History of labor day

Every May 1, the workers from around the world commemorate the great event demonstration of the workers in the United States in 1886, which demanded the implementation of eight hours of work. May 1, this is what is known as May Day!
This demand associated with the current environment, when the workers were forced to work for 12 to 16 hours per day. Large demonstrations that took place since April 1886 was initially supported by around 250 thousand workers.
Within two weeks enlarged to around 350 thousand workers. City of Chicago is the heart of the movement followed by about 90 thousand workers. In New York, the same demonstration was followed by about 10 thousand workers, in Detroit followed by 11 thousand workers.
Demonstrations also spread to various cities such as Louisville and Baltimore demonstration unite white and black workers. Until May 1, 1886, demonstrations spread from Maine to Texas, and from New Jersey to Alabama, followed by half a million workers in the country.
These developments also provoked a great reaction from the business people and local government officials at that time. Through Chicago's Commercial Club, spent approximately U.S. $ 2,000 to purchase equipment in order to deal with machine gun demonstrations. Peaceful demonstration demanding the reduction of working hours is over with the victims and the unrest. About 180 police confronting demonstrations and ordered that the demonstrators disperse.
A bomb exploded near the cordon. The police were indiscriminate firing workers who were demonstrating. As a result the victim fell from the unions on May 3, 1886, four workers were killed and dozens others injured.
With allegations of involvement in the bombing of eight labor activists were arrested and imprisoned. As a result of this action, the police apply the prohibition against any worker demonstrations.
But the workers do not simply give up and in 1888 returned to action with the same demands. In addition, also decided to re-do the demonstration on May 1, 1890.
The series of demonstrations that occurred at the time, not only in the United States. In fact, according to Rosa Luxemburg (1894), a demonstration demanding the reduction of working hours to 8 hours per day are in fact diinsipirasikan by similar demonstrations that occurred previously in Australia in 1856.
Demands the reduction of working hours is also a stopover in Europe. At that time, the labor movement in central Europe rose. Of course, this phenomenon is increasingly thicken the unity within the labor movement as the world in a struggle.
Monumental events that became the pinnacle of world unity of the labor movement is the operation of the International Labor Congress in 1889. The Congress was attended by hundreds of delegates from various countries and decided eight hours of work per day to the main demands of the workers throughout the world.
In addition, Congress also welcomed the proposal of the delegation of workers from the United States which calls for general strike May 1, 1890 to demand the reduction of working hours by making the May 1 as Labor Day World

Eight hours / day or 40 hours / week (five working days) have been determined to be of international labor standards by the ILO through the ILO Convention no. 01 in 1919 and the Convention no. 47, 1935. Especially for the convention no. 47, 1935, until now, only 14 countries that signed the convention.

Enactment of the convention is an international recognition which indirectly represents the fruit of the struggle of the workers all the world to get a decent job.

Determination of 8 hours of work per day as one of the main provisions in labor industrial relations is a marker of the end of the forms of forced labor and slavery are hiding behind industrial relations.

The problem this time, more and more workers are forced to work more than 8 hours per day. This is caused by a worsening crisis of imperialism that suppress wages and increase the cost of basic necessities for life.

In Indonesia, the celebration of May Day as a holiday has been officially abolished through the issuance of Law Number 13 of 2003. Indirectly, the victory of May 1 workers' movement suffered a sharp decline. Increasingly disappearing.