May Day: The international Day of the Working class

Today is the First of May or the May Day.

May Day or May First is internationally recognized as International Labors day. It is widely celebrated by the working-class people across the globe as a festival of the working class. 

The roots of May Day can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century when there was the ignition of the worker's revolutions and industrial workers rallied demanding fair pay and better working conditions. 

Countries including France, Germany, England, and the US saw the workers demanding the work hours reduced from 12-15 hours to eight hours. 

Mayday commemorates the Haymarket martyrs, the eight Chicago workers who were sentenced to death in Chicago. 

May 1 1886 was the day when 4,00,000 workers in the city went on strike demanding an eight-hour workday. The demand is now popularly referred to as 8-hours labor, 8-hour rest, and 8-hour recreation. 

The employer class attempted to crush the movement and framed the organizers of the movement for throwing a bomb at police who attacked a demonstration.

The four Haymarket martyrs were executed and the fifth one killed himself. The three others were later pardoned.

Workers around the world, from then, use the day of May first as a day to strike and demonstrate for better working conditions.

Although the 8-hour workday has been achieved on paper, it is yet a dream for many working-class citizens across the globe.

Also, those with eight-hour workday are being paid far from what they are worth, the wealth gap is at an all-time high and the big corps have made it tougher to organize. 

Publish : 2021-05-01 19:08:00

Give Your Comments