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May Day, or Labor Day, is a public holiday in many countries
worldwide. It usually occurs around May 1, but the date varies across
countries. It is associated the start of spring as well as the celebration of
workers, usually celebrated by socialist and communists all over the world
since the late 19th century, when US workers’ struggled for an 8-hour work day.
The conditions of workers was dire with days stretching on for 16 hours or
more, in dull environments, as men, women and children died in the thousands —
many in their early twenties. The date was chosen by a pan-national
organization of socialist and communist political parties to commemorate the
Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4 May 1886. The 1904 Sixth
Conference of the Second International, called on "all Social Democratic
Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate,
energetically, on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour
day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace."
May Day is one of the most important holidays in communist
countries such as the People's Republic of China, North Korea, Cuba and the
former Soviet Union. It’s celebrations, in these countries, typically feature
elaborate workforce parades, including displays of military hardware and
soldiers. In 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated the 1st May to
"Saint Joseph the Worker". Saint Joseph is the patron saint of
workers and craftsmen, among others. During the Cold War, May Day became the
occasion for large military parades, in Red Square, by the Soviet Union and
attended by the top leaders of the Kremlin, especially the Politburo, atop
Lenin's Mausoleum. It became an enduring symbol of that period.
It was, officially, embraced by the Egyptian state, in 1963
under president Nasser, following a massive wave of nationalizations in 1961,
and the founding of the Arab Socialist Union, in 1962. Nasser’s populist regime
viewed Egypt’s working class as a necessary partner in its attempt to
economically break away from colonial dependency and achieve self-reliance.
During the 1960s, the conditions of the Egyptian working class witnessed a
great improvement in terms of wages and social benefits. Under president Anwar
Sadat and even more so under Mubarak, the celebration become less and less
about social reforms and more about the vanity of the state.
On this year, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presided over
the state’s official Labor Day commemoration, on Sunday, organized by the
state-controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation, delivering a 10-minute
televised address from the luxurious Al-Massa Hotel in Cairo. What president
al-Sisi did promise, centered on increased foreign investment — a central tenet
of the government’s economic structural adjustment whose efficacy is contested
— saying that it would translate into increased employment opportunities for
Egypt’s youth and decent living standards for the country’s workers. This is in
addition to promising to recommence operations at hundreds of factories that have
remained closed since 2011, by allocating resources from the Tahya Masr Fund
and to push a spate of labor-related legislation — including the unified labor
law, trade union law, health insurance law, and social insurance law — through
Parliament.
Egypt’s independent trade unions are organizing their own
Labor Day conference, which is scheduled for the evening of May 1 at the
headquarters of the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS) in
Cairo. The event is being held this year under the title “Social Justice and
Union Freedoms.”
The independent Egyptian initiative Democracy Meter, usually,
issues its latest figures regarding the number, location and causes of labor
strikes and professional protests that occurred. Cairo was the site of the most
labor action in Egypt over the past year, tallying 151 initiatives. After
Cairo, comes the Nile Delta governorates of Kafr al-Sheikh, with 68
initiatives, and Sharqiya, with 65. Since July 2013, there have not been any
Labor Day rallies, marches or public protests in Egypt.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity, importance and
should be undertaken with painstaking experience. Always remember, a bad day at
work is better than a good day in hell and that your hard work and your
dedication that have helped to build the nation . labors aren’t paid for having
heads and hands, they are paid for using them . If you did not find work, do
not get stressed, you will get it. If you have the joy of working, feel very
lucky and do your best every day. Happy labor day for all the hard
workers who have made their countries great .
Marina
Airport
