The origins of Labor Day date back to the end of the 12th century, when the global labor movement began a campaign to reduce the working day to eight hours a day. At the time, the working day was extremely long, reaching 14, 16 and even XNUMX hours a day in some industries. Workers suffered from precarious working conditions, low wages and a lack of basic labor rights.
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Em May 1, 1886, thousands of workers in the United States went on a general strike to demand a reduction in working hours for eight hours a day. The strike lasted several days and in some cases resulted in violent clashes between workers and the police.
The movement gained momentum around the world. In 1889, the Second International, an organization that brought together socialist and labor parties from different countries.
In 1891 the Second International declared May 1st as International Workers' Day, in memory of the workers who were killed during the 1886 general strike in the United States.
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Since then, the date has been celebrated in several countries around the world as a day to fight for workers' rights and the appreciation of human work.
Movement in Europe
In addition to the United States, there were also other important episodes in Europe, for workers' rights, such as the Lyon Uprising in 1831 in France, the 1905 general strike in Russia and the 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom. The struggle of European workers for the recognition of their rights has been marked by several conflicts and strikes over the years.
In Europe, the trade union movement and the fight for labor rights continued to be a significant force throughout the 20th century. Among the main achievements of this period are the creation of the social security system, the protection of the right to association and strike, the regulation of working conditions and the recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
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*The text of this article was partially generated by ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-based language model developed by OpenAI. Text entries were created by Curto News and responses intentionally reproduced in full. The answers from ChatGPT are automatically generated and do not represent the opinions of OpenAI or people associated with the model. All responsibility for published content rests with Curto News.
Sources:
- The International Labor Organization (ILO) website: https://www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm
- The World History website: https://historiadomundo.uol.com.br/
- The BBC News website: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-43922464
