International Workers’ Day or International Labour Day
Every year, May Day is celebrated on the 1st of May all over the world, including India. It is also called the International Workers’ Day or International Labour Day. This day is dedicated to the workers around the world.
Many countries commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of workers for the society, on May Day. Our society was built by the hardworking people who continue to help us lead better lives.
The background to the declaration of May Day can be traced to the protests in the 19th century by the workers in the United States against draconian labour laws, violation of workers’ rights, poor working conditions and long working hours.
May Day is synonymous with the workers’ struggles and their subsequent empowerment in the late 19th century. It was on this day in 1886 that a police contingent in Chicago opened fire and killed at least two of the striking workers. The workers demanded eight-hour workday, instead of the inhuman 16-hour workday that prevailed at that time in the United States.
Following the murder of peaceful protesters, more workers joined the protest and it was only in 1916 that the US began to approve the eight-hour workday. This changed the attitude of the world towards the workers and working conditions.
In India, people started observing the day from 1 May 1923 after the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan initiated it and comrade Singaravelu Chettiar steered the celebrations. A resolution was moved asking the government to sanction a national holiday on Labour Day. Since then May Day is observed annually. It is a public holiday in most of the countries including India.
Also, May 1 is celebrated as 'Maharashtra Day' (Maharashtra Diwas) and 'Gujarat Day' (Gujarat Sthapana Diwas) every year. On this day, 57 years ago, the existing state of Maharashtra was formed. In 1960, the Bombay Reorganisation Act was passed by India's Parliament to divide the multilingual state of Bombay into Gujarat and Maharashtra.
