International Labour Day 2024

About International Labour Day

• International Labour Day, also known as Workers Day or May Day, is a global event that takes place annually on May 1st.
• It is a day dedicated to honouring the efforts and achievements of workers and the labour movement.
• Over 80 countries, including India, Cuba, and China, mark International Labour Day.
• On this day, people all over the world march to advocate working-class rights and protect them from exploitation.
• History:
  • The origins of International Labour Day can be traced back to the late 19th-century labour movement in the United States.
  • In 1886, a large demonstration happened in America where the labours demanded eight hours of work on a daily basis.
  • However, soon the demonstration went out of hand, and in Chicago, a lot of people got hurt. This incident came to be known as the Haymarket Affair.
  • The Haymarket Affair incident marked the start of International Labour Day.
  • In 1889, a lot of socialist parties in Europe came together and decided to celebrate May 1 as International Labour Day.
  • Since then, the special day has been observed every year on the same day.
  • In India, the first May Day was celebrated in Chennai (then Madras) in 1923 by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.

Key Facts about the International Labour Organization (ILO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) dedicated to improving labour conditions and living standards throughout the world.
• Established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League of Nations, the ILO became the first affiliated specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
• It is devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity.
• Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection, and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues.
• The ILO also provides technical assistance in social policy and administration and in workforce training; fosters cooperative organizations and rural industries; compiles labour statistics and conducts research on the social problems of international competition, unemployment and underemployment, labour and industrial relations, and technological change (including automation); and helps to protect the rights of international migrants and organized labour.
• In recognition of its activities, the ILO was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1969.

Q1: What is the Treaty of Versailles?

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, France. The treaty was one of several that officially ended five years of conflict known as the Great War—World War I. The Treaty of Versailles outlined the conditions of peace between Germany and the victorious Allies, led by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Other Central Powers (significantly, Austria-Hungary) signed different treaties with the Allies.