IMPHAL, April 30: The Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) has said that in the year 1885, the International Communist meeting at Geneva had like the National Labour Union of America had done, announced that a worker should be made to work for only 8 hours in a day following which, the workers of the world had also decided the same in 1886.
The statement elaborated further that though the centre of the movement was at Chicago, it spread to other parts of America, resulting in clashes between the police and the workers.
The 2nd Communist International meeting of 1889 resolved that in remembrance of the sacrifices of the labourers who were hanged during the movement, May 1 will be observed as May Day, the statement said.
It said, the situation of the daily wage earners in Manipur had never improved and has been reduced to the status of animals
The statement has also claimed that there are several farmers and workers who had taken the extreme step of suicide unable to stand the atrocities of India.
After the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission in India, the salaries of the government employees have increased a lot while there is still no proper program for the welfare of the workers, the statement said.
The government has neither set up factories nor tried to promote the small cottage industries of the land in trying to provide employment to the people and is more concerned with the recruitment of security personnel for the higher ups, it said.
Even as the workers are trying hard to make their voices heard on May Day, there are still many who cannot even afford two square meals a day even though they work hard for their livelihood, the statement said.
The statement has further appealed to all to stand unitedly against oppression from the veiled neo-liberal economy of India.