International Workers’ Day, held every year on May 1, is a celebration of workers’ rights, social justice, equity and democracy. Founded by socialists in the late 19th century, the date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886, when police fired on workers who were striking to establish the eight hour work day.
The 1904 Sixth Conference of the Second International, called on “all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace.”
In a majority of countries throughout the world, tens of millions of workers and labour unions participate in parades and other events calling for economic justice, global solidarity and workers’ empowerment.
The Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) pledge solidarity with all workers everywhere and vow to fight alongside them for a just society based on democracy, fairness, and the respect for fundamental rights at work and throughout society. This May Day, we remember that workers’ rights are human rights.
Download and Print Out PPWC May Day Poster
