Labor Day was celebrated on Friday, May 1, 2026, to salute the heroism of workers. The commemoration began in Chicago on May 1, 1886, when workers went on strike to demand an 8-hour workday. They succeeded, but many strikers and police died after the unrest.
Back then, work lasted up to 16 hours a day. There were also many other problems such as low wages, no benefits, and unsafe working conditions.
To remember what happened in Chicago, a group of unions in the United States set May 1 as Labor Day in 1889.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, over 100,000 members of the Union Obrera Democratic de Filipinas first observed this day in 1903 with a march to Malacanang to demand better working conditions. It was declared a national holiday by the National Assembly in 1908 as a salute to workers.
In the ideology of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong, the worker is the partner of the farmer in progress. As the majority sectors of society, they should be the holders of democracy.
The history of labor in the Philippines is long. Many have been killed and injured due to the struggle.
On May 1, 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed Presidential Decree No. 442, also known as the Labor Code of the Philippines. This law is now the basis of all labor rules in the country. After resting on that day because there was no work, we thank the workers for their hard work every day for our economy and families.
Because if not for our workers who keep striving no matter how hard the times are, where would we be? Let us appreciate this world we have now.
