May Day is famously known as a commemoration of the agitation for 8-hour work, which occurred in Chicago, US, on May 1, 1886. But due to the untoward handling of the issue, it ended in a clash with the Police and became known as a total failure in the history of the labour struggle. Even before the incident, Government had accepted the same demand, and US Congress passed a resolution in 1868. The strike on May 1 was very peaceful and had nothing special to mention in labour history. The untoward violent incidents in Chicago happened not on May 1 but on the 3 and 4, which had no connection with the protest on May 1. The violence happened as a result of unhealthy competition between rival Trade Unions.
On May 3, the labourers of McCormick Harvesting Factory, under the leadership of a weak Anarchist Communist group, held a strike and clashed with Police in which 4 labourers died. The next day they held a protest meeting in Haymarket Square which had to be dispersed because of heavy rain. Those who did not leave the place threw a bomb at the Police, and the Police fired back. In the fight, 4 labourers and 7 policemen died. Consequently, several leaders were in Jail, and four leaders were hanged to death.
Thus the Trade Union movement, which was fast growing in the US, met with a sudden fall. The struggle could not achieve anything. The US labour movement rejected the violent Chicago incident. The US Trade Unions celebrated 1st Monday of every September as Labour Day. May Day was later celebrated in the US as “children’s day”! Chicago is more known today for the historic speech of Swami Vivekananda on September 13, 1893. This was the first stage of May Day. Haymarket Square incident can be compared to the violent Chauri Chaura incident in India, which strengthened our freedom struggle when Gandhiji took a strong non-compromising disciplinary stand against violence.
May Day- Another Great Communist Betrayal
The second stage reminds us of a great Communist betrayal of its followers. In 1889, the 2nd Communist International that met in Paris decided to celebrate May 1 as Labour Day. But May Day became a contentious issue even in Communist International, and finally, in 1904, they dropped the idea of celebrating May day anymore as Labour Day. It was celebrated for other political demands even though in Russia, Lenin urged people to celebrate May Day.
But when Hitler rose as an autocrat, Communists all over the world started celebrating May Day as “Anti Fascist day” from 1929 till 1940. Later, Russian Communist leader Stalin, when he had an alliance with Hitler, the greatest dictator in history and who was responsible for 2nd World War, had no other go but to stop celebrating it as “Anti Fascist Day”. So he betrayed Communists all over the world and asked them to start celebrating it as “Labour Day”. Thus the present way of celebrating May Day as Labour Day came into existence. It is being celebrated not only by Communists but also by non-Communists like INTUC and the Congress Trade Union, not knowing the real story and falling into the Communist propaganda. Unlike many of the Indian Trade Unions, most of the Trade Unions in the world consider it a matter of Communist betrayal and do not celebrate May Day as Labour Day. That is why Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has chosen not to celebrate May Day as Labour Day. Instead, it celebrates Vishwakarma Jayanti Day as National Labour Day. Many States in India also have officially declared Vishwakarma Jayanti as Labour Day.
Vishwakarma symbolises the dignity of labour, which ancient India gave maximum respect. India’s history of great personalities starts from the sacrifice of Vishwakarma, who is believed to have created the Universe. He himself chose to be the Havis in a Yajna held to create the Universe (Rigveda10.81.6). Thus he was raised to the status of a Deva. Rigveda (10.121) says he created the earth, water, and living creations. He was known as the great architect of Gods. He is also believed to be not merely a person. Those respectable personalities who served the society with their skilled work were all called Vishwakarma. The invention of many items mentioned in our ancient literature is attributed to him. The Sudarsan Chakra of Vishnu, Thrisula of Shiva, Spear of Kumara, the Chariot of Indra, Hastinapuri for Pandavas, Dwaraka of Sri Krishna, Indraloka, Vrindavan, Lanka, PushpakVimana etc. were all the creations of the genius of Vishwakarma. Vastu Architecture and all the Arts were his inventions. He was the world’s first labour and the Acharya of labour. Many people belonging to different caste divisions of labour consider that they are the successors of Vishwakarma. He is a model for all the labourers.
His son Vritra was greedy and demonic in character and was the General of Hiranyakasipu. Vishwakarma himself created a special weapon to kill his son. Vritra was known to have been killed due to the great sacrifice of both Vishwakarma and Dadhichi. Another son Nalan became a devotee of Sri Rama, and he constructed the SethuBridge to go to Lanka.
Vishwakarma symbolises the paradigm shift in the present-day thought process. Work is considered a Yajna. Indian Industrial relations are traditionally based on family-like relationships. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has accepted family as a model for industrial relations and put forward the great “Industrial family” concept. This is in contrast with the master-servant relationship of the West or the class enemy concept of the Communists. We have imbibed the slogans “Tyag-Tapasya-Balidan”, “work is worship”, “Nationalise the Labour”, etc., from the life of great personalities like Vishwakarma. To bring uniformity, Vishwakarma Jayanti is celebrated on September 17 every year, since in many places, it is celebrated both on Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami as well as on Magha Shukla Thrayodasi. May Day, imported from the West, fails to motivate labour where Vishwakarma Jayanti can positively.
