New Delhi (NVI): The lasting legacy of the 2020 global health crisis must be that Labour Day 2021 marks progress in shaping a better normal, ILO’s Director General Guy Ryder said today on the occasion of International Labour Day, also known as May Day.
The International Labour Organisation chief, in his message on Twitter, said: “Global cooperation and solidarity are needed to build a future of work that tackles the injustices Covid-19 has highlighted and meet the challenges of climate, digital and demographic change.”
Let us together build a better normal. The time is now to bring solutions to the table and secure a future of work built on social justice.#LabourDayMay2020 #COVID__19 pic.twitter.com/KJCoIwK9rA
— International Labour Organization (@ilo) May 1, 2020
The COVID-19 epidemic may wipe out about 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of the year, according to a report by ILO
On the occasion, Labour minister Santosh Gangwar also tweeted that the Central Government is working for the welfare of labourers amid the pandemic. He added that the Government has set up 20 control rooms to address wage grievances of workers.
कोरोना संकट के समय में श्रमिकों के हित में कार्य कर रही है हमारी सरकार ।#IndiaFightCorona #LaboursDay pic.twitter.com/aEeMTd8OeT
— Santosh Gangwar (@santoshgangwar) May 1, 2020
International Labour Day is also observed every year on May 1 to celebrate the achievements of workers and labourers across the world.
In India, the first Labour Day was observed in Chennai on May 1, 1923 by Hindustan Labour Kisan Party.
The red flag, which symbolises Labour Day, was used for the first time in India.
During the industrialisation in the 19 century, the workers were asked to work for 15 hours a day. On May 1, 1886, the US labour union went on a strike demanding a decrease in working hours and also asked paid holidays, fair salaries and breaks during the working hours.
