By: Vančo K. Tegov
The celebration of May 1st feels like a kind of bipolar ritual. Who even seriously marks this day anymore as a holiday of labour and workers? Is it really about the workers themselves, or mainly about the biggest red socialist “big shots”? Besides Slovenia, the only countries that still celebrate it as a national holiday are Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Ukraine.
What exactly is May 1st ?
Because of its strong left‑wing political inspiration, May 1st has from the very beginning been a prominent day of demonstrations by socialist, communist, and anarchist groups. It is most often celebrated by those who in reality live off the work of actual workers – trade unionists and advocates of “workers’ rights”, who fight mainly to preserve the existing state of affairs rather than to improve it.
Although the classic industrial working class of the era in which the trade‑union movement emerged has almost disappeared, the loudest supporters of May 1st today are often those who have rarely, if ever, seriously engaged in work themselves. These are frequently people who preferred to exert power over those who actually did the work. These “worshippers of labour” in fact live off the sweat of workers, receive salaries and benefits for not working, and avoid any serious job opportunity that does not suit them. The whole thing is mostly just a mask and hypocrisy that lasts two days a year. Then they roll up their sleeves, walk around, and wait for someone to put something on the table – free drinks or, if they are lucky, something stronger. The remaining 363 days of the year they merely pretend to care about the worker, whose labour and contributions actually support them.
A vivid example of this hypocrisy in Slovenia is the mayor of Ljubljana, who every year climbs Rožnik with a carnation pinned to his lapel, says a few platitudes in his characteristic Ljubljana dialect, honours some pro‑socialist band and, of course, the best innkeeper from Yugoslav times. And everything is just as it “should be”.
St Joseph the Worker – the true model of labour
The true symbol and model for all workers is St Joseph the Worker. Even Jesus himself earned his bread through work before beginning his public ministry – most likely as a carpenter. In doing so, he gave human labour a deep and special meaning. Work is not merely one of human activities; it is closely connected to social and moral questions.
Work deserves respect because it enables a dignified way of life and provides the material conditions for survival. Whoever honours St Joseph the Worker remains honourable, proud, respectful, and honest.
The figure of St Joseph is an example for both workers and employers. Employers are obliged to provide fair pay that allows workers to live with dignity. Wages must correspond to the living needs and circumstances in which the worker lives. All actors in civil society must strive for a balanced relationship between labour and capital, for dialogue in resolving workers’ issues, for limiting unrestrained economic power, and for protecting private property, which also has a social function.
It is certainly worth celebrating and respecting May 1st as the feast of St Joseph the Worker and honouring those who treat work and workers with dignity and respect. The feast of St Joseph the Worker is not a holiday that glorifies work itself, but the worker – the human being. Never again work against the worker, but work in the service of the human person, of every person, and of all humanity.
This year marks 71 years since Pope Pius XII declared May 1st the feast of St Joseph the Worker in 1955. He did so with the intention that this day be dedicated to peace and no longer a cause of discord, hatred, and violence.
May it continue to be a workers’ holiday in the future, one in which harmony, peace, and mutual understanding go hand in hand.