempts are being made at a global level to cut wage costs by downsizing manpower and minimising any hike in wages and allowances. Jobless growth is admitted by the UNDP and other UN agencies in their several reports. The growing inequalities all over the world due to capitalist path of development has underlined blood thirsty nature of MNCs to earn higher profits and making the poor poorer.

Therefore, there is urgent need to explain the predatory nature of the capitalist class to the working people. This is extremely essential on this May Day.

It is also essential to note that bourgeois ideology has encouraged corruption in trade union movement at a global level including India. Capitalism always prefers corrupt T.U. leaders to genuine and militant T.U. leaders since it costs them less.

Control of TUs by mafias has also become one of the issue which has given a bad name to the trade union movement. These mafias get patronage from employers and the Government since the mafias always oppose class struggle. Gangsterism in the trade union movement is the key weapon in the hands of these mafias, who terrorise the workers to accept the dictates of mafia bosses. Therefore, the May Day heritage is telling us to oppose such trade union racketeers who undermine the social objective of the trade union movement.

ANTI-GLOBALISATION DAY

The World Bank-IMF dictated package of globalisation has brought to the forefront new challenges before the world T.U. movement. The working class and the T.U. movement in the developing countries have been worst hit due to this offensive. The ICFTU unions which were supporting globalisation are now coming forward to oppose it. Earlier the ICFTU was inviting World Bank representatives to attend its official meetings to explain policies of globalisation. The World Bank is having a department on privatisation and ICFTU is having liaison with World Bank on a regular basis.

Things are, however, changing and world realities are penetrating into the thinking of some of the ICFTU unions. Recently, in an international meeting held at Sanfransisco (USA), the AFL-CIO union condemned the policies of globalisation. The Seattle demonstrations and recent protest at Washington against WTO have reflected discontent among the working class against the policies of capitalist globalisation.

The recent Conference of WFTU in New Delhi on 25-28, March 2000, came out against the World Bank and the IMF policies and called for a united struggle against the policies of capitalist globalisation.

All this is indicating that a favourable atmosphere is developing in all the continents, to launch world-wide struggle against globalisation.

The recent Conference in Johannesburg (South Africa) was convened under the Southern Initiative Against Globalisation and for T.U. Rights (SIGTUR) in October last year, wherein affiliates of ICFTU, WFTU and non-affiliated unions participated. The initiative for such a conference was jointly taken by Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and CITU. It was successful and it came out strongly against World Bank-IMF designs of globalisation. The Conference decided to observe May Day 2000 as a day against Globalisation, so that the powerful voice of the working class in Asia Pacific and Africa is raised against the policies of globalisation.

Though at a global level the T.U. movement is unable to unite, it is possible to come together at a national and regional level. Hence several such regional united action may pave the way for a world-wide united action.

Nation-wide action against the policies of globalisation are increasing all over the world. The proposed one day General strike all over India on 11th May is a part of the world-wide action against globalisation. On this May Day, Indian working class will reiterate their determination to down their tools on 11th. The solidarity actions by the peasantry, agricultural workers, organisations of women, students and youth will give a massive character to the national protest on 11th May. The decision of trade unions in SAARC countries to observe the day as a day of solidarity with the Indian working class has already given international character to the nation-wide general strike. If the political parties in India organise State level actions on that day it can be converted into one of the biggest people’s protest against the policies of globalisation.