Do you know there was a time when holiday was not allowed ?
Do you know workers used to work for 13 to 17 hours a day, with zero facilities ?
Do you know people who died, bombs were hurled and gunshots wounded people in protests for asking for week offs in America ?
The International Labour Day has a significant history. During the time of the industrial revolution in the USA, factories were established. The workers merely had no offs, had to constantly work for many hours without even having a break. The factory owners used to sign contracts with employees using loopholes. In 1884, a federation of organised traders and labour unions was established by many workers, asking for demands.
They raised issues regarding an 8-hour workday by saying
* 8 hours of work
* 8 hours of Rest
* 8 hours for what we will
These slogans have created a ruckus and brought huge popularity across the US labour workforce. It created severe momentum for protests in all organisations working for employees. One fine day, all workers protested on a large scale in the USA. More than 3 lakh people have protested against the factory exploitation. The governments were shocked by the protests and the entire nation was crumbled and shocked by the people's agitations.
The same incidents have happened across India, especially Bombay, Kolkata, and Madras provinces. Many people have sacrificed their supreme soul for just 8 hours and a week off, it was now less than a freedom struggle for employees. After years of struggle, finally MAY 1st was declared as International Labour Day.
