1 st May is a tribute to and celebration of workers across the globe. May Day or International Workers’ day is celebrated in over eighty countries.
Its origin lies in the labour union movement that advocated Eight hour day (eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for leisure). The Haymarket massacre that took place in 1886 in Chicago, USA, involved workers protesting for this cause.
In India, Labour Day was first celebrated on the 1st of May, 1923 in Chennai. The event was organised by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan and comrade Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar.
Today, International Worker’s Day remains equally relevant. With the changing face of capitalism and evolving conditions of employment, it is only through organised struggle that workers retain their rights and confront new issues. The struggle for minimum wage has been an important one for labour rights.
In this issue of NCAS, we look at a report that was published by NCAS ten years ago in its People Centred Advocacy Series [sic] edition on labour rights dealing with Anganwadi workers’ struggle for minimum wages in Karnataka. In March, 2017, Karnataka saw thousands of Anganwadi workers participate in protests and marches demanding adequate remuneration. Ten years on, many grievances remain the same while new ones emerge.
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In solidarity Team NCAS
