Labour Rights | International Worker’s Day

International worker’s day also referred to as “May day” or “Workers day” – is it just another holiday for us? But when we go down in history, we come to know how important this day is.

How it all started!

In the late nineteenth century, workers were in a constant struggle to gain an 8-hour work day. This upsurge was due to the unsafe conditions in which the labourers had to work for 10-16 hours each day. It often led to fatal injuries or even death, yet, the issue was largely overlooked by the concerned authorities.

This is why, on May of 1886, the Haymarket affair (Haymarket Massacre) took place in Chicago. During this event, several people and police officers died due to a bomb blast and around 100 people were injured in the blast. After several strikes by the workers and subsequent international discussions, 1st May was declared as the “International Worker’s Day” or “May day” by the International Socialist Congress. It is a day to commemorate the legal establishment of the 8-hour workday.

Although the epicentre of the labour’s movement is not clearly known since many movements took place around the world that time, but over the years, the strike organised by 300,000 workers in the United States on 1st May 1886 is being considered the real cause behind the celebration of worker’s day. Since the movement took place on the 1st day of May when the workers walked off their jobs, this day is considered as the May Day. But what makes this holiday special is that it puts forward the notion of an 8-hour work and 8-hour recreation time for workers who labour all around the year.