Origins of International Worker’s Day

Chennai

• The holiday was first celebrated in the 1880s. It is on May 1 to commemorate the May 1886 Haymarket Affair, which occurred in Chicago.
• From May 1st to May 3rd 1886, 250,000 Chicago-area workers hit the streets to protest long working hours and call for factories to limit days to 8 hours. On May 3, police fired on the peaceful crowd and killed two workers. The rally was held the next day to protest police brutality. At about 10:30 a.m., a police line moved toward the rally and someone threw a bomb at the police, killing one and wounding six others. Police then opened fire and killed four workers, injuring several others. The day is celebrated to acknowledge the sacrifice of the workers.
• Labour Day has historically been a day for parades, rallies and other celebrations of workers.
• Many labour groups plan to rally on May 1 to call for worker rights, including better wages and conditions for workers.
• Themes for the day were first introduced in 1996 and have highlighted issues ranging from asbestos to HIV/AIDS. This year the theme is ‘strong laws, strong enforcement, strong unions’