Labour Day
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 the labour movement and the institution of achievements. It has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-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 the Haymarket affair. 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 a public / statutory holiday as indicated.
International Workers' Day
For many countries, "Labour Day" is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. International Workers' Day commemorates the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, when there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday.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.
Other dates
Australia
Labour Day is a public holiday in Australia on dates which vary between states and territories. In some states the date commemorates the Eight Hours Day march. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. In Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March. In Western Australia, Labour Day is the first Monday in March. In Queensland and the Northern Territory, Labour Day occurs on the first Monday in May. It is on the fourth Monday of March in the territory of Christmas Island.Victoria
The first march for an eight-hour day by the labour movement occurred in Melbourne on 21 April 1856. On this day, stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament 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.Queensland
Labour Day was first celebrated with a public holiday in Queensland in 1865 as Eight Hours Celebration Day. It occurred on 1 March and celebrated the winning of an eight-hour work day by Brisbane 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 the Haymarket affair. In 1901, the holiday was moved to the first Monday in May, to ensure a long weekend.Bangladesh
Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, an organisation working for the welfare of garment workers, has requested that 24 April be declared Labour Safety Day in Bangladesh, in memory of the victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse. However, Bangladesh does observe May Day on 1 May.The Bahamas
Labour Day is a national holiday in The Bahamas, celebrated on the first Friday in June in order to create a long weekend for workers. The traditional date of Labour Day in The 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 African Junkanoo 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.Canada
has been marked as a statutory public 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. Such events assumed political significance when a labour demonstration in Toronto 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. On 22 July 1882, a labour celebration in Toronto attracted the attention of American labour leader Peter J. McGuire, who organised a similar parade in New York City on 5 September that year. Labour parades were held in several Canadian cities that day as well.Unions associated with the Knights of Labor and the American 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 in Hamilton, Oshawa, Montreal, St. Catharines, Halifax, Ottawa, Vancouver and London during these years. Montreal declared a civic holiday in 1889. In Nova 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, the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital in Canada, chaired by James Sherrard Armstrong and Augustus Toplady Freed, recommended recognition of an official "labour day" by the federal government. In March and April 1894, unions lobbied Parliament to recognise Labour Day as a public holiday. Legislation was introduced in May by prime minister Sir John Thompson and received royal assent in July 1894.
China
1 May is a statutory holiday in the People's Republic of China. It was a three-day holiday until 2008, but was only one day after 2008. 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. For example, in 2013, 1 May fell on Wednesday. Most workplaces, including all government offices, took 29 April to 1 May as days off. As the first two days were not statutory holidays, they had to be "made up" by working the preceding weekend.Hong Kong S.A.R.
Labour Day, observed 1 May, has been considered a public holiday in Hong Kong since 1999.India
The first Labour Day was celebrated in India on 1 May 1923, in Chennai, organised by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.Jamaica
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.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.
In the 1960s, Labour Day celebrations were heavily tied to politics, with the two major trade unions—the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the National Workers Union —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.
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.
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.