International Labour Day

• The Labour Day is observed to celebrate the achievement of workers and pays tribute and respect to workers and their contribution.

• In most of the countries Labour Day is synonymous with the International Workers' Day and May Day.

• It is celebrated on 1st of May every year in almost 80 countries in the World and observed as official holidays. In Canada and the United States, Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September.

• The celebration of Labour Day was started with the labour union movement which demanded eight working hour in a day.

• The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on May 4, 1886.

• In Haymarket affair incident, on a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day , a bomb is thrown at a squad of policemen attempting to break up a labour rally. It was in reaction to the killing of several workers on the previous day by the police. In the bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and four civilians.

• It was decided to be celebrated on annual basis as May Day in the meeting in 1889 in Paris through a proposal by the Raymond Lavigne.

• In the year 1891, May Day was officially recognized by the International’s second congress to be celebrated as an annual event.

• The first May Day celebration in India was organised in Madras (now Chennai) by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923.

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