An annual celebration of International Workers’ Day, also called International Labour Day, is held on May 1st to honour labourers and their contributions to society.
There are other names for International Workers’ Day, including May Day, Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas, Kamgar Din, and International Workers Day.
Origination:
- The Haymarket Riot in Chicago, United States of America (USA), in 1886 is where the holiday’s origins may be found.
- On May 4, 1886, a labour protest rally outside Chicago’s Haymarket Square descended into chaos when someone hurled a bomb at police. This event is remembered as the Haymarket Riot (also known as the “Haymarket Incident” and the “Haymarket Affair”). The disturbance claimed the lives of at least 8 persons.
- International Workers Day was established on May 1st of each year in 1889 by Second International, a global association of socialist and labour parties.
Origin of Labour Day in India:
- The first Labour Day celebration in India took place on May 1, 1923, in Madras, which is now Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- The Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan, led by Comrade Singhavelar, the party’s leader, organised two gatherings to commemorate India’s first Labour Day.
Labor Movement:
- A labour movement is an organised effort by employees or labourers to seek improved pay, benefits, and schedules from a company or sector as a whole.
- The right of workers to self-organization and the eight-hour workday were the two main concerns.
8-hour day movement:
- The eight-hour day movement was a social movement that aimed to control the duration of a workday in order to stop overtime and misuse of work time.
- The Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, of 1919, was approved by 52 nations as of 2016, and it was the outcome of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) first discussion on the eight-hour day.
- According to a global standard, full-time employees must work an 8-hour shift five days a week, for a total of 40 hours worked per week.