In 1886, labourers in Chicago had declared a general strike starting from May 1 in order to limit the working hours to 8 hours a day. In the commotion that ensued, police fired at the workers and killed eight of them. The event created further ripples in the society as riots broke out and the police and the military killed more civilians. In 1891, the anniversary of the Chicago protests was observed as the International Workers’ Day for the first time. The day is also known as May Day.
In India, the day has another significance too. In 1923, a prominent Communist leader Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar raised the red flag in Chennai on May 1 and inaugurated communism in India. That was also the event when May Day celebrations were introduced in our country. May Day symbolizes the strength in union and fraternity and it tells the world that labourers who build the world are to be respected and their rights, protected.
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