Labour Day is an official public holiday in many countries. The actual date of the holiday can vary, as the map illustrates. For instance, in North America, it is celebrated on the first Monday in September. In other parts of the world, it is often celebrated on the first Monday in May. It is an annual day of celebration of thelabour movement and the institution ofachievements. It has its origins in thelabour union movement, specifically theeight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.
In most countries, Labour Day is synonymous with, or linked with,International Workers' Day, which happens on 1 May, although celebrated on the first Monday in September in North America. It was originally chosen to commemorate the 1886 general strike which culminated in theHaymarket affair.[1] In most countries Labour Day is celebrated either on the first Monday in September or on 1 May as indicated in global map. Labour Day is apublic / statutory holiday as indicated.
For many countries, "Labour Day" is synonymous with, or linked with,International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. International Workers' Day commemorates the 1886Haymarket affair inChicago, when there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday.[2]
Some countries have a holiday at or around this date, but it is not a Labour Day celebration. Others celebrate Labour Day on the first Monday after 1 May.
Labour Day is apublic holiday in Australia on dates which vary betweenstates and territories. In some states the date commemorates the Eight Hours Day march (see below). It is the first Monday in October in theAustralian Capital Territory,New South Wales andSouth Australia. InVictoria andTasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it theEight Hours Day).[3][4] InWestern Australia, Labour Day is the first Monday in March.[5] InQueensland and theNorthern Territory, Labour Day occurs on the first Monday in May (though the latter calls it May Day).[6] It is on the fourth Monday of March in the territory ofChristmas Island.
The first march for aneight-hour day by thelabour movement occurred inMelbourne on 21 April 1856.[7] On this day, stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne stopped work and marched from theUniversity of Melbourne toParliament House to achieve an eight-hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as being among the first organised workers in the world to achieve an eight-hour day, with no loss of pay.[8]
Labour Day was first celebrated with a public holiday inQueensland in 1865 as Eight Hours Celebration Day. It occurred on 1 March (Saint David's Day) and celebrated the winning of an eight-hour work day byBrisbane workers in 1858. The date was moved to May Day around 1896, in solidarity with the attack on United States workers on the first May Day parade in theHaymarket affair. In 1901, the holiday was moved to the first Monday in May, to ensure a long weekend.[9]
Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, an organisation working for the welfare of garment workers, has requested that 24 April be declared Labour Safety Day inBangladesh, in memory of the victims of the 2013Rana Plaza collapse.[10][11] However, Bangladesh does observe May Day on 1 May.
Labour Day is anational holiday in The Bahamas, celebrated on the first Friday in June in order to create a long weekend for workers.[12] The traditional date of Labour Day inThe Bahamas, however, is 7 June, in commemoration of a significant workers' strike that began on that day in 1942. Labour Day is meant to honour and celebrate workers and the importance of their contributions to the nation and society. In the capital city,Nassau, thousands of people come to watch a parade through the streets, which begins at mid-morning. Bands in colourful uniforms, traditional AfricanJunkanoo performers, and members of various labour unions and political parties are all part of the procession, which ends up at the Southern Recreation Grounds, where government officials make speeches for the occasion.[13]
Labour Day (French:Fête du Travail) has been marked as a statutorypublic holiday in Canada on the first Monday in September since 1894. Its origins can be traced back to numerous local demonstrations and celebrations in earlier decades.[14] Such events assumed political significance when a labour demonstration inToronto in April 1872, in support of striking printers, led directly to the enactment of the Trade Union Act, a law that confirmed the legality of unions.[15] On 22 July 1882, a labour celebration in Toronto attracted the attention of American labour leaderPeter J. McGuire, who organised a similar parade inNew York City on 5 September that year. Labour parades were held in several Canadian cities that day as well.
Unions associated with theKnights of Labor and theAmerican Federation of Labor in both Canada and the United States subsequently promoted parades and festivals on the first Monday in September. In Canada, local celebrations took place inHamilton,Oshawa,Montreal,St. Catharines,Halifax,Ottawa,Vancouver andLondon during these years. Montreal declared a civic holiday in 1889. InNova Scotia, coal miners had been holding picnics and parades since 1880 to celebrate the anniversary of their union, the Provincial Workmen's Association, first organised in 1879.
In addition, in 1889, theRoyal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital in Canada, chaired byJames Sherrard Armstrong (1886–88) and Augustus Toplady Freed (1888–89), recommended recognition of an official "labour day" by thefederal government.[16] In March and April 1894, unions lobbied Parliament to recognise Labour Day as a public holiday.[14] Legislation was introduced in May by prime ministerSir John Thompson and receivedroyal assent in July 1894.[17]
1 May is astatutory holiday in the People's Republic of China. It was a three-day holiday until 2008, but was only one day after 2008.[18] However, the actual time off is often longer than the time off in the regulations, and the extra time off is usually supplemented by another two weekends, but since the extra time is not under an official holiday, the extra days must be "made up" by working on the preceding or following weekend.[19][20] For example, in 2013, 1 May fell on Wednesday. Most workplaces, including all government offices, took 29 April (Monday) to 1 May (Wednesday) as days off. As the first two days were not statutory holidays, they had to be "made up" by working the preceding weekend (27 and 28 April).
Labour Day, observed 1 May, has been considered apublic holiday in Hong Kong since 1999.[21]
The first Labour Day was celebrated in India on 1 May 1923, inChennai (then known as Madras), organised by theLabour Kisan Party of Hindustan.[22]
Labour Day in Jamaica has a rich history tied to the struggles of the working class and the country's shift away from colonial traditions. Originally, 24 May was observed as Empire Day, celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday. In British history, she was credited with granting enslaved people in the colonies their freedom. Empire Day was widely observed across the Commonwealth, including Jamaica, but as the country moved toward independence, there was growing sentiment to replace it with something more reflective of Jamaica's own labour struggles.[23]
Premier Norman Manley led this change in 1960 by introducing a bill to abolish Empire Day and replace it with Labour Day to commemorate the 1938 labour strikes. These strikes were a turning point in Jamaican history, as grossly underpaid workers across the island organized in protest. By 23 May 1938, public sector and transport workers in Kingston had joined the movement, halting activity in the capital. The unrest led to 46 deaths, 429 injuries, and numerous arrests, marking a major push for labour rights in the country. Manley's proposal to commemorate these events gained unanimous support in Parliament, officially establishing Labour Day on 23 May.[24]
In the 1960s, Labour Day celebrations were heavily tied to politics, with the two major trade unions—the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (JLP) and the National Workers Union (PNP)—leading marches and rallies in Kingston. However, these events often turned violent. In 1962, a politically motivated clash during a Labour Day march resulted in the death of a woman and injuries to several police officers, who resorted to using tear gas to control the crowd. Additional conflicts in 1966 led authorities to ban Labour Day marches in Kingston, marking a shift in how the holiday was observed.[25]
It was Prime Minister Michael Manley who redefined Labour Day in 1972 with the theme “Put Work into Labour Day.” Rather than focusing on rallies and marches, Manley encouraged Jamaicans to actively participate in community projects. His vision emphasized the role of labour in nation-building, inspiring voluntary efforts across the island. The first national project focused on beautifying the Palisadoes Road, with Manley himself participating in tree planting. The response was overwhelming, with 600 projects completed that year, cementing Labour Day as a day of national pride and community service.[26]
However, this momentum slowed under Prime Minister Edward Seaga in 1980, when large-scale Labour Day activities were halted, leading to an eight-year absence of organized projects. It was not until 1989, when Michael Manley returned to office, that Labour Day was fully revived. The Jamaican government began introducing themes to guide national activities, ensuring that community development remained central to the celebrations. Since then, Labour Day has continued as a tradition that blends historical remembrance with civic responsibility.[27]
Apublic holiday in Japan, Labour Day is officially conflated withThanksgiving on 23 November, asLabor Thanksgiving Day.[28]
Labour Day, apublic holiday in Kazakhstan, is celebrated on the last Sunday in September. The holiday was officially established in late 2013. In 1995, the government ofKazakhstan replacedInternational Workers' Day withKazakhstan People's Unity Day. Kazakh presidentNursultan Nazarbayev also instituted a special medal that is awarded to veterans of labour on the occasion of the holiday. Labour Day it is widely celebrated across the country with official speeches, award ceremonies, cultural events, etc. It is a non-working holiday for most citizens of Kazakhstan because it always falls on a weekend.[29]
Apublic holiday in Kenya, Labour Day is commemorated monthly. This celebration is usually marked with song and dance asKenyans gather at designated locations to celebrate and listen to speeches from the leadership of the country.Francis Atwoli, Secretary General of theCentral Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) has been vocal in spearheading the celebrations in the country while advocating for favourable working conditions for the Kenyan people.
InMacau, 1 May isa public holiday and is officially known asDia do Trabalhador (Portuguese for 'Workers' Day').[30]
On 1 May, people inMalaysia take the time to remember the economic and social accomplishments of the labour movement.
Also known as May Day,this public holiday is sometimes celebrated with groups organising parades, rallies or both, to promote and protect workers' rights.[31]
Labour Day (Māori:Te Rā Whakanui i ngā Kaimahi) is apublic holiday in New Zealand and is held on the fourth Monday in October.[32] Its origins are traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that arose in the newly foundedWellington colony in 1840, primarily because of carpenterSamuel Duncan Parnell's refusal to work more than eight hours a day. That year, Parnell reportedly told a prospective employer: "There are twenty-four hours per day given us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation".[33]
The first Labour Day in New Zealand was celebrated on 28 October 1890, which marked the first anniversary of the Maritime Council, an organisation of transport and mining unions.[34] Several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main city centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend, and many businesses closed for at least part of the day.[32] Initially, the day was variously called Labour Day or Labour Demonstration Day.[33]
In 1899, the government legislated that the day be a public holiday through the Labour Day Act of 1899. The day was set as the second Wednesday in October and first celebrated the following year, in 1900. In 1910, the holiday was moved to the fourth Monday in October.[34]
Labour Day, orYoum-e-Mazdoor, is observed inPakistan on 1 May as a public holiday to recognize the contributions and rights of workers. Officially declared a holiday in 1972 underPrime MinisterZulfikar Ali Bhutto, it was part of the country's first labor policy, which also introduced welfare initiatives for workers. The day is marked by rallies, seminars, and demonstrations organized by trade unions to highlight labor issues such as fair wages and safe working conditions. Government offices, banks, and many businesses remain closed in observance.
Labour Day is apublic holiday in Poland, celebrated on 1 May. Together withPolish National Flag Day on 2 May andConstitution Day on 3 May – the latter also being a public holiday, coinciding with theCatholic holiday ofThe Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland – it typically forms a long May weekend, referred to asmajówka, widely regarded as the informal start of the spring outdoor leisure season, marked with picnics, barbecues, local events and travel.[35][36]
In thePhilippines, Labor Day is apublic holiday commemorated nationwide on 1 May. Initially observed in 1903 through a protest by theUnión Obrera Democrática Filipina inManila during theAmerican colonial era,[37] it was officially recognised as a holiday in 1908, with the first official commemoration taking place in 1913.[38]
In Switzerland, Labour Day on 1 May is nota federal holiday across the entire country, but several of theSwiss cantons have made it one of their cantonal holidays.[39] In theCanton of Fribourg, it is traditional for children to go singing at people's doors in exchange for sweets and money.[40]
Labour Day, observed 1 May, inTaiwan, is anofficial holiday, though not everybody gets a day off.Public servants, teachers and students do not have this day off.[41]
Labour Day was celebrated on 1 May in theSoviet Union, and the tradition lives on inTajikistan asInternational Labour Day Although Labour Day isa working day, folk festivals, performances and fairs organised throughout the country create a holiday atmosphere.[42]
InTrinidad and Tobago, Labour Day is celebrated every 19 June. Thispublic holiday was proposed in 1973[43] to be commemorated on the anniversary of the labour riots led byTubal Uriah Butler in 1937, part of theBritish West Indian labour unrest of 1934–1939.
InTurkey, "Labour and Solidarity Day" (Turkish:Emek ve Dayanışma Günü) became anofficial holiday in 2009. Prior to that, the day had been observed by workers and unions but had been banned for many years after the1980 military coup. The turning point came in 2009, when theTurkish government, led by Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, officially recognized 1 May as a public holiday again.[44] Demonstrations atTaksim Square carries historical significance due to theTaksim Square Massacre on 1 May 1977.[45]
In the United States,Labor Day is afederal holiday andpublic holiday observed on the first Monday of September. It is customarily viewed as the end of the summer vacation season.[46] Many schools open for the year on the day after Labor Day.[47]The origins of Labor Day can be traced back to 1872.
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