Ghanaian workers will today join their fellow workers around the globe to celebrate May Day.
The event, on the theme, “Addressing the energy challenges — The role of organised labour”, is held under the auspices of organised labour and its affiliated national unions.
The national parade of workers will be addressed by President John Dramani Mahama at the Black Star Square in Accra.
Regional parades will also be held in all the 10 regions.
History The global workers' day dates back to May 1, 1886 when some courageous workers’ leaders in the United States of America (USA) called a general strike to back their demand for a legal guarantee for an eight-hour working day.
It was reported that at the famous Haymarket Square in Chicago City, USA, violence erupted when the police fired on the striking workers, which resulted in the killing of eight armed policemen and other people.
Following the riot, four courageous leaders of the crusade — August Spies, George Engel, Adolf Fischer and Albert Richard Parson — were arrested, convicted and hanged on November 11, 1887.
Others such as Oscar W. Reebe and Michael Scwab were sentenced to life imprisonment but were later freed by the government.
The Haymarket Square martyrs were later honoured with a special monument at their graveside in Chicago, which was dedicated on June 25, 1893.
Tens of thousands of activists embraced the ideals of the Haymarket Martyrs and established May Day as International Workers' Day which has been accepted by many countries.
Ghana’s celebration Through colonialism, African countries also adopted May Day and have since been partaking in its observation.
Three years after Ghana gained independence in 1957, its workers observed their first May Day under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who was declared the "First Number One Worker".
He was decorated with a May Day award by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), under the leadership of Mr J.K. Tettegah.
The May Day celebration was suspended in the wake of the first military coup on February 24, 1966 which toppled Dr Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP) government.
The celebration was resumed after the January 13, 1972 military coup led by General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. That event was marked with a grand national parade held at the forecourt of the Accra Community Centre.
It was attended by hundreds of workers from the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area, which saw the formal institutionalisation of May Day awards to selected dedicated workers of the TUC, led by then Secretary-General Alhaji A.M. Issifu.
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