The date has to do with the fact that the May 1, but from 1886, there was a great strike in the United States 340,000 workers from different cities participated, with many anarchists and socialists who called for the Reduction of the working day: “8 hours to work, 8 hours to rest and 8 hours for recreation.”
At that moment worked from Monday to Monday, without rest, up to 16 hours per day. Overcrowded, without ventilation, without bathrooms. Furthermore, salaries were low, women earned half as much as men and it was very common child labor.
In those May 1 protests, in Chicago police fired on demonstrations where there were more than 90,000 people. At that moment a bomb exploded where there were police officers leaving several dead and injured. No proof and with a trial that was a farce, 8 workers were arrested and sentenced, mostly anarchists. 5 death sentences, 2 to life imprisonment and 1 to 15 years in prison.
That is why in 1889, the Second International -which brought together labor parties and groups from almost all over the world- declared May 1st as International Workers’ Day in tribute to these “martyrs” of Chicago and for their fight to reduce the working day, for refusing to leave life at work.
Carlos Marx said that in this fight to reduce working hours, the class warenter here capitalist class who have the political and economic means such as (factories, banks, land to want to impose their interests) which is generally associated with achieving more profits and to achieve them they can even design labor reforms that governments apply, or raise the age for retire as they did in Argentina.
And on the other hand, the working class, who does not want to live to work, which is the producing class, that is, the one that produces, creates things, moves them, the one that makes society as we know it function. Between the two there is one fight of interests that cannot really be reconciled, because they are totally opposites. The world continues to function without entrepreneurs but without workers it is impossible to think of a society like this and it is a good time to remember it.
With the war plan of Mercy, the political caste and the businessmen against the workers. With the CGT that was silent while Congress approved a labor reform, today is not a day of celebrations as Peronism usually says nor “Labor Day”, as businessmen propose to take away the weight. May 1st It’s a day of fighting which reminds us that all our rights, not just the right to work less, are won by fighting for them.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
