Labor Day and the importance of workers

The enactment of the Trade Union Act. Labor 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 its neighbor, the United States, the Canadian Labor Day celebration takes place on the same day every year. Its origin can be traced back to the protest rallies of the Victorian era and the Nine-Hour Movement’s parades. However, it was during an era of rapid industrialization that this holiday came to promote working-class solidarity and unity. Since the Second World War, fewer 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 labor movement protested for an eight-hour workday in Melbourne. That day, construction workers across the city stopped working and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve their goal. As a result of their effective direct action, they became 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. Labor Day, or La Fête du Travail, falls on May 1st in France. This day is also marked by a long-standing tradition, started around 1561 by King Charles IX, where people 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 1st. In the 20th century, American union workers gathered in Paris to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution. Socialists proclaimed May 1st as an international day for workers’ rights in memory of those who had given their lives in defense of these rights. Originally, their emblem was a red triangle symbolizing eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, and eight hours of leisure. 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 era, Labor Day has been an important and celebrated holiday. It started off as an illegal observance during the French Revolution and was officially recognized in 1917. However, within a year, as the Bolsheviks took control of the government, Menshevik revolutionaries and anarchists once again boycotted the event. The celebration became extremely popular in the following years, with parades held in all major cities. One of the most well-known parades is the one held in Moscow’s Red Square, where, until 1992, most marches featured military forces and had a strong political meaning. Since then, May Day has been renamed The Day of Spring and Labor and remains a significant holiday in contemporary Russia, with a national civil parade in Red Square and similar events in major cities and regional capitals. Additionally, a curious event known as monstration has emerged—public performances that parody serious marches with satirical signs and posters, filling the streets with laughter!

Fight and progress. May 1st is also a federal holiday in Mexico, honoring the nation’s labor history 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 limited opportunities for career advancement, regardless of their abilities or accomplishments. This led to the Cananea Strike, which took place in the mining town of Cananea, Sonora, in June 1906. The American businessmen who owned the Cananea Copper Company controlled much of the land and businesses in the area. Mexican workers made several fundamental demands, including fair pay and respectful treatment from superiors. Sadly, none of these demands were met before workers were forced to return to work, and the strike resulted in the deaths of 23 people. The Mexican Constitution was adopted in 1917, shortly after the Mexican Revolution. 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 18th, the anniversary of the Francoist military coup. In 1955, nearly 20 years after Labor Day was outlawed, the Catholic Church intervened. Pope Pius XII declared May 1st as Fiesta de San José Artesano, also known as San José Obrero (Saint Joseph the Worker), and the holiday was reinstated the following year. After Francisco Franco’s death in 1975 and the country’s transition to democracy, large-scale rallies resumed on May 1, 1977. Labor Day was reinstated as a national holiday in 1978, and to this day, protest parades and marches are common in both major and minor cities.