Organ of All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC)
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Bulletin No. 15 22 April, 2017 Price : Rs.20.00 Organ of All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) Frederich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895) The above image is of the founding congress of the Second International held on 14th July, 1889 in Paris, France. Under the leadership of Frederich Engels this congress called upon the working people of the world to observe May 1, every year with effect from May 1, 1890 as International Day of working class solidarity. Anganwadi workers and helpers of Haryana under the banner of Anganwadi Karyakarta Sahayika Union, Sonepat District Committee, Haryana, affiliated to AIUTUC held a rally in Sonepat and demonstration before the residence of the Minister for Dept of WCD on 8.4.2017 against arbitrary termination and threat of dismissal of around 1500 workers Comrade Samar Sinha, General Secretary, AIPF addressing the gathering of the Eastern and North Eastern Regional Electricity Workers Convention at Bharat Sabha Hall, Kolkata on 8.4.2017 organised by NCCEEE Historic May Day Movement and the Great November Revolution — A Red Letter History of their Identification and Internationalisation Let us begin with the call of V.I. Lenin, the strike the striking workers heroically resisted the architect of the great November revolution given brutal attacks of the police of the Tsarist autocracy on the eve of celebration of May Day in 1904; who came down heavily on them to foil the strike. “Comrade workers! May Day is coming, the This attack caused bloodshed of hundreds of day when the workers of all lands celebrate their striking workers. To take further revenge 800 awakening to a class- conscious life, their workers were arrested and a good number were solidarity in the struggle against all coercion and sent to exile. This created a sensational impact on oppression of man by man, the struggle to free the Russian workers. In 1905, in its third congress, the toiling millions from hunger, poverty, and while adupting the resolution on “Minimum Tasks humiliation. Two worlds stand facing each other to be implemented by the Provisional in this great struggle: the world of capital and the Revolutionary Government”, along with the world of labour, the world of exploitation and overthrow of Tsarist autocracy, implementation of slavery and the world of brotherhood and eight hours work day was emphasized. It is also freedom. to be noted in this connection that during the On one side stand the handful of rich blood- preparation of struggle to overthrow the Tsarist suckers. They have seized the factories and mills, autocracy as well as the anti-capitalist socialist the tools and machinery, have turned millions of revolution in November 1917 and almost in every acres of land and mountains of money into their anniversary of May Day Lenin placed before the private property. They have made the workers the significance and lessons of May Day government and the army their servants, faithful Movement and its linkage with the revolutionary watchdogs of the wealth they have amassed. On struggle not only in Russia but also in all the the other side stand the millions of the countries of the world. In fact, the “linkage” was disinherited. They are forced to beg the becoming more and more consolidated with the moneybags for permission to work for them. By passage of time. their labour they create all wealth; yet all their J.V. Stalin, the worthy successor of V.I. Lenin lives long they have to struggle for a crust of and an extra-ordinary artist and builder of bread, beg for work as for charity, sap their socialist construction in USSR, while calling upon strength and health by back-breaking toil, and the workers on the eve of 1st May, 1912 to starve in hovels in the villages or in the cellars and observe May Day explaining its significance in garrets of the big cities”. following words: This is how.Lenin approached the “Comrades ! As far back as last century, the celebration of historic May Day in a leaflet workers of all countries resolved to celebrate prepared and published by him calling upon the annually this day, the First of May. That was in workers to observe the same in 1904. It may be 1889, when, at the Paris Congress of the added here that in July 1903, in its second Socialists of all countries, the workers resolved to congress the Communist Party of Soviet Union proclaim, precisely on this day, the First of May, (formerly known as RSDLP), while declaring the when nature is awakening from her winter sleep, immediate programme of the party inter alia when the woods and hills are donning their green pinpointed the struggle for eight hour working mantles and the fields and meadows are adorning day as one of its programmes. It is worth recalling themselves with flowers, when the sun shines that in 1901, in the Obkhub Arms Factory in St. more warmly, the joy of revival fills the air and Petersberg (Petrograd), while observing May Day nature gives herself up to dancing and rejoicing— Workers’ Voice 1 they resolved to proclaim loudly and openly to hours. It had an immense contribution in the whole world, precisely on this day, that the advancing the Eight Hour Working Day workers are bringing spring to mankind and Movement that led to historic May Day deliverance from the shackles of capitalism, that Movement in 1886 throughout America that it is the mission of the workers to renovate the commenced on 1st May. In this connection it is world on the basis of freedom and socialism. imperative to have a meticulous look at startling Every class has its own favourite revelation of Karl Marx as follows: festivals. The nobility introduced their “What is a working-day? What is the festivals, and on them they proclaim their length of time during which capital may consume “right” to rob the peasants. The the labour-power whose daily value it buys? How bourgeoisie have their festivals and on far may the working-day be extended beyond the them they “justify” their “right” to exploit working-time necessary for the reproduction of the workers. The clergy, too, have their labour-power itself?” It has been seen that to festivals, and on them they eulogise the these questions CAPITAL replies: the working- existing system under which the toilers die day contains the full 24 hours, with the in poverty while the idlers wallow in luxury. deduction of the few hours of repose The workers, too, must have their festival, without which labour-power absolutely and on it they must proclaim: universal refuses its services again. Hence it is self- labour, universal freedom, universal evident that the labourer is nothing else, equality of all men. That festival is the his whole life through, than labour-power, festival of the First of May.........” that therefore all his disposable time is by [Source: Works, Vol. 2, 1907 – 1913 - nature and law labour-time, to be devoted Publisher : Foreign Languages Publishing House, to the self-expansion of capital. Time for Moscow, 1954 - https://www.marxists.org/ education, for intellectual development, for the reference/ archive/stalin/works/ 1912/04/ x01.htm- fulfilling of social functions and for social written by J. V. Stalin in Moscow, at the beginning intercourse, for the free-play of his bodily and of April 1912; printed in leaflet form on the mental activity, even the rest time of Sunday (and occasion of celebrating May Day 1912 …..] that in a country of Sabbatarians!) — moonshine! While observing their own FESTIVAL – THE But in its blind unrestrainable passion, its were- MAY DAY, the working people of the world must wolf hunger for surplus-labour, capital oversteps recall not only the history of May Day Movement, not only the moral, but even the merely physical but also the long drawn movement for shortening maximum bounds of the working-day. It usurps of working day in general and eight hour working the time for growth, development, and healthy day in particular, which had been in the growing maintenance of the body. It steals the time since the beginning of 18th century in different required for the consumption of fresh air and parts of the globe, particularly in Europe and in sunlight. It higgles over a meal-time, incorporating America, culminating in the emergence, it where possible with the process of production consolidation and expansion of May Day itself, so that food is given to the labourer as to a Movement. Many glorious battles were fought in mere means of production, as coal is supplied to many places including in India which we refrain the boiler, grease and oil to the machinery. It from detailing in this presentation. But it is reduces the sound sleep needed for the mention-worthy that the movement for eight hour restoration, reparation, refreshment of the bodily working day got momentum after the powers to just so many hours of torpor as the establishment of the First International in the revival of an organism, absolutely exhausted, name of ‘International Working Men’s renders essential. It is not the normal Association’ (IWMA) on September 28, 1864. maintenance of the labour-power which is to This also must be kept in mind that Karl Marx determine the limits of the working-day; it is the and his close compatriot Frederich Engels in their greatest possible daily expenditure of labour- various celebrated works explained the power, no matter how diseased, compulsory, and justification of the demand of legislation of eight painful it may be, which is to determine the limits hour working day and laid the scientific of the labourers’ period of repose.