May day arrives again. Another holiday for some. Again the day will be remembered with some sporadic celebrations. But is the relevance of Mayday becoming smoldering ember due to those scathing political protests and demonstrations? There was a demand   raised in the Hay Market in Chicago that the entire life-span of  the   labourers could not be purchased. The demand for 8-hour workday resulted in violent confrontation between police and labour protesters in Chicago on May 4, 1886 killing seven policemen and injuring 60 others which was just the aftermath of an incident on the previous day where the police killed 1 and injured several strikers.That dramatized the labour movement's struggle for recognition in the United States . The Haymarket Riot had a lasting effect on the labour movement all over the world.

The labour movement for 8-hour workday is as old as the Industrial Revolution in England . The factories were devouring the entire life of the labourers. Their health weaning out for working 15-16 hours for 6 days in a week in horrendous atmosphere. Those child labourers were dying like flies. In 1817 Robert Owen gave a perfect     demonstration for the ‘8-hour Workday’. The slogan raised for 8 hours for work, 8 hours for entertainment and 8 hours for leisure. In 1847, the daily work-time for the women and child labourers in England was brought down to 10 hours a day. The French labourers gained the 12-hour day schedule after the revolution in 1848.

Although the labourers in the organized industrial sectors of our country got the right, the most of the labour force who still work under unorganized sector never achieved it.

And what we have experienced in the last two decades of globalization is the losing of some of those rights which were attained through long battles. From that point of view  the significance of  Mayday is much more evident these days. If that is so, why the enthusiasm on celebrating Mayday is so tepid? Another question is needed to  be raised—is the day significant only to the labour class? Or, is the  demands raised  on that day help us to think about our today’s world and our contributions in it?