Labour Day 2018: Google Doodle celebrates International Workers’ Day with an illustration of workers’ tools

Labour Day 2018: The origins of May Day date back to the 19th century, when trade unionists, socialists and Communists in the United States first protested the long hours and poor conditions under which they had to work and is also known as International Workers’ Day.

Labour Day, or International Workers’ Day, was Google’s doodle Tuesday depicting a host of tools representing various professions including a stethoscope, a hard hat, a laboratory beacon and cooking appliances for example. Labour Day, also called May Day, is celebrated on May 1 and pays tribute and respect to workers.

The origins of the day date back to the 19th century, when trade unionists, socialists and Communists in the United States first protested the long hours and poor conditions under which labourers were being made to work in. They sought an eight-hour day movement — eight hours of work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours of rest. The US, however, celebrates Labour Day on the first Monday of September.

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In India, Labour Day was first celebrated in Madras (now Chennai) on May 1, 1923 by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. Its leader, Comrade Singaravelar, held two meetings to mark the occasion, one at Triplicane beach and the other on the beach opposite the Madras High Court. The party passed a resolution stating that the government should grant workers a national holiday on May 1.