International Labor Day is observed on May 1st around the world, but many people are unaware of the history behind this day.
Laborers in Europe used to work long hours for little pay. If a worker was injured or killed on the job, the laborer was responsible for all costs. There was no treatment facility for the workers in the factories. Workers were required to work seven days a week with no concept of holiday.
To address all of these issues, workers in America and Europe established various movements. The Labor Union called a meeting in 1884 and presented a resolution at that meeting.
The demands by the Labor Union were proposed on May 1st.
Workers in the United States went on strike. On May 3, workers in the United States went on strike, and then things got out of control at that rally in Chicago, resulting in the death of four people. The laborers were also gunned down by police. During the same protest, a police officer was killed. Some of the employees were arrested and sentenced to death.
The workers refused to give up. During the attack, a laborer took a white flag and dyed it red with blood before waving it in the air, and the labor movement’s flag is still red today.
Following all of these events, May 1 was designated as Labor Day. Initially, Labor Day was not observed in the United States, Canada, and a few other countries, but it was later identified as International Labor Day by the United Nations.
Abdul Malik Rauf
Islamabad