THE Chinese Government and Communist Party celebrated Labour Day yesterday in their usual turgid, ritualistic style with uninspiring ''cultural activities'' and eulogies to the working class.
But the working class, the so-called ''masters of the country'', had little to cheer about.
With prices of consumer goods continuing to spiral and millions of labourers in state-run enterprises having their pay suspended because of huge financial losses, the masters of the country are in no mood to celebrate.
Workers are also having to put up with poor and often dangerous working conditions, long hours and increasingly exploitative management.
The official trade unions, where they exist, provide little recourse for dissatisfied workers, being primarily concerned with ''educating'' the workforce to accept whatever management decrees.
But first and foremost, it is inflation, running at about 25 per cent in the cities, which is causing the biggest headache for the proletariat.