Mayday 2020

Now that there are special Corona conditions, it was even more important to celebrate Mayday as the international day of struggle of the working class. For health protection, better working and living conditions – and for a liberated society – ICOR was of course also active, together with many more organizations and people all over the world. Here are some impressions:

Turkey

Numerous grassroots trade unions and political organisations have formed the platform: Tüm Çalışanlar İçin Sağlık Platformu (Platform for the Health of All Workers).

The work for a "Strike for Life" was started on May 1 and will continue to be an important focus of the struggles in Turkey after May 1.

A week of work was declared because the fascist state had announced curfews for Mayday. In the days before Mayday, several actions and rallies were organised in front of big companies, shipyards, in ports, working-class districts etc.

Revolutionaries marched in small groups to traditional Taksim Square and were arrested.

Uruguay

This year was commemorated in the conditions generated by the health emergency caused by the Coronavirus. After marches and counter-marches, the opportunistic leadership of the Pit-Cnt resolved to carry out 3 caravans of cars, motorcycles and bicycles that left the proletarian neighborhoods of La Teja, Colón and La Curva de Maroñas. They concentrated on Chicago's Martyrs Square in front of the Parliament and continued to tour other neighborhoods. The participation was great and there were demonstrations by the neighbors who were permanent in the tour. […]

The class combative union current that called for the commemoration of May Day by strengthening the work in the People's Pots, issued a statement and made several graffiti greeting International Workers Day and calling for a general strike of the Pit-Cnt and a rally against the reactionary Law of Urgent Consideration with 502 articles, which was agreed upon by the right-wing and ultra-right-wing coalition in the government, which has already entered the Senate.

Netherlands / Rotterdam: Activity in the city centre

India

Even when the migrant workers on the road as well as the slum dwellers, village poor were starving, Modi govt was not prepared to issue foodgrains from the FCI godowns which have 75 million tones of reserve stock for free and universal ration distribution for three months. As these migrant workers are also going back to villages, this demand is very important and urgent. […]

The picture is going to be more horrific in the post-lockdown days when the casual/contract workers go back to work. Already the BJP ruled states have approved 12 hour shifts without any additional payment. GCCI has called for one year moratorium on trade unions. Another suggestion is to cut the minimum wages to RS 200 as the MGNREGA workers are getting! All these are for reconstructing the economy! That burden is also put on the backs of th e workers and oppressed. […]
Long Live May Day! Let us dare to struggle against capitalist imperialist barbarism; Let us dare to march to socialism!

India: Trade Union TUCI, CPIML Red star and others organized food donations for workers like Rickshaw Pullers, street vendors etc who get no pay now.

India: Distance and masks for health protection

Australia

The words “May Day” have two applications. For Communists and supporters of the working class, it is the first day of the fifth month, a day when the working class gives practical expression to the Marxist slogan “Workers of the World, Unite!”

For mariners and aviators, repeating the words three times in succession over the radio expresses a life-threatening emergency. It is a universally recognized distress signal.

We are confronted this year with the cancellation of most May Day activities because authorities everywhere have issued a distress call in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The distress call is valid. There is indeed an emergency. Governments are sacrificing the welfare of the people for “business sustainability”.

Draconian measures to restrict people’s movements and social contacts reflect not only socially necessary measures to deal with the pandemic, but also the very real fear of the so-called 1%, the ruling class, that the virus will jump class barriers and impact the rich.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Posters hung up by Partija Rada – ByH

Greece

Despite the government’s attempt to hinder the May Day protests, despite the traffic ban measures, which were still in effect, despite the slanders about “irresponsibility” of the protesters, despite the spread of fear among the people and the possibility of police intervention, concentrations and demonstrations did take place across the country today. The obstacles were overcome to a large extent and the will to struggle was expressed under the difficult conditions our people live in, both because of the pandemic as well as the attempt of the system to take advantage of it and load the burdens of this new crisis that it created on the people. Of course, since we are already on the day after the quarantine, these demonstrations are still far from what our times demand, so that the working class and the people unfold their resistance and their claims and repel the new round of attack.

Sri Lanka

Germany

In Germany, people took to the streets in at least 100 places. Normally, May Day is largely in the hands of the DGB leadership and the reformist trade union leaderships. Today, the rallies did not have such a mass character, but were decisively influenced by the militant, class-struggle and revolutionary forces of the workers' movement.

A militant opposition against the reactionary crisis management of corporations and governments is developing, with the working class at the head and a distinctive role of the MLPD. Today a mass discussion of the criticism of capitalism and the alternative of genuine socialism took place. […]

It is outstanding that there were larger action units in many cities. In many places, besides MLPD and its youth league Rebell, the children's organisation Rotfüchse, migrant colleagues from Turkish and Kurdish organisations, among others DIDF, ATIF, AGIF, ADHK, Birkar and ATIK, as well as Kurdish and Syrian friends were present. Monday demonstrations or the Internationalist Alliance had themselves registered a larger number of actions. ICOR, Women's Association Courage, Local Alliances, Solidarity International were present. In some places also representatives of Attac and peace activists.

Bochum

Gelsenkirchen

Braunschweig

Rojava / Northern and Eastern Syria

Also this year, the communist forces in Northern and Eastern Syria mobilized for the 1. May, organized actions and celebrated in consideration of the Corona prevention work.

In the run-up to Mayday, members of the revolutionary communist movement visited (TKŞ) political organisations and workers, members of the defence forces and a hospital. The members of TKŞ congratulated the workers on May 1 and discussed the meaning of this day in joint discussions, whereby the song Bella Ciao in Kurdish was played. Commemoration ceremonies were organized for the killed soldiers of May 1st.