May Day

Labour unrest in Chicago began on 1st May, 1886, culminating on the 4th of May. The issue was the 8-hour work day becoming law, and 350,000 workers nationwide went on strike at 1,200 factories.

Annual commemorations began in 1890. Then, in 1904, the International Socialist Conference meeting in Amsterdam called on "all Social-Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace."

It's not just about a long weekend.

- Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley have an article in the Guardian about the merger of the T&G and Amicus trade unions, who together, have already signed an agreement to seek a merger with the United Steel Workers of the US and Canada. The first transatlantic trade union!
- Do you shop at Asda? Read this link. Human Rights Watch is coming out with a report on the union-busting tactics of Wal-Mart, which owns Asda.

In a breach of US law, Wal-Mart has allegedly banned union organisers from distributing flyers outside its stores and has confiscated literature found on the premises. Healthcare programmes are often limited to "catastrophic coverage" for accidents and emergencies, rather than preventative medicines. The company faces the biggest class action lawsuit in US history in which 1.5m women claim the company discriminated against female staff in pay, promotions and assignments.