Today, 1 May, Colombo like many capitals of the world, and key cities around our island nation will be dressed in red, blue and shades of green with processions of people marching to the beat of drums and chants which champion labour rights and justice for the working class. 

However, the reality is that the Labour Day, better known in Sri Lanka as ‘May day’, is no longer about the so-called ‘working class’, nor is it about labour rights. Today, ‘May day’ is, but one of the biggest calendar events, for the political parties which have ill-governed Sri Lanka to its knees and bankruptcy, to posture their strength in numbers; to showcase each party’s ability to mobilise – the voters. 

Gone are the great labour movements which championed labour rights, such slogans have become ‘unspeakable’ on the new road to economic recovery. It is learnt that one of the political rallies which will be held today will see famous South Indian musicians and artists perform. While expression of oneself is important, the question must be asked, why our politicians are so insensitive to invite such professionals at significant cost, when they have failed over decades to secure a basic daily wage, which the plantation sector tea pickers have been calling for years. Our estate sector workers – mostly women, who lack skills and education to work in another sector, still do not receive a minimum wage of Rs. 1,000 per day. What they earn is still dependent on the weight of the leaves they pick, and that too, on a handful of days a week. Tea is one of Sri Lanka’s multi-billion dollar export earners, but the women who, with their hands, pick tea in challenging conditions and carry the load on their shoulders, have not been paid their due, even today.

Few will speak of or highlight the immense challenges workers faced over the crisis period which began with the Covid-19 pandemic and is still ongoing. While participants chant age-old slogans, and some may dance fuelled by the spirits often provided by political parties, many will not highlight the hundreds of thousands, who were made unemployed, and those who are still struggling to get by. According to the World Bank, as of July last year, an estimated 25.9% of Sri Lankans were living below the poverty line. This, as poverty rates continued to rise for the fourth year in a row. Others have put the figure past 31.5%. Another study conducted last year found that malnutrition is particularly high among women and children, with nearly one-third of children under 5 years of age being malnourished. A Colombo based think tank recently announced that their ‘Bath Curry Indicator’ (BCI) puts the cost of a meal for a family of four at Rs. 2,538 per meal as of January this year. The study is based on what Sri Lankans normally eat and comprises food such as samba rice, beans, pumpkin, tomato, brinjals, dhal, red onion, coconut, green chilli, and fish. This number does not cover other daily expenses, nor does it include the skyrocketing energy and transport costs which have hit every segment of the population.

Today, many in the ‘working Class’ have tightened their belts to the fullest. Despite the pittance they earn, from which they barely get by with their families, opting to cut down on electricity use, and reducing transport costs. Such sacrifices are made on a daily basis. Nevertheless, they, like everyone else, are hit with indirect taxes, which make the cost of living unbearable. In many families, the parents go without meals or many basic human needs to provide for their children and the elderly. The elderly and children are disproportionately affected. Even the masses who went in search of labour overseas to better their economic situations, struggle in their respective work countries, due to lack of diplomatic and bilateral instruments which ought to be there to ensure Sri Lankan workers are well looked after.

The reality is that many political parties would like to use the pomp, entertainment and pageantry of the ‘May Day’ to act as a smokescreen to make the working masses forget the crisis they are in, at least for a day. The Parties will also try to posture to the voters – hoping that they will be seen as the party which is ‘most likely to win’ at the next election. However, in reality, the workers have lost the Labour Day, or ‘May Day’ in Sri Lankan parlance. It has been hijacked by politics and is likely to remain so, until there is a change in the political culture.