May Day 2013

Protesters shout slogans calling for better working conditions for garment factory workers during a May Day rally May 1, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Worker exploitation is alive and well, and we all caught a horrible glimpse of it when hundreds of workers perished in the Bangladeshi factory collapse.

“Labor-rights groups around the world have been asking, indeed imploring, major retailers to address the grievous safety hazards in their Bangladesh factories and the response is always the same: vague promises and public relations dodges, while the pile of corpses grows ever higher.” - Scott Nova, executive director of the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium. 

May Day 2013 is a celebration of over 100 years (or should that be 1000 years?) of workers' struggle for fair treatment from their elitist overlords. 

Today as the neoliberal hyper-capitalist system goes global, the ongoing fight for the recognition of worker rights is more important than ever.

May Day is a time to remember the efforts of those that came before us, and to reflect on the values we want our world to be based on when current unsuccessful and unsustainable methods are replaced.

Questions for contemplation could touch on a variety of key areas such as:

Equity - How much should people get, and why?

Self Management - What kind of say should people have over their conditions?

Diversity - Should the paths to fulfilment be diversified or narrowed?

Solidarity - Should people compete or cooperate?

Environment - How will we make the environment our #1 priority?

People before profits. Happy May Day to the workers of the world!