Labor Day and the importance of workers

The enactment of the Trade Union Act. Labour Day — also known as Fête du Travail in French — is a statutory public holiday in Canada, celebrated on the first Monday of September. Just like the festivity that takes place in its neighboring United States, the Canadian celebration takes place the same day every year. Its origin can be found in the protest rallies of the Victorian era and even in the Nine-Hour Movement’s parades. But it was during an era of rapid industrialization, that this holiday promoted working-class solidarity and attachment. Since the Second World War, less and less individuals have participated in Labor Day celebrations, but nowadays, many Canadians still use this holiday for family time and outdoor activities.

Strikes on Melbourne. Calendars ready? Labor Day is a public holiday in Australia, with dates varying between states and territories. On April 21, 1856, the labour movement marched for an eight-hour workday in Melbourne. The labor movement protested for an eight-hour day in Melbourne on April 21, 1856. That day, construction workers across the city stopped working and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House in order to achieve their goal. As a result of their effective direct action protest, they were some of the first organized workers in the world to achieve an 8-hour day without losing pay. But keep in mind that Labor Day is held in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and South Australia on the first Monday in October. In Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March, but in Western Australia, it is the first Monday in March. In Queensland and the Northern Territory, it takes place on the first Monday in May, while on Christmas Island, it happens on the fourth Monday in March. Got it?

Bouquets of Lily of the Valley. Labour Day, or La Fête du Travail, falls on May 1st in France. It shares the day with a long-standing tradition, started around 1561 by King Charles IX, where people share and gift bouquets of Lily of the valley. It is said that someone gave the King this flower as a symbol of good luck and fortune. This gift moved him so much that he made the decision to present it to the ladies of the court annually on May 1. In the 20th century, American union workers gathered in Paris to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution. Socialists proclaimed May 1 to be an international day for workers’ rights in memory of those who had given their lives in defense of their rights. A red triangle, which stood for eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, and eight hours of leisure, served as their original emblem. Later, the dog rose flower took its place, and in 1907, the lily of the valley was introduced in recognition of Charles IX’s court. Eventually, in 1947, France declared it a national holiday.

Celebration of Labor Day and Spring. Since the Soviet Union, Labor Day has been an important and celebrated holiday. It started off illegally during the French Revolution and was officially recognized in 1917. However, as the Bolsheviks took control of the government in less than a year, Menshevik revolutionaries and anarchists once again boycotted the event. The celebration became extremely popular in the following years, and parades were held in all major cities. One of the most well-known parades is the one held in Moscow’s Red Square, where, until 1992, the vast majority of marches featured military forces and had a strong political meaning. Since then, May Day has been renamed “The Day of Spring and Labor”, and it has continued to be a significant holiday in contemporary Russia, with a national civil parade taking place on Red Square and similar events taking place in significant cities and regional capitals. Additionally, a curious event that takes places is monstrations, public performances parodying serious marches with satirical signs and posters that take the streets and fill them with laughter!

Fight and Progress. May 1st is also a federal holiday in Mexico, honoring the nation’s history with labor and the struggles of the working class, as well as the 1917 Constitution. For many years—especially in the late nineteenth century-, Mexican workers faced poor working conditions, lower wages than their American counterparts, lack of respect, and a difficulty to advance in their careers, no matter their abilities or accomplishments. This led to the Cananea Strike, which took place in Sonora’s mining town of Cananea in June 1906. Both the laborers who worked in their various businesses as well as a substantial amount of Mexican land, were under the control of the American businessmen who owned the Cananea Copper Company. Several fundamental demands were made by Mexican workers, including fair pay and respectful treatment from superiors. Sadly, none of them were satisfied prior to being made to return to work. Twenty-three people died as a result of the strike. The Mexican Constitution was adopted in 1917 and the Mexican Revolution took place shortly after. The first recognized Labor Day celebration happened in 1923.

Religion and Labor Day. The first Labor Day or Día del Trabajador was celebrated in Spain in 1889, but it didn’t become a public holiday until the Spanish Second Republic began in 1931. Later, the Franco regime outlawed it in 1937. The following year, the “Fiesta de la Exaltación del Trabajo”, or Labor Festival, was scheduled to be held on July 18, the anniversary of the Francoist military coup instead. The Catholic Church intervened nearly 20 years after Franco put an end to the commemoration. Pope Pius XII declared May 1st as Fiesta de San José Artesano, also known as San José Obrero - Saint Joseph the Worker — in 1955, and the holiday was brought back the following year. After Francisco Franco’s death in 1975 and the country’s transition to democracy, the very first large-scale rallies on 1 May began again in 1977. Labor Day was reinstated as a national holiday in 1978 and to this day, protest parade and marches are common in both major and minor cities.