International Labour Day Dignity of labour

INTERNATIONAL Labour Day, also known as Labour Day (First May), is often referred to as a celebration of labourers and the working classes. The day traces its roots back to the late 19th century during the height of the Industrial Revolution. On May 1, 1886, Chicago workers in the United States marched in the streets and went on strike to demand that eight hours constitute a legal day’s work. In response to workers’ protests and state police action against strikers at the Mc Cormick Harvester plant, a mass rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square turned tragic when many police personnel and civilians were killed. Thus, the day remembers the struggles of workers because the US government recognized workers’ demands in 1889. They recognized the rights of labor unions and immigrants and the day serves as a global reminder of the “Chicago Idea”—the fight of workers for dignity and fair labour practices. The workers’ movement was a significant step toward ensuring human rights and promoting inner peace among the working class. The day was chosen to honour labour martyrs, specifically in response to the conviction and execution of leaders in the Chicago general strike. The movement basically acted as a mechanism of reciprocity to protect workers, subordinating economic logic to social needs. In this regard, the workers’ struggle has also profoundly shaped the development of capitalism by acting as a constant counterforce to the accumulation of capital and forcing shifts in production organization. Thus, the core objective of capitalism—the relentless pursuit of surplus value—remains a central factor in labour struggles to challenge capitalism and achieve goals for the working class. The movement also strengthened unionization and collective action. At that time, the working class emerged as a social counter-movement to capitalist market expansion, utilizing mutual aid and collective bargaining to temper market forces and secure workers’ rights. These efforts forced capitalism t