By Dr Valentina Mulongeni May 1 every year, the business sector around the world is again reminded of their dependability on workers. On 1 May, the world working class displays its strength in demonstrations and strikes. May Day International Workers’ Day is a reminder to the business world that it cannot ignore one of the main force of production – the workers. May Day is commonly celebrated as a commemoration of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, which was the culmination of labour unrest in relation to demands for improved working and living conditions. In 1889, the first congress of the “Second International” following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago riot. These were so successful that May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International Second Congress in 1891. Though the riot happened in the USA, the United States has its own Labour Day holiday, celebrated on the first Monday in September instead of on May Day. In the United States, various efforts to officially switch Labour Day to the international date of 1 May have failed. The U.S. version of Labour Day was a creation of the 1880s Knights of Labor and was adopted officially in 1887 in the U.S. in an attempt to disassociate labour activism from the radical left. In 1958, President Eisenhower proclaimed 1 May both as Loyalty Day and as Law Day. Each year, the sitting president proclaims these observances on 1 May. Nevertheless, first of May became a day recognized around the world as a working class holiday, a day of solidarity between workers of all nationalities, as an international celebration of the social and economic achievements of all workers and labour movements. Working classes have existed since the day the humankind started cultivating the land, about ten thousand years ago. Eventually, some turned over the fruits of their labour into an exploiting class. But the modern working class is only several hundred years old. All over the world, men, women and children are still forced by poverty to work long hours in miserable conditions in order to survive. In a national context, the right of survival through honestly earned income is a basic human right of every citizen in independent Namibia. Equally, the right of safety at work is an intrinsic part of decent work. The Ministry of Labour promotes the concept of decent work through the work of its Labour and Factory inspectors whose mandate is labour protection of the workforce from unfair labour practices and occupational hazards at the workplace in terms of Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution concerning Promotion of the Welfare of the People. The Ministry Labour and Social Welfare equally promotes decent work through the work of the Labour Commission, Employment Equity Commission and Social Security Commission. Decent work sums up the aspirations of people about what their working life would like to be. It involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns while being able to organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives. It also includes equal opportunity and treatment for all women and men. Thus, decent work develops one’s potential and increases productivity. Decent work makes the individual not only more productive, but nurtures the creativity of workers. Therefore, the ILO (International Labour Organization) concept of decent work is opposite to the one of the working poor – a reality often manifesting itself nowadays in the developing word. The concept of decent work can be considered as part and parcel of our Vision 2030, and the contribution of the Ministry of Labour herein is essential. After tripartite consultations, minimum wages are set in some sectors of our economy. The labour inspectors of the Directorate: Labour Services, are enforcing on the ground the Labour Act and the present collective agreements. Social dialogue plays a key role in achieving this national objective of decent work. It is seen both as a means of achieving decent work and realizing all its social and economic benefits. Social dialogue requires regular bona fide communication between employees and management on enterprise level. Many wildcat strikes and demonstrations are born out of complete communication blackouts between workers and employers and the latter breeds mistrust between them. In labour too, we should respect all our fellow citizens, irrespective of ethnic or social background. The recent events at some coastal factories, the NHE, Ohlthaver & List Group and some other big enterprises in Namibia should be understood as a modern national manifestation of the world’s working class’ s struggle for decent work. Through mutual respect in labour, we will not have costly industrial actions for the employers and protests by disgruntled workers. Decent work is the heart of global, national and local strategies for economic and social progress. It is central to efforts to reduce poverty and means for achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. The concept of decent work is one of the fondest dreams of humanity. Christians believe that we are all created in the image of God which implies that we all should be divine in our own way in our present occupation as long it is earning, in a fair way, income. There is no dirty, insignificant job, because every kind of work has its importance for our wellbeing by the mere virtue that we cannot do without it. Therefore, decent work starts from its social recognition which is an ethical obligation of every society striving to be in the same league with the developed world in all respects. We must find peaceful ways to solve labour problems through mutual respect between employers and workers in order to achieve a lasting solution for the betterment of us all. Workers and employers should not look at each other as adversaries, but as business, social partners working together towards the development of our country. The fact remains that without an employer, there is no employee and, equally a worker makes the employer’s business grow. Workers and employers can be compared to a tandem where both sides are pulling together ahead towards the economic development of our country and realization of our vision 2030. To break the traditional wall of prejudice and mistrust between employers and workers is a tremendous task we have before us through implementing the amended Labour Act (No.15 of 2004) which soon will be operational. The onus, however, is not only on the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare but also requires the goodwill and cooperation of all workers and employers in Namibia. Therefore, May Day was born out of the struggle for improved working conditions. The struggle, in turn, emerged as part and parcel of the working class itself. Even SWAPO, the ruling party since Namibia’s independence, has its historical roots in OPO (Owambo People’ Organization). It was born as a workers’ organization fighting the slavery Contract Labour System of the South African occupational regime then in Namibia, which was defeated by SWAPO after it led the long, but worth the sacrifices, liberation struggle for Namibia. This is just another national manifestation of how dynamic and progressive the workers’ struggle for decent work is which can bring about positive changes in the political process of any given society.