Moreover, the day is meant to highlight the importance of workers’ rights
KARACHI: Labour Day or International Workers Day is celebrated in many countries of the world. The day marks the commemoration of the sacrifices of Chicago workers on May 4, 1886. Workers waged a long struggle and many laid down their lives for eight-hour workday. While Pakistan marks the day on May 1st, America and Canada mark the day on the first Monday of September and it is held on the fourth Monday of October in New Zealand.
Many countries have a history attached to the date, as is in the case of Turkey. May 1st was made an official holiday to mark Labour Day in 1923, but was banned in 1925 because of violent demonstrations. The day returned as the ‘Spring and Flowers Day’ in 1935 but was banned again in 1977 due to violence. The holiday was banned in 1981 once more, and was only restored recently in 2009 as Labour Day.
The day was declared an official holiday in Pakistan in 1972, after the formulation of the country’s first labour policy, which included the creation of the Social Security Network and the Workers Welfare Fund. Unfortunately for our workers, despite it being a paid official holiday, they continue to work as they would be deprived of the day’s wages. Moreover, the day is meant to highlight the importance of workers’ rights.
Muhammad Kamran Anjum
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2019.
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