In a few days, we will celebrate, together with the rest of the world, Worker’s Day (1 May). The significance of this day is of importance not only to working people, but also to all those who believe in dignity and rights for everyone.

It does not require much to understand the traditional ideology behind the celebration. The workers, at the time leaving feudal slavery, were moving into the “new” industrial slavery. Out of the humanistic philosophies and thinking of the 17th and 18th century came the desire to rid the working class of its shackled and destitute existence, with an understanding that everyone is human and should live in dignity.

The 1st of May was destined to celebrate this desire.

In Malta, our working class people had been through much of the same, with somewhat different imperialist and colonial masters. While nationalist political groupings in the 19th century were fighting for what one might term as “elitist” issues, workers were attempting to unite in order to carry themselves out of the misery and destitution in which they were living.

The emergence of Manwel Dimech gave a basis for the understanding of what the poor were suffering from and emphasised the need for education and freedom as the way forward. Out of his energies, we see the later emergence of the Labour movement. Unfortunately, Dimech was made to taste bitter exile, where he later died. Fortunately, however, his brave and wise teachings are still with us and relevant today. Last week, as we do annually, we took the opportunity to honour his memory; ironically, perhaps, on the same day that two workers lost their life at their place of work.

One might here ask what working people have to celebrate on this 1st May, if not most of the achievements that the Labour Movement has bestowed on the Maltese people as a whole, during the 1970s and the 1980s? Indeed, on the contrary, today the lack of work opportunities has made the labour market a place where workers have to accept what is offered to them, even if it means pseudo self-employment, or part-time work, with the loss of (apart from dignity) the right to fair wages, leave and sickness leave, holiday pay and other benefits.

Wage-earners who are still in employment are similarly facing a deterioration in their quality of life. Instead of increasing their savings, they are eating away at whatever they had put aside over the years – and this not in order to live better, but in an attempt to retain the same standard of living. Throughout our society, we can see this deterioration, which is manifested both by local and foreign published statistics.

Today, we have more people living on the edge of poverty than we had two decades ago, despite all the boasting that this Nationalist government tries to spin on us about how good life is.

One thing that we surely cannot celebrate this 1st of May is the taking away of the holidays that fall on weekends. It was clear here just how much this government has the interests of working people at heart – an action that was also criticised by the International Labour Organisation and by a multitude of international trade unions.

Yes, we will celebrate the 1st of May this year, as we have done over the past decades, when we celebrated other victories and achievements. This year we will celebrate the 1st of May as another step in the country’s way forward towards the opportunity to have Labour back at the stern, to a more prosperous and dignified future for everyone. With us we invite all Maltese people, in our way forward towards a new Labour government – a better government.

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Dr Michael Falzon is MLP deputy leader for party affairs