THIS May Day takes place in a very different situation from last year. 

We had prepared for our annual march and rally by aiming at raising two important issues for workers — fighting the anti-union laws and fighting against climate change through just transition. 

Once the health emergency started, we immediately resolved that May Day would continue but in a different form — an online rally.  

We noted many others have followed this approach, but it is important to maintain the unity of London May Day, which has importantly always celebrated May Day on May 1.

The health emergency has shown vividly that the functioning of our society depends on workers, in this instance risking life and limb daily. 

The showers of praise for health workers and others working each day in shops, the post, transport, prisons, deliveries, food production and other sectors is sincere from the public but we have to ensure that our rulers honour their words when the crisis recedes. 

We went through acres of promises during the banking crisis — all would change, the excesses would end. 

Where did all that go? 

We must make sure workers are properly respected, that those in jobs that we depend on are properly paid. 

That the services we all depend on are properly run by our society in a unified way and that the profiteers who have been leeching on them are removed.

Like in the factories during WWll, this crisis has depended on the resourcefulness, intelligence and adaptability of workers and unions. 

This shows what is possible when involving workers fully in the running of society. 

But we must also be aware of the agenda of some employers who seem to be using the crisis to force through things rejected by workers. 

For example, the Royal Mail trying to drive through those changes rejected by a massive majority of the workforce (with public support) before the Covid-19 crisis hit. 

Or BA sacking swathes of their employees, trying to con the public that this was forced on them by circumstances. Or the blinkered approach of building employers to what is “necessary work.”

There needs to be detailed scrutiny of why government failure forced hospital workers and others to work without proper protection and why modern capitalism with its just-in-time, highly financially geared structure cannot deal with such a crisis.

London May Day honours those workers, particularly those who have given their lives, and celebrates what workers have achieved.

We recognise, for example, the heavy toll on London’s bus workers. We also recognise those, often the most vulnerable, who need financial support, housing and support services at this time. We want to know why those from certain ethnic backgrounds have been so hard hit.

Yet the first two themes we had for this May Day are not forgotten. We need to get rid of the anti-union legislation which tries to limit our effectiveness. 

That is important for the battles we will face to properly apply the lessons being learnt about the inadequacies of our society. 

Employers will try to use the changes forced by the crisis to remove the protections we have won by bitter battles. 

We need to make a key part of our demands addressing the threat to our future by climate change with a full programme that ensures that is achieved by just transition, not by making the working class pay. 

We always maintain at the core of May Day our solidarity with workers around the world in struggles at work and to prevent the wars and exploitation that destroy their societies.

This May Day true solidarity is being shown in communities across the country, by workers ensuring we get our necessities, by the common experience of ordinary people across the world.

This year our watchword is solidarity. We must maintain that into the future.

Celebrate May Day with us at www.londonmayday.org. See Ricky Tomlinson, Jo Grady, Steve Turner, Eve Turner, Dave Ward, DGB Berlin, front-line workers, migrant workers, musicians, poets and many, many more.

Roger Sutton is organiser of the London May Day Organising Committee.