Multymeter.com – Business Finance : International Workers’ Day, or often called May Day, is celebrated every May 1. Meanwhile, in the United States (U.S.), Labor Day is often referred to as Labor Day and is an annual holiday to celebrate the struggle of workers.
Labor Day originated in the labor movement, especially the movement that fought for the eight-hour workday. This movement is a recommendation of eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation and eight hours of rest.
So every May 1, 2023 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day or the so-called May Day. Labor Day is also designated as a national holiday.
In most countries, Labor Day is linked to International Workers’ Day, which is celebrated every May 1. However, in some countries it is celebrated on different dates. This has a special significance for the trade union movement in the country concerned.
Prior to the 19th century, the term May Day referred to the celebration of the change of season, to spring in the United States.
May Day is also known as International Workers’ Day to celebrate labor rights and the eight-hour workday in the United States.
At that time, working conditions in the United States were very bad, especially in the industrial sector. Workers had to work 16 hours a day for very low wages.
These workers also worked without adequate guarantees of health and safety on the job.
In 1886, a labor movement began to develop in the United States fighting for workers’ rights.
The movement sought to defend an eight-hour workday. On May 1, 1886, thousands of workers across the United States went on strike to fight for their rights.
At the time, there were three labor organizations organizing the protests: the Knights of Labor, the Federation of Organized Labor and Trade Unions, and the International Workingmen’s Association, also known as the First International.
Within days, demonstrations and strikes spread across the United States, including major cities such as Chicago, New York and Boston.
On May 3, 1886, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in Chicago. This incident became known as the Haymarket tragedy.
Four demonstrators and seven policemen were killed in the clashes. After this incident, many workers and workers’ rights activists were arrested and imprisoned.
The history of Labor Day continues in 1889, an international conference was held in Paris to commemorate the struggle of workers and fight for workers’ rights.
The conference called for the international observance of May 1 each year as International Workers’ Day.
The history of May Day as a day of labor was born out of an international federation, a group of socialists and trade unions that established May 1 as a day of support for workers in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886.
In the 20th century, the May 1 holiday received official approval from the Soviet Union and was also celebrated as International Workers’ Solidarity Day, especially in some communist countries.
However, the United States does not celebrate Labor Day on May 1, but on the first Monday in September (May 1 is Loyalty Day, an official but not widely recognized holiday in the United States).
There are some opinions that claim that the reason is to avoid commemorating the riots that occurred in 1886, as cited by Office Holidays.
Since then, International Workers’ Day has been celebrated around the world as a day of struggle by workers for fair and decent labor rights.
In addition, International Workers’ Day is also a symbol of the struggle for freedom, democracy and equality around the world.***
