History of May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day

May 1st, the Workers' and Laborers' Day, is celebrated in our country as it is all around the world. It is a day of unity, solidarity, and struggle against injustice by workers and laborers. It has been recognized as an official public holiday worldwide.



THE HISTORY OF MAY 1ST AROUND THE WORLD

May 1st was first celebrated in 1856 in Melbourne, Australia, when stonemasons and construction workers organized a march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to demand an eight-hour workday. On May 1st, 1886, under the leadership of the American Federation of Labor, workers who were working 12 hours a day, six days a week went on strike to demand an 8-hour workday. Half a million workers joined the demonstrations held in Chicago. In Louisville, Kentucky, more than 6,000 Black and white workers marched together. At the time, all parks in Louisville were closed to Black people, yet after marching through the streets, they all entered a National Park together. This event was covered in newspapers under the headline "The walls of prejudice have been broken down…" On May 4th following these historic events, the bloody "Haymarket Affair" broke out. In 1890, it was decided that May 1st would be celebrated as "a day of unity, struggle, and solidarity," and over time many countries officially adopted the 8-hour workday. Today, workers in many countries — including present-day socialist nations (the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, Venezuela, Nepal, Bolivia) — celebrate May 1st, a public holiday, with large mass demonstrations. In some countries, May 1st also takes the form of a political action.



THE HISTORY OF MAY 1ST IN TURKEY

Thessaloniki was the most advanced center of labor organizing during the Ottoman Empire era. Tobacco, port, and cotton workers in this region celebrated May 1st, 1911 by holding a demonstration. In 1912, the first May 1st celebration took place in Istanbul. In our country, it was officially celebrated for the first time in 1923. In April 2008, it was accepted to be celebrated as "Labor and Solidarity Day," and on April 22, 2009, a law passed by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) declared May 1st an official public holiday.

During the Republic of Turkey era, the labor movement gained importance from the second half of the century onward. In 1976, after many years, the first large-scale May 1st celebration was held in Taksim under the organization of the Revolutionary Workers' Unions Confederation (DİSK). In 1977, the largest-ever May 1st gathering was held at Taksim Square in Istanbul with approximately 500,000 people; however, gunfire was opened on the demonstrators and 34 people died in the ensuing panic and stampede. May 1st, 1977 went down in history as "Bloody May 1st."

Happy Labor and Solidarity Day, May 1st...