History/ Today, May 1, International Workers' Day

2023-05-01 08:17:00, Aktualitet CNA

History/ Today, May 1, International Workers' Day

Illustrative photo

International Workers' Day, also known as "Labor Day" in some countries and often referred to as "May Day", is a celebration of workers and the working classes promoted by the international labor movement and occurs every year on May 1 , or the first Monday in May.

Traditionally, May 1 is the date of the European holiday. In 1889, the Marxist International Socialist Congress met in Paris and founded the Second International as a successor to the earlier International Workingmen's Association.

They adopted a resolution for a "great international demonstration" in support of the demands of the working class to work eight hours a day. The date May 1 was chosen by the American Federation of Labor to commemorate a general strike in the United States that had begun on May 1, 1886 and culminated in the Haymarket affair four days later.

The demonstration then became an annual event. The Sixth Conference of the Second International of 1904 called on "all organizations of the Social Democratic Party and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate on May 1 for the legal establishment of eight hours of work per day, for the class demands of the proletariat and for peace universal".

May 1, or the first Monday in May, is a national public holiday in many countries, most often as "International Workers' Day". Some countries celebrate Labor Day on other important dates for them, such as the United States and Canada, which celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September

On 21 April 1856, Australian stonemasons in Victoria staged a mass stop as part of the eight-hour workday shift. May 1 was chosen as International Workers' Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago. In that year, starting on May 1, there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday.

On May 4, police acted to disperse a public rally in support of the strike when an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police retaliated by shooting at the workers.

The incident led to the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians; sixty policemen were injured, as well as one hundred and fifteen civilians. Hundreds of labor leaders and sympathizers were later arrested and four executed by hanging, after a trial that was seen as a miscarriage of justice.

In 1889, the first meeting of the Second International was held in Paris, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne calling for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests.

On May 1, 1890, the call encouraged May Day demonstrations that took place in the United States and most of Europe. Demonstrations were also held in Chile and Peru. May Day was officially recognized as an annual event at the Second International Congress in 1891.

Në Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe Kanada, Dita e Punës , u propozua për herë të parë në vitet 1880. Në 1882, Mattheë Maguire , një makinist , propozoi për herë të parë një festë të Ditës së Punës të hënën e parë të shtatorit ndërsa shërbente si sekretar i Unionit Qendror të Punës (CLU) të Nju Jorkut. Të tjerë argumentojnë se u propozua për herë të parë nga Peter J. McGuire i Federatës Amerikane të Punës në maj 1882, pasi dëshmoi festivalin vjetor të punës të mbajtur në Toronto , Kanada . Në 1887,Oregon ishte shteti i parë i Shteteve të Bashkuara që e bëri atë një festë zyrtare publike .

Në kohën kur u bë një festë zyrtare federale në 1894, tridhjetë shtete të SHBA-së festuan zyrtarisht Ditën e Punës. Kështu që nga viti 1887 në Amerikën e Veriut, Dita e Punës ishte një festë zyrtare, por në shtator, jo më 1 maj.

May Day has been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist and anarchist groups since the Second International. May 1 is one of the most important holidays in communist countries such as China, Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and the countries of the former Soviet Union./ CNA.al