May XNUMXst, Labor Day: it's time, therefore, for the big concert in Piazza San Giovanni in Rome or for a trip out of town with a snack based on beans and pecorino cheese.
A bit of history…
But has it always been like this? What is behind this serene and disengaged image that May 1st brings with it? There is a history of clashes and mourning, there is a daily life of sacrifices and, sometimes, of death. The party has its roots in the struggles of US workers to get the 8-hour work day. In 1886 in Chicago bloody clashes took place in the streets in early May: 8 workers and policemen died in the street, followed by 5 death sentences. In 1889 May Day was therefore proclaimed as Labor Day by the Second International in Paris: Italy adopted it two years later.
Celebrate the work it was since then a unanimously accepted custom. The work to be recognized as an indispensable driving force for the fulfillment of the individual citizen and the national community. In Italy, Fascism merged the "Christmas of Rome - Labor Day" on April 21, the Catholic Church with Pius XII in 1955 proclaimed May 1, the feast of "St. Joseph the Worker". In the history of May Day, however, there have been dark and tragic episodes. On May 1, 1947 in Portella della Ginestra, Sicily, a volley of rifle shooting led to death in a demonstration of workers. It was said that it was the bandit Giuliano, perhaps, or the 'secret services', or the 'agrarians'. More than seventy years after the facts, the mystery is still thick.
May XNUMXst, today ...
The day of celebration, however, must not make us forget that even today, especially today, the daily life of work it not only brings human fulfillment and well-being to families. Over 100 deaths at work in the first months of 2018 must make us think, a lot. A quick reading of the newspapers soil in the last few days he speaks of two dead workers in Treviglio, two in Livorno, two in Crotone. It is no coincidence that we note that the geography of the tragedies does not present any differences: North, Center and South of Italy are equally affected. The so-called servants of the state are equally affected: two firefighters a Catania, a colleague of theirs in San Donato Milanese, a helicopter non-commissioned officer of the Marina Militare offshore.
It is only a short list of the fatalities of the last few days but there are more than 13.000 deaths on the work in the last ten years. These are impressive figures that must make us reflect especially on the day dedicated to work. National Authorities must reflect in order to review the personnel training and control processes on safety policies and procedures. The employers 'and trade unions' organizations that too often aim to give and / or obtain a must reflect work 'any' not a secure and qualifying occupation.
The concert…
The value of the May Day concert must not only lie in listening to good music but in the commitment of all social components to improve the work in quantity and quality.
