Today is the first and by any measure the most important bank holiday of the three we’ve been blessed with this month. For the last 130-odd years the first of May has been International Workers Day. As a worker cooperative, where all employees have equal responsibility for the business, we are part of this tradition of celebrating and supporting the people whose labour makes the world but who often seldom see a fair share of the rewards. At a time when the cost of living is increasing far faster than wages, and workers’ rights are being eroded, it’s worth taking some time out to remember why being a coop is not just a business decision but a political act.

Of course May Day has been around for much much longer. This is the day we mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, when the days lengthen and the earth comes to life again. In this sense the holiday is about abundance and the potential of the year ahead. It reminds us that there is plenty to go around; it’s just not always managed sustainably or distributed fairly.

Because we open Tuesday to Saturday, and run a skeleton staff on Mondays, we don’t shut down for bank holidays. We decided to bundle them into our holiday allowance so people can choose to take them at a time that suits them, and it works well for us. It does mean we often forget one is coming up. But not May Day.