The roots of Labour Day were much older, dating back to 1886 in the United States when a peaceful rally by workers turned violent leading to the death of 4 civilians and 7 police officers. The protests were over workers’ rights violations, straining work hours, poor working conditions, low wages, and child labour. Although the US starting observing on the first Monday of September. In 1889, The Second International, an organisation created by socialist and labour parties, declared that May 1 would be commemorated as International Workers’ Day from then on.
Labour Day is observed to acknowledge the labour workforce and how the agitations led to the establishment of an 8-hour working shift, although it was legalized in India through the Factories Act, 1948.
The current state of the labour workforce is tragic, many of the migrant labourers were stuck in various cities around the country due to the lockdown. Unable to reach home they have found themselves in the midst of a pandemic without work, money or a place to live. In places like Kerala, Mumbai migrant workers gathered and demanded transportation from the government to help them get back to their homes. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued a fresh set of guidelines which now allows the stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students to travel back to their home states. As per the new guidelines, this interstate movement of the stranded people will be expedited by the concerned states and Union Territories government.
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