Thousands of workers belonging to different trade unions and political parties took out a joint march from Kamgar Maidan, Parel in Central Mumbai, through the working class areas of Parel and Lal Baugh. Militantly shouting slogans, the march brought thousands of people onto their balconies , rooftops and windows all along the 2 km route, to remind them of the importance of Workers’ Day.  The march culminated in a mass rally at Maharashtra High School Maidan on Currey Road.

A decorated float prepared by Kamgar Ekta Chalwal (KEC) was one of the highlights of the march. This is the second year in succession that KEC had organized a float as part of the May Day program. This year’s float depicted the arrest of Lokmanya Tilak a century ago, and the 8-day strike of the textile workers of Mumbai demanding his release.

The public meeting began with the rendering of progressive songs by youth from Rangaboomhi Natya Samooh. Representatives of AITUC, CITU, HMS, Kamgar Ekta Chalwal,  Sarva Shramik Sangh,  Kamgar Aghadi, railway workers,  state government employees, bank employees and teachers addressed the meeting.

Pointing to the international significance of May Day, the representative from KEC pointed out that tens of thousands of workers are marching on the streets all over the world expressing the unity of all working people and the resolve to fight for a better world where the rights of the working man are guaranteed. He spoke on the world capitalist crisis, the food riots in different countries of the world, and the underlying cause of these crises.

Further on, he elaborated that the Indian big bourgeoisie has global ambitions and is trying to realize them by intensifying the exploitation and oppression of the working class through various ways. They want to undo the rights won by workers through struggle, by legalizing employment of workers on contract, by extending the hours of work and denying all benefits such as paid leave, PF, medical and other facilities. They want to establish SEZ’s where they can super exploit the workers.

Alongside the increased exploitation at the workplace and the rising prices of food and other essential articles, we are faced with another threat, the threat of demolition of our homes. The six lakh people in Dharavi, the over four lakh people living on the Airport lands, the residents of the chawls  such as BDD are living under the shadow of demolition of their homes, as the big capitalists have plans of converting Mumbai into a world class financial centre.

To divert our growing anger against the program of the big capitalists, they use their time tested weapon of divide and rule. The recent attacks on workers of North Indian origin is precisely in this direction. We saw scenes of goondas of a political party beating up ordinary taxi drivers, vegetable and fruit sellers while the police stood around watching.

100 years ago on July 13, the mill workers struck work for eight days, to demand the release of Lokmanya Tilak who had been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for his writings against the British imperialists. Today on the 100th anniversary of that historic strike, the working class must come out with its banners unfurled, declaring “End to the anti-social Capitalist Offensive”. We must build a worker peasant front to challenge all the fronts of the bourgeoisie, he concluded.

The youth of Rangbhoomi Natya Samooh put up a colourful Bhangra dance at the conclusion of the program.