International Workers Day, or Labor Day, often referred to as May Day, is an international day celebrated to honor our working-class labor. Every May 1st, we observe it to honor the contributions and sacrifices made by workers to society. In India, Labor Day is an official holiday, celebrated as Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas, Uzhaipalar Dinam (Tamil), or Kamgar Din.
The International Labor Day is the perfect picture of how workers come together and showcase their strength, showing how effectively they can struggle to bring about positive reforms for the social working class.
Many European countries and former colonies observe Labor Day on 1 May each year. However, other countries, including the US, observe Labor Day annually on the first Monday of September. In India, Labor Day is in the month of May with a dedication to the laborers and workers who were the force behind our nation’s industrial growth.
Labor Day 2019 was celebrated with the theme, “Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement.”
History of Labour Day in India
India’s very first Labor Day celebration was held on May 1, 1923, in Madras (Chennai). The Hindustan Labour Kisan Party was founded on this day by Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of India and a champion of workers’ rights. On that day, he called for two workers’ meetings to be held in Madras—one was held at Marina Beach opposite Madras High Court, and the other was held in Triplicane.
India raised the red flag, a symbol of the working class, for the first time on this day. The Victory of Labor Statue (popularly called the Statue of Labor) stands tall on Chennai’s Marina Beach—a powerful reminder of the country’s first Labor Day celebration.
Basically, the Labor Day history dates back to May 1, 1886. In the US, labor unions voted to go on strike with an urge that employees should not be forced to work more than 8 hours a day. On 4 May, following the strike, a bomb exploded in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, resulting in the deaths of numerous residents and police officers.
Though the protest in the US did not result in an immediate outcome, it helped to create the 8-hour working standard in India and other parts of the world.
Labour Day celebrated in different countries
Australia
The Labor Day date in Australia varies between states and territories. The Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and South Australia celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in October. It’s the second Monday in March in Victoria and Tasmania (although the latter will title it Eight Hours Day). Labor Day in Western Australia is the first Monday of March and the first Monday of May in Queensland and the Northern Territory (though the latter calls it May Day). Labor Day on Christmas Island is the fourth Monday of March in the territory.
The United States
USThe first Monday of September marks the celebration of US Labor Day.t is a federal holiday in the US and generally considered the end of the summer holiday season.
Trinidad and Tobago
Labor Day is celebrated every 19 June in Trinidad and Tobago. In honor of the 1937 Butler labor riots, it was first introduced in 1973. People celebrated this holiday.
Brazil
In Brazil, Labor Day is celebrated on the 1st of May.
Bangladesh
In memory of the victims of the collapse of the Rana Plaza building, Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, an organization working for the welfare of garment workers, demanded that 24 April be declared as Labor Safety Day in Bangladesh.
New Zealand
Labor Day is a public holiday in New Zealand that takes place on the fourth Monday in October. Its roots can be traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that originated in 1840 in the newly formed Wellington colony, primarily because of the reluctance of carpenter Samuel Parnell to work more than eight hours a day.
Canada
Labor Day (French: Fête du Travail) has been celebrated in Canada since the 1880s on the first Monday of September.
Bahamas
Labor Day is a public holiday in the Bahamas that is observed on the first Friday of June to create a long weekend for workers. However, the traditional date of Labor Day in the Bahamas is 7 June, in commemoration of a massive workers’ strike that started that day in 1942.
Swikriti Dandotia
