International Labour Day is an official public holiday all over the world in various countries.The day is celebrated to honour the contribution of working men and women and to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world.
May 1 or May Day as it is popularly known as, is observed in countries such as Cuba, India, China among other countries.
May Day is also known as Workers’ Day or International Workers’ Day. May Day has different origin stories in different countries. However, the common theme in all countries is the labour class taking a stand against the exploitation they were subjected to.
During the era of industrialisation, US industrialists exploited the working class by making them work 15 hours a day. It was only on May 1, 1886, that the labour class came together and revolted against this unjust system and asked for paid leaves, good wages and proper breaks.
In 1889 a meeting took place in Paris where it was decided to celebrate May Day on an annual basis through a proposal given by the Raymond Lavigne and said that international demonstrations are required to celebrate the anniversary of the Chicago protests. In 1891, International’s second congress officially recognized to celebrate May Day as an annual event.
Labour Day has a different origin story for various countries but the main reason is commemorating a stand made against the exploitation of the labour class or the working class population.
The first celebration of May Day in India was organised in Madras (now Chennai) by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. This was also the time when the Red Flag which symbolises Labour Day was first used in India.
The day is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties. Labour Day is also known as ‘Kamgar Din’ or ‘Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas’ in Hindi, ‘Kamgar Divas’ in Marathi and ‘Uzhaipalar Naal’ in Tamil.
On this day, trade unions/ activists take out marches and give speeches in an attempt at improving the conditions of a high percentage of working people who are still regularly underpaid and overworked. Trade unions/Activists are often considered to be troublemakers but are only struggling to protect the rights of the common man and in countries where child labour still exists, then organisations promoting the rights of children also take this opportunity to publicise their aims.
The problem of bonded labour, whereby entire generations of families are exploited like slaves, is another issue brought to public attention on this day.
Labour Day also teaches us about the dignity of labour. No work is disrespectful and we must acknowledge every profession. We must express our gratitude to those who work so hard to give us the facilities we need. We can’t deny the fact that labour is the part of society on which all economic advancement rests. Even in the mechanical era of the present time, the importance of labour is not decreased. If suddenly the whole workers of the whole world disappear then the whole world will stop! Let us all realise this and let us celebrate the workers – these great people who make our world move.
The labour rights movement is a constant reminder for us not to take our privileges for granted. We must realize that our ancestors had only gotten their right to adequate livelihood after a long battle. We must take care of those who continuously work to make us happy. We must respect them and provide them with the dignity they truly deserve.