What is it?
International Workers' Day, also called as Worker's Day or Labour Day, is an annual celebration of laborers and the working class. The holiday originated in the international labour movement during industrial revolution in the late 18th and early 19th century when industrial advancements replaced agricultural and handicraft jobs with mechanization, leading to an influx of low-skilled labor in industrial areas like factory towns due to which, wages and living standards for urban workers declined. Labour Day takes place every year on May 1st, or the first Monday in May.
 |
| International Workers Day|1st May |
Brief History
In 1889, the Marxist International Socialist Congress gathered in Paris and established the Second International as a successor to the First International, also known as the International Workingmen's Association, which existed from 1864 to 1876. The congress adopted a resolution for a "great international demonstration" in support of the working class's demands for an eight-hour workday. The American Federation of Labor selected May 1st to commemorate a general strike in the United States that began on May 1st, 1886 and resulted in the Haymarket Massacre on May 4th in Chicago. The demonstration has since become an annual event.
Many nations observe May 1st, or the first Monday in May, as a national public holiday, usually called "International Workers' Day" or a similar name. Some nations, such as the United States and Canada, celebrate Labor Day on different dates that hold significance to them, such as the first Monday in September.
 |
| Illustration of the Harmarket Affair |
Origin
On April 21, 1856, Australian stonemasons in Victoria engaged in a collective work stoppage to support the eight-hour workday movement, which became an annual commemoration inspiring American workers to have their first strike. This became an important milestone in the beginning of the labour movement. Unfolding of various other events led to the establishment of May 1 as International Workers' Day to remember the Haymarket affair of 1886 in Chicago.
Haymarket Affair
On May 1, a general strike was happening in Chicago for the eight-hour workday, but on May 4, the police took action to disperse the public demonstration in support of the strike and an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police responded by open firing on the workers, leaving 7 police officers and at least 4 civilians dead, 60 police officers and 115 civilians injured. On the following day, May 5, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the state militia fired on a crowd of strikers and killed seven people, including a man feeding chickens in his yard and a school boy. Several labor leaders and sympathizers were arrested, and four were executed following a trial that was widely seen as unfair justice.
In 1889, the Second International held its first meeting in Paris, where Raymond Lavigne proposed international demonstrations on May 1, 1890, to commemorate the Chicago protests. The call for demonstrations led to May Day protests in the United States, Europe, Chile, and Peru. The event was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891. In 1894, the May Day riots occurred. The 6th congress of the Second International, held in Amsterdam in 1904, called on "all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace.". The congress mandated all proletarian organizations in all countries to stop work on May 1, where possible, without any injuries to the workers.
In 1889, the Second International held its first meeting in Paris, where Raymond Lavigne proposed international demonstrations on May 1, 1890, to commemorate the Chicago protests. The call for demonstrations led to May Day protests in the United States, Europe, Chile, and Peru. The event was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891. In 1894, the May Day riots occurred. The 6th congress of the Second International, held in Amsterdam in 1904, called on "all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace.". The congress mandated all proletarian organizations in all countries to stop work on May 1, where possible, without any injuries to the workers.
Labour Day
Labours Day was already an established official holiday in North America even before the formation of Second International. It was first proposed in May 1882 by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor. Some people argue that it was Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union(CLU) of New York who proposed the Labor Day holiday on first Monday of September. Oregon was the first state in the US to make it an official public holiday in 1887. It became an official federal holiday in 1894 when thirty US states officially celebrated it.
 |
| Labour Day |
Conclusion
International Workers Day is a day to celebrate the labor force and their contributions to society. It is a time to recognize the importance of fair working conditions, workers' rights, and social justice. The history, significance, and celebrations of this day remind us of the ongoing struggle for workers' rights and the need for social change.
