The episode that inspired the date on which Labor Day (or Workers’ Day) is currently celebrated in many countries around the world occurred in Chicago, USA, on May 1, 1886.

The origin of Labor Day, currently celebrated in many countries worldwide, dates back to Chicago, on May 1, 1886: in the mid-nineteenth century, workers worked about 16 hours a day. Furthermore, the working conditions were terrible; there was no workplace safety. Deaths in the workplace were now commonplace. Workers who couldn’t stand it began to speak out for better and more humane working conditions in Chicago, USA. The protest went on for three days, and on May 4, it culminated with a real battle between the striking workers and the Chicago police: eleven people lost their lives in what would go down in history as the Haymarket massacre.

Three years later, on July 20 1889, during the first congress of the Second International (the organisation created by the European socialist and workers’ parties) in Paris, ​​a large demonstration was launched to demand that work be reduced to 8 hours. This international solidarity, taking into account the Chicago episodes in 1886, led to the decision to celebrate work and workers on May 1, marking the global significance of Labor Day.