The Future of Work

The 1st of May is celebrated as International Labor Day, as it historically marks the relentless struggle of the working class to get the workday reduced to 8 hours and the workweek to 40 hours (Al Jazeera, 2019). The history of International Labor Day is rooted in the struggle for freedom and rights. It was initially called the "day of demonstrations," as peaceful protests for the demand of reducing working hours by workers in Chicago were countered by violence by the state. It also led to the sentencing to death of revolutionary leaders, who were tried only because of their political beliefs, without any evidence linking them to violence. Although this movement for labor rights started in the West, it soon reached other parts of the globe as well, where non-Western countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan also initiated similar demonstrations to support better labor rights and opportunities.