May 1st is
celebrated as Labor Day in many parts of the world. It is traditionally
celebrated as a spring festival and is known as the International Worker’s Day
in 80 countries around the world.
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| Labor Day Parade, Union Square, New York, 1882 (Lithographie) |
This is the time of year
wherein workers are given paid time off and allowed to relax and enjoy. At the
same time, labor unions take to the streets to ask for labor reforms, usually
in the form of increase in wages.
Roots of Labor Day
Labor Day only started in the
late 19th century, as the world was growing from massive
industrialization. The Australians are attributed as being quite progressive in
terms of workers and laborers. After all, the people in Australia were the
first to advocate an eight-hour workday. This was called the 8-hour day
movement. This meant that the 24-hour day should be evenly divided into 8 hours
for work, 8 hours for rest and the last 8 hours of the day set aside for
recreational activities. The Labor Unions in Australia and in many parts of the
world were pushing for better working conditions, including cutting back on
working hours.
