International Labour Day-Ghana

The International Labour day is celebrated on May 1 in several countries around the world. It is an important celebration for Worker's movements, Trade Unions and other leftist organisations. In Ghana, it is referred to as May Day or Worker's Day.

The celebration commemorates the police firing on and killing of dozens of workers who were staging a demonstration for the institution of the eight-hour workday. The Haymarket Square Riots, as it is called, occurred in Chicago on May 4, 1886. The gunfire was started by an unknown person who threw a dynamite bomb into the crowd.

The first commemoration was called by the Second International, a meeting of socialists in Paris in 1889, who asked for demonstrations on the anniversary of the Chicago incident. Subsequently there were riots in Cleveland, Ohio on May 1, 1894. The International Socialist Conference in 1904, called for all Social Democratic parties and trade unions around the world to demonstrate on May 4 for the establishment of an 8-hour workday and other demands for the proletariat.

In Ghana, the celebration is an seen as an appreciation of the contribution of workers to national development. A parade is held where the various labour unions under the Trade Union Congress (TUC) march à la the military. In Ghana, the celebration is without the political undertones that may be experienced in other countries. Although, trade unions are opposed by right-wing parties, only the government of Prime Minister Dr Busia banned it.

In modern days the TUC has become an institution, and it is has been an important partner of government. They however face some pressure from some of the labour unions within the TUC, especially from the teachers bloc, who are sometimes unhappy with the efforts made by the TUC in seeking their welfare.