Labor Day: Why do we still celebrate it?

For some of us, May 1 is a relic of the past — a memory of party celebrations under the banners of the communist authorities of the People's Republic of Poland. It is associated with the mandatory presence at marches and festivals in honor of the working class, although in reality the system often rewarded politicians more than workers. So why did Labor Day survive?

Although the memories of the times of communism are accurate and not without foundation, it is worth going deeper — to the genesis of this holiday, which tells us a lot about what work was and how it was perceived throughout history. May 1 is not only a reminder of political history — it is also an opportunity to ask anew the question: what does decent work, fair employment conditions and worker solidarity mean today?

Genesis

Labor Day dates back to the late 19th century, when dire employment conditions, low wages, and a 12-hour workday were the norm in Chicago. It was in these realities that the postulate of an 8-hour working day was born. Thanks to these social moods and rebellions, many of us today do not have to work half the day in extreme conditions - although not everyone is so lucky.

The workers' revolt was growing. At the center of the protests was the McCormick Harvester Co., whose owner planned to modernize the plant, which entailed large-scale layoffs. The resistance of the workers was suppressed - the entrepreneur carried out reforms, dismissed many workers, and hired private security to maintain order. Does this seem normal today? She shouldn't. Workers fighting for decent working conditions had the right to rebel — instead they were thrown out of work. In a gesture of protest, a demonstration scheduled for May 1, 1886 was organized. The protests began peacefully, but ended in blood—with violent police intervention and repression of the workers. In commemoration of those events, May 1 was declared Labor Day by the Second International — an organization of social democratic parties from Great Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.

In Poland, May 1 was celebrated even before the times of communism — already in the Kingdom of Poland under the conquests. However, it was in the PRL that this holiday was heavily politicized and monopolized by the authorities. It also had its negative heroes; one of them was Felix Dzerzhinsky, a labor activist and revolutionary who, after the October Revolution in Russia, became the creator and head of the Cheka - the Soviet political police, responsible for mass repression and terror.

During the communist era in Poland, the celebration of May 1 was of a different nature, depending on the period. In the early years after the war, Labor Day was often combined with anti-imperialist accents — for example, expressing opposition to politicians like Winston Churchill, who were seen by propaganda as enemies of the socialist order. Over time, however, especially since the 1950s and 1960s, the celebrations increasingly resembled a ritualized spectacle — the marches were accompanied by the handing of flowers to party dignitaries, attendance at parades was often mandatory, and the authentic memory of workers' struggles for workers' rights receded into the background.

What can Labor Day remind us of today?

Labor Day celebrations are held all over the world, in most countries. In Poland, May 1 is celebrated today by various political circles — from anarchist movements, through workers' organizations and trade unions, to socialist groups. Regardless of ideology, this day is increasingly becoming an opportunity to reflect on it, how we work and how we would like to work.

Although it is less common to speak of a “flexible, modern worker” running a sole proprietorship, Labor Day invariably refers to its original symbolism — the struggle for the rights of the working class. A class that today includes not only production workers, salespeople and nurses, but also people employed in corporations, on junk contracts, as part of self-employment or on digital platforms.

May 1 is a good time to talk about decent working conditions, countering exploitation, compliance with health and safety regulations, but also about less obvious issues such as mobbing, “hidden” job offers or mental illnesses related to overwork and job insecurity. The modern labor market generates many pathological phenomena — and that is why Labor Day should not be a day of empty slogans, but a real conversation about work that does not become a source of serious suffering and lack of a way out of the situation.

To better understand what has changed in the field of work in Poland in recent times, it is worth looking at the activities of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy:

• Statutory non-working Christmas Eve,
• Active Parent Program (development of institutional care for children up to 3 years old),
• Leave for parents of premature babies,
• Allowance of PLN 1000 for social workers,
• Protection against reprotoxic substances (extension of the catalogue of carcinogens and mutagens),
• Shortened working time pilot program,
• Length of service as an employee entitlement,
• Implementation of the Wage Gap Directive.

Labour Day can be seen as a day of reminder that workers' rights are not given once and for all, and decent work — safe, fair and respectable — should be the foundation of any healthy economy. It is a moment in which we can reflect on what kind of world of work we live in and what we would like to co-create.

Sources:

1. https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kultura/historia/dlaczego-struchleli-nasi-wyzyskiwacze-czyli-pierwszy-maj-po-raz-pierwszy/
2. https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/1-maja-nasze-swieto-ikonowicz/
3. https://www.polskieradio.pl/399/7977/Artykul/3517782,dzis-swieto-pracy-jego-geneza-siega-1886-roku