The History and Significance of May Day: Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Spring is full of holidays. In addition to religious celebrations such as Easter and Pentecost, most of Switzerland also celebrates Labor Day. You can find out how and why May 1st became a holiday here.

May begins in many Swiss cantons with a public holiday – Labor Day. Today, May Day is primarily associated with large demonstrations in cities around the world, and the holiday is actually based on a protest from the 19th century in the United States.

You can find out exactly how this story happened, what is planned where this year and what the requests are here:

Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

The origins of May Day go back to the “Haymarket Riots” or “Haymarket Affairs”. The North American labor movement organized a general strike on May 1, 1886 to introduce the eight-hour day and to improve the general conditions of workers.

In Chicago, too, a rally was scheduled for May 1 at the Haymarket and was accompanied by a strike that lasted several days. On May 3 and 4 there were street battles between workers and police officers, in which people died on both sides. The eight organizers of the Haymarket rally were charged and sentenced to death. Four of them – including the editor-in-chief of the local workers’ newspaper – were immediately executed.

Historians like to cite the date of the “Haymarket Riots” as a key date in the development of the labor movement in the US, which became more important after that.

Why on May 1st?

The organizers did not choose the date of May 1st by chance. On May 1, 1856, Australian workers demanded a reduction in working hours from twelve to eighteen a day. Based on this protest movement, this date was also chosen for the USA and it shows a very early internationalization of the labor movement.

At the founding conference of the Second International on July 20, 1889, May 1 was finally designated as “Labor Struggle Day” in memory of the victims of the “Haymarket Riots”. On 1 May 1890, demonstrations for more workers’ rights were held for the first time around the world.

Who is free on Labor Day?

In many countries, Labor Day is considered a public holiday. In Switzerland, only the national holiday on August 1 is regulated as a public holiday by the federal government. Everything else is assessed by the cantons. You can find out in which cantons May 1 is a public holiday here (use the map for information):

The holidays apply to these cantons:

What is planned for May 1 in Switzerland in 2024?

Many events such as demos, festivals and public lectures are planned throughout Switzerland. This is the program in the three largest German-speaking cities in Switzerland:

Gaps

In Bern, where May 1 is not a public holiday, the unions plan to move. Under the motto “Bonuses down, wages up!” a show is planned. It starts at 5 pm in Kramgasse. The march will end on Bundesplatz, where various speeches and celebrations will take place from 5:30 pm.

He has other plans “May 1 Rebellion Alliance Bern”: Here the slogan is a bit more radical: “Rolex for everyone!” We protest against exploitation, borders, climate crisis, war, racism, patriarchy and fascism. A demo parade is scheduled to take place from the Rose Garden in Bern at 6:30 p.m.

Basel

You can get on the mat a little earlier in Basel. The “Movement for Socialism” call for presentation. It starts at 10am at the Basel exhibition centre. This year’s motto is: “Organize from below – connect struggle!”

Zurich

The biggest Labor Day show also takes place every year in Switzerland’s biggest city. This year’s motto for the Zurich May 1st Committee is:: “Capitalism makes you sick!” The focus is on “unequal distribution of resources and access to health care”. The main speaker is Maja Hess, who worked as a doctor and psychologist in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Kurdistan and Palestine, among others.

The show starts at 10.30am on Helvetiaplatz. There will be a reception afterwards on Sechseläutenplatz.

Where else is May 1st specifically celebrated?

Labor Day is especially important in socialist countries. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the various Soviet republics marked the day with parades and celebrations.

An undated photo of the May 1st march on Marx-Engels-Platz in East Berlin (GDR).Image: PHOTOPRESS ARCHIVE

To this day, large parades and military parades take place in Russia on May 1st.

Communists march in Moscow on Labor Day in 2000.Image: AP

But large rallies also take place every year in other places, such as Puerto Rico.

Due to the global corona pandemic, the May 1 parade in San Juan 2020 was made only in cars. Image: EPA

In Switzerland, the rally in Zurich is one of the biggest events on Labor Day. The parade on the morning of May 1 will be accompanied by a festival that will last several days.

The march on May 1 in Zurich 2017.Photo: KEYSTONE

Why do people protest on Labor Day?

As the history of the holiday shows, it goes back to shows in the USA in the 19th century. Since then, many of these rallies have always been in the spirit of improving working conditions and the unions have been very involved in the organizing bodies.

However, global socialist movements are once again showing major differences, which had already led to the fall of the shadow group. Even today, there are very different ideologies and ideas behind May Day rallies.

With material from the sda