World Labour Day 2024: Date, significance, history, and quotes

World Labour Day 2024 is observed to recognise the dedication and hard work of the working class and make the global population aware of their rights to protect them from exploitation.

World Labour Day, also referred to as May Day, is celebrated on May 1 every year to honour the achievements of workers and labourers worldwide and encourage them to know their rights.

History of International Labour Day
Labour Day was first recognised in the US. New York was the first state to introduce a bill that recognised Labour Day, but Oregon was the first to pass a law on February 21, 1887. Two years later, the Marxist International Socialist Congress took up a resolution demanding that workers should not work more than eight hours every day. Additionally, May 1 was declared a holiday.

In India, May Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1923 in Chennai and it was ushered in by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. In different parts of the country, the day is known differently-Uzhaipalar Dhinam (Tamil), Thozhilaali Dinam (Malayalam), and Shromik Dibosh (Bengali), Kamgar Din (Hindi), Karmikara Dinacharane (Kannada), Karmika Dinotsavam (Telugu), Kamgar Divas (Marathi).

The main objective of World Labour Day is to recognise the dedication and hard work of the working class and make the global population aware of their rights to protect them from exploitation.

Why was May 1 selected as World Labour Day?

The date May 1 was significant because it commemorated the Haymarket riot -- the aftermath of bombing at a labour strike in Chicago in 1886. That year, a general strike began on May 1 for eight-hour workdays. Four days into the protest, an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police responded by firing on protestors, killing at least four.

In 1889, the Second International, a body of socialist and labour parties, held a meeting in Paris, after French trade unionist Raymond Lavigne put forth a proposal calling for worldwide protests on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago demonstrations.

In 1890, May Day protests took place in the US and Europe. May Day was accorded the stature of a formal annual event at another meeting of the Second International in 1891.

Quotes on Labour Day

“All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

“The power of the working class is the hope of the nation”. — Van Jones

"The greatest asset of a company is its people." — Jorge Paulo Lemann

"Nothing will work unless you do." —Maya Angelou

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard." —Margaret Mead

"Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work." —Ralph Marston

"Without labour nothing prospers." —Sophocles