Labour Day, also known as international workers day, is celebrated every year on May 1 every year.
Here are some interesting facts about Labour Day.
• Labour Day, also known as May Day, is a global celebration observed on the first of May. This significant day is marked in more than 80 countries worldwide.
• Initially, May 1 was observed as an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival.
• The origin of Labour Day is traced to May 1886, when a labour rally protest in Chicago turned into a ‘Haymarket riot’.
• In the late 19th century, Labour Day was associated with the labour movement in which the trade unions and socialist groups supported the demand for fair wages, shorter working hours and better working conditions for labour.
• Canada and the USA celebrate Labour Day on the first of September, not on the first of May.
• Canada started celebrating Labour Day in 1872, a decade before the United States.
• An 8-hour working day became a legal standard when 400,000 rail workers from four different unions struck and threatened not to end the strike until the 8-hour rule was implemented.
• In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed ‘The Adamson Act’, making the 8-hour work day a legal standard.
