INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY

May Day 2023 marks a hundred years since it was first commemorated in India on May 1, 1923, in the city of Madras.
M Singaravelu Chettiar, a nationalist figure, and an early cobmmunist associated with the anti-caste movement introduced May Day in India.
By introducing May Day in India, Singaravelu sought to connect the struggles of Indian workers with the global-level resistance of labour against brutal exploitation and dehumanisation.

About International Labour Day:

May Day is also known as International Workers’ Day and as Labour Day in different parts of the world.
It is an occasion that commemorates the contributions of workers and the historic labour movement.
While observed as an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival, May 1 became associated with the labour movement in the late 19th century, after trade unions and socialist groups designated it as a day in support of workers.
It was decided to do so in memory of the Haymarket affair of 1886, in Chicago in the United States.
The US recognised Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894, where it continues to be celebrated every year on the first Monday of September.
In 1889, The Second International, an organisation created by socialist and labour parties, declared that May 1 would be commemorated as International Workers’ Day from then on.
In 1916, the US began to recognise eight-hour work timings after years of protests and uprisings.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the celebration was embraced by the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc nations during the Cold War.

May Day in India:

In India, May Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1923, after the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan initiated and Comrade Singaravelar (Singaravelu Chettiar) helmed the celebrations.
The Comrade passed a resolution stating the government should allow everybody a national holiday on Labour Day.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

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