Apr 30 – Chief Minister’s May Day Message
Here’s the full text of the Chief Minister’s May Day message:
The first day of May is a day that is ingrained in my heart as a socialist. It is a day that is significant to the working class. It is a day that is significant to industry. It is a day that is significant to trade unionism. It is a day that was removed as a holiday by the GSD. And it is a day that the GSLP/Liberal Government has given back to the people of Gibraltar since our election in 2011.
Generations to come must always be reminded that the terms and conditions of employment that they enjoy today were not gifted to working people. Those who today enjoy statutory holiday and sick leave entitlement cannot be allowed to forget that every one of the benefits they enjoy has been hard fought.
We must always remember - and teach future generations - that the fight for the eight hour working day was one of the first victories won by workers after the arrival of mass industrialisation.
In the context of Gibraltar, the industrial struggle has been no less hard than elsewhere and, in great measure, was mixed in with the battle against colonialism.
The "General Strike" and the "Battle for Parity" were all signs of the movements that working people have led and that we now reap the benefits of.
Imagine if Joe Bossano had not won the economic case for parity. How would we have developed as an economy? What would that mean for your job today if you are in employment or your rate of pension if you have already retired? Perhaps even more importantly, what would it mean for you children's pay or your grandchildren's pay?
At the time when the battle for the eight hour working day was fought, the employers no doubt argued it was unaffordable and would make production unaffordable. Sounds exactly like the arguments we in the GSLP always face as a party when we present an initiative to help working people. Remember when introducing mandatory scholarships for further education was going to "bankrupt Gibraltar"?
Finally, if you are not convinced by my arguments about the importance of May Day and the reason for celebrating the commemoration of it as a holiday, let me give you one final and overwhelmingly convincing reason for your support. In Spain, when Franco won the Spanish Civil War, he banned celebration of May Day as Workers Day. It wasn't re-established until after his death in 1975. Who would you side with, Franco or the millions of workers and trade unionists who have fought for workers’ rights?
Think of it that way and the answer is really a "no-brainer"!
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