International Workers' Day, celebrated on May 1st, dates back to the XNUMXth century, when a historic strike broke out in the United States of America (USA) for better working conditions. Workers demanded an eight-hour workday, but the result was police repression that resulted in deaths and arrests.

On May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded during a protest in Chicago, triggering a violent police crackdown. Four workers were killed, and union leaders were sentenced to death without conclusive evidence. Three years later, the international labor movement declared the date a global symbol of labor struggle.

In African territories under colonial rule, workers were excluded from celebrations. After independence, the new states incorporated the date into their national calendars, but exploitative structures persist. According to the International Labor Organization, 85% of sub-Saharan workers work in the informal economy, without contracts or social security.

Promises of labor rights are not being kept. Governments prioritize political rhetoric over concrete actions to protect workers. The current challenges are glaring: 60% of young people are unemployed. Meanwhile, employers exploit the lack of oversight to circumvent labor laws. The slogan constantly repeated at the protests sums up the outrage:

“Work is not charity. It is a right!”

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The origins of International Workers' Day date back to the 1886th century in the United States. In XNUMX, thousands of workers stopped production in factories to demand an eight-hour workday.

The demonstrations in Chicago became particularly violent. On May 4th, during a protest in Haymarket Square, a bomb was thrown at police, leading to violent clashes. The police retaliated and opened fire on the protesters, killing dozens of people and arresting dozens of union leaders who were sentenced to death or imprisonment.

The event exposed the violence of 1889th-century industrial capitalism, and three years later, in XNUMX, during the Second Socialist International, a congress held in Paris that brought together the main socialist parties and unions from all over Europe, with a group of delegates from 20 countries, decided to make May 1st official as Workers' Day.

A few years later, in 1891, the International Workers' Congress convened, in France, an annual demonstration in honor of the union struggles in Chicago. The first demonstration ended with 10 dead, as a result of police intervention.

May Day, however, only became a public holiday in 1, when on April 1919, 23, the French Senate ratified the 1919-hour work day and proclaimed May Day a national holiday. Later, May Day also became a public holiday in Russia in 8.

Over time, the celebration of May Day as Labor Day spread throughout the world, including Portugal, which became a world landmark in the fight for workers' rights and a symbol of the importance of guaranteeing dignified and fair working conditions for all.

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In colonial Africa, authoritarian colonial regimes prohibited local workers from participating in celebrations. Symbols of resistance, such as trade unions, were considered threats to the established order.

After independence, governments adopted the date as a national holiday. Promises to "dignify the working people" were made across Africa, but peasants continued to toil 14 hours a day in the fields. The contradiction between rhetoric and reality became a pattern across the continent.

An estimated 72 million children are still forced to work in agricultural fields or mines, where they carry heavy sacks for paltry wages. Employers, often affiliated with foreign companies, claim ignorance of the origins of the labor force.

The informal economy has become the livelihood of 85% of workers. On the streets of large cities, street vendors and informal drivers have no access to insurance or pensions. Governments charge daily fees but offer no social protection. Precariousness is the norm, not the exception.

Across virtually the entire continent, trade unionists and labor leaders are frequently criminalized or imprisoned for organizing strikes against poverty wages. State repression silences voices demanding change.

African labor laws, while advanced on paper, fail to be implemented. The Mozambican General Labor Law, for example, guarantees maternity leave and paid vacations. In practice, domestic workers in Maputo work 12 hours a day without a contract. Employers claim "informal agreements" to avoid liability.

The World Bank reveals that 36% of the sub-Saharan population lives below the poverty line. In the agricultural sector, workers receive wages in kind (food or used clothing), violating national laws. Women are the most affected: pregnant women are summarily dismissed to avoid sick leave costs.

Lack of oversight is a chronic problem. In rural Tanzania and Ethiopia, labor inspectors never arrive. Local employers, often in collusion with traditional leaders, impose exhausting workdays. Reports result in retaliation, including land evictions or physical violence.

The 6-for-1 work shift (six days on, one day off) is common in retail across the continent. In South African supermarkets, employees work 12-hour days without adequate breaks. Exhaustion leads to accidents, but employers refuse to cover medical expenses. Unions, weakened by internal divisions, can do little.

Foreign companies exploit African labor in infrastructure projects. During the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopian workers worked 16-hour days in extreme heat. Fatal accidents are omitted from official reports, and governments, eager for foreign investment, remain silent about the violations.

The ILO has warned of the rise of "modern slavery" in sectors such as fishing and mining. On industrial fishing vessels off the coast of Namibia, many Angolan immigrants are held in conditions akin to slavery. Lacking documents or support networks, victims rarely report the abuses.

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Despite the repression, African labor movements continue to organize. In Kenya, the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) launched massive strikes against the high cost of living in 2023. The protests forced the government to freeze fuel prices, albeit temporarily.

In Morocco, agricultural workers in the Souss Valley formed cooperatives to negotiate better wages. Previously paid peanuts, women now earn 30% more per harvest. The initiative inspired similar models in Senegal and Mali.

Technology has been an ally. In Nigeria, okada (motorcycle taxi) drivers use apps to report police harassment. Digital platforms map risk zones and connect workers with pro bono lawyers. This strategy reduced bribes by 40%, according to a 2024 report.

May Day marches have regained their combative character, with clear demands: decent wages, rigorous oversight, and an end to precarious employment. The slogan, originating in Benguela, Angola, "Work is not charity. It's a right!", is repeated in protests from Burkina Faso to South Africa.

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Labor Day is recognized in 157 countries. But, not everyone celebrates the date on May 1st and, in some countries, it is known by another name.

In the Vatican, on May 1st, a mass is celebrated in honor of workers, but instead of being called Labor Day, it is called Day of Saint Joseph the Worker.

In the United States of America, the date is known as Labor Day and is celebrated on the first Monday of September, marking a series of parties and attractions across the country.

Depending on the sources, the move away from the date of May 1st, either arose to demarcate the sad memory left by the people who died in May 1886 in Chicago, or it was to move the date away from the association of the celebration of leftist movements that propelled the union struggles in the US.

In Japan, it has been celebrated on November 23rd since 1948. It is called Kinrou Kansha no Hi (きんろうかんしゃのひ / 勤労感謝 の日) which translates to “Thanksgiving Day for Work”.

In Australia, the date varies according to the region and, in New Zealand, it is celebrated on the fourth Monday of October, in honor of the struggle of the national workers who started this movement, on that date, following the general strike in the USA that started the celebrations.

While governments erect statues, the true heroes – the workers, the peasants, the street vendors – continue to wait for the “dignified day” promised in the “independence” era.

With 60% of the population under 25, the future of work demands urgent responses: technical training, industrialization, and the fight against corruption that diverts public funds. Hope lies in organized resistance. The creation of cooperatives, strikes, and the strategic use of technology show possible paths.

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Picture: © 2025 Francisco Lopes-Santos