Spirited May Day demonstrations and rallies in India

Joint May Day rally in Delhi and other places.

Joint May Day rally in Delhi

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On May 1, 2017, to celebrate International May Day, a spirited march was organised from Ramlila Maidan to Chandni Chowk under the leadership of the Joint May Day Committee of all the trade unions of Delhi, which culminated in a stirring public meeting.

Workers from diverse sectors participated in the rally proudly carrying the red flag and the banners of their unions. Bank and insurance workers, transport workers, rail workers, sweepers, sanitation workers, industry workers, construction workers were joined in the demonstration by anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and workers from government schemes such as the Mid-day Meal. Students and youth were present in large numbers. Before the rally began, the Jan Natya Manch performed an energizing play in the Ramlila Maidan.

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May Day Joint procession starts out at the Ramlila ground

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Expressing their anger against the anti-worker, anti-national and anti-social policies of the state, workers held banners and placards with slogans such as – “Long live May Day! Down with capitalism! Long live revolution! Stop privatization! The creators of wealth in our country must become the rulers of the country! An attack on one, is an attack on all! Withdraw the false accusations against Maruti-Suzuki workers! Water, electricity and safe public transport are our inviolable rights – stop their privatization immediately. All workers, without exception, must be brought within the ambit of labour laws. The contract system will not be valid for permanent and year-long work! This is not people’s rule, it is the rule of capital! Etc.”

Raising these very same slogans and strengthening their call, the rally covered a distance of approximately five kilometers through the dense residential and commercial areas of old Delhi passing by Ajmeri Gate, Katwaria Serai and Fatehpuri Masjid. The spirit and fiery slogans of the workers appealed to people.

Members of the Communist Ghadar Party of India distributed thousands of copies of the May Day call issued by the Party and sold copies of the Mazdoor Ekta Lehar newspaper.

On reaching Town Hall, the rally turned into a large public meeting. The meeting was chaired by Com. JP Sharma (AIBEA), Com. Arun Sharma (AIRF) and Raghunandan (BEFE).

Leaders from many trade unions addressed the meeting. Speakers extended revolutionary greetings while remembering the undying martyrs of Chicago. They severely condemned the anti-people, anti-national and anti-worker policies of the central and state governments. They cautioned workers to remain vigilant against the efforts of capitalists and their governments to break the unity of workers on the basis of caste and religion. They demanded that the state should implement the declared minimum wage, repeal the sentence of life imprisonment on the Maruti workers and fulfil the demands of trade unions. They highlighted the fact that the unity and struggles of workers across the country against the capitalist offensive are intensifying. However, capitalists and their governments are trying with all their might to break this unity and the growing workers’ movement. They said that we need to thwart these efforts and intensify our struggle, with a view to become the rulers of society.

The speakers at the public meeting included – Com. Santosh Rai from AICCTU, Com. DL Sachdeva from AITUC, Com. RK Sharma from AIUTUC, Com. Anurag Saxena from CITU, Com. Narayan Singh from HMS, Com. Santosh Kumar from MEC, Com. AK Mishra from TUCC and Com. Asit Ganguly from UTUC.

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 May Day procession in Bareily, Uttar Pradesh

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May Day function at the Central office of CGPI

May Day celebrations in the Central Office of the CGPI on May 1 began with the unfurling of red flag by a woman comrade. Everyone present saluted the red flag by shouting militant slogans – Inquilaab zindabad! Long live the May Day! Red Salute to the martyrs of Chicago! We are her masters, we are India, Workers, peasants, women and youth! A song was presented which went as – “CGPI stands defiant, kindling hope among the masses of the people who have been crushed for years …”

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Addressing the party workers, spokesperson of the Party reiterated the importance of the May Day, the International Working Class Day. Talking about the growing wave of struggles against the capitalist-imperialist system in our country and the world over, he stressed on the need to advance our work from the viewpoint of overthrowing the existing capitalist system and establishing the rule of the working class. Only the rule of the working class can extricate the society from the present crisis and guarantee everyone’s rights and provide prosperity and security to everyone. The meeting ended with revolutionary slogans and a revolutionary song that went as, “Look, the colour of the sky is changing …”

May Day marked with rallies and meetings in Chennai

Several trade unions and workers’ organisations held protest demonstrations and meetings on May Day this year, in and around Chennai. Workers hoisted the red flag at their factory gates and held meetings. In the evening, many trade unions held rallies and meetings at prominent places.

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May Day procession in Chengelpet, TN

Workers and medical staff of VHS Hospital hoisted the Red Flag at the hospital gate. The May Day meeting was addressed by the General Secretary and other leaders of VHS Workers Union as well as the leader of Workers Unity Movement Speakers denounced the attacks on the workers by the Management and the government. They emphasized the need to unite and fight back for our rights. They resolved to strengthen their union and unity and fight for their rights and livelihood.

A leaflet issued by Workers Unity Movement on the occasion of May Day was distributed widely among the large scale industrial workers, such as amongst workers at Ford, UCAL, CUMI at Maraimalai Nagar, Tambaram, Guindy Industrial estate, SIDCO Industrial Estate at Alathur, Industrial centers at Kelambakkam, garment factories as well as at the rallies and meetings organized by the trade unions. The leaflets were enthusiastically received by the workers, who were very angry about the increasing attacks on their livelihood and rights by the government and the capitalist managements, and were determined to unite and fight back.

May Day celebrated in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand

On the International Worker’s day May 1, the Joint Worker’s Front of Udham Singh Nagar organised a meeting in the local Sidkul Industrial Area to took out a procession to the Sidkul Roadways Bus Stand.

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Addressing the meeting, speakers said that the right to a 8-hour workday won by sacrifices of the Chicago martyrs in 1886 and rights won after long struggles are being snatched away in this period. They condemned rising exploitation of workers by denying the workers the right to form their union, which is being done by the illegal use of contract labourers and apprentices.

The speakers put forward various demands which included minimum wage to be raised to Rs. 18000 per month, a halt to the anti-worker labour laws and contract system, cancellation of life imprisonment to workers of Maruti-Suzuki, Pricol and Garziano companies, equal pay for equal work, recognition of workers unions, hiring of permanent workers for permanent work, a ban on factory lock-outs and shifting, etc.

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Workers took part in the program in large numbers under the leaderships of Britannia Workers Union, Rane Madras Employees Union, Mahindra CIE Workers Organisations at Pantnagar and Lalpur, DELPHI, TVS Joint Workers Union, Thai Sumit Neel Auto Workers Organisation, Mantri Mentallics, Auto Line Employees Union, Tata Motors Workers Union, Delta Employees Union, Tata Auto Com Systems Workers Union, Voltas Employees Union, LGB Workers Union, NMPL, TSN, RAB Transmissions, BTUSSKU, MK Auto, Intorch Unions at Pantnagar and Kichcha, Era Workers organisation, Tata Yazaki, Badwe Union, NPL, SIS Union and Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra, Mazdoor Sahyog Kendra, AICCTU, CITU, Kisan Morch, CPI, etc.

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