May 1 has been celebrated worldwide as a day of festivities and events to welcome the change of season. However, the day’s significance took a new meaning in the 19th century, when it became popular as Labour Day.
The history of May Day dates back to the 1800s when death, injuries, and dangerous working conditions were common among the working class globally. During the height of the industrial revolution, most workers were exploited and forced to work for unbearably long hours, leaving them with little time to rest or recover.
In an attempt to end this exploitation, a convention was held in Chicago in 1884, by the American Federation of Labour, where it was proclaimed that 8 hours would constitute a legal day of work from and after May 1, 1886.
The labour activists began a multiday strike in what came to be known as the Haymarket Affair of 1886. Thousands of workers came out on the streets of Chicago, demanding an 8-hour workday. The protests turned violent when the police attacked the workers, and many lost their lives. Eventually, the strikes ended, and this incident became the catalyst for the labour movement and set the groundwork for future labour movements.
Three years later, in 1889, the International Socialist Conference named May Day a labour holiday, giving birth to what most nations now call International Worker’s Day.
Today, May Day is observed as a public holiday in most countries around the world and celebrated with various customs and traditions like marches, rallies, cultural events, political speeches, workplace events, and community service. The day holds immense significance as it marks the struggle of workers to secure their rights.
May Day is important as it provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of workers worldwide and to celebrate the recognition of their rights like a safe working environment, the right to fair wages, and the right to form unions. This, in turn, promotes social justice by advocating for fairness at workplaces and the adoption of policies that are not discriminatory and exploitative.
May Day also enhances awareness about the need to protect workers’ rights, especially in countries where they are not strictly implemented, and workers have to work in terrible conditions. It is an important tool to build solidarity among workers and encourage them to come together to fight for better working conditions.
Worker’s rights have always been a point of discussion, and in many parts of the world, workers are still made to work in unsafe conditions at meagre pay. In light of all this, May Day acts as a reminder to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of workers and aims to create a more just society for all.
