Nearly 140 years ago, on May 1, 1886, workers in Chicago, USA, launched a strike demanding the right to “8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of recreation.” That movement was a historic struggle against the brutal working conditions of the time, where laborers were forced to work excessively long hours. During that very struggle, on May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, triggering violent clashes between police and protesters. Several workers were killed, and many others – along with their leaders – were arrested.
Among those arrested, four labor leaders – August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel – were hanged without any proof that they had thrown the bomb. These events left a deep scar on the history of labor movements. The blood spilled at Haymarket became a symbol of the idea that “a human being is not just a machine” and that everyone deserves to live a dignified life with rights. The sacrifice of these martyred labor leaders went on to become an emblem of workers’ struggles everywhere. Lenin once said in this regard that May Day is not merely a celebration; it is a symbol of workers’ struggle, unity, and the ongoing fight for their rights. Inspired by that historical struggle and martyrdom, workers across the world organized and won the right to “8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of recreation” – a principle that later became the foundation of labor laws in many countries.
In India too, as early as the 20th century (1900–1920), workers in factories, railways, and ports had begun raising their voices against exploitation and low wages. The formal beginning came in 1918 with the Ahmedabad textile mill strike led by Mahatma Gandhi. Subsequently, in the 1920s–30s, with the establishment of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai and Jawaharlal Nehru, organized labor movements gained momentum, slowing the wheels of economic exploitation under British rule. During this same period, the Communist Party of India organized workers and challenged the British Empire severely on the economic front through major strikes, such as those in the Bombay textile mills.
Later, labor movements actively participated in national struggles like the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement, continuing to weaken the British economic structure on one hand, while on the other, by giving broad support to struggles like the 1946 Naval Uprising, they pushed the economic and political power of the British regime to the brink of decisive defeat. Thus, Indian labor movements expanded the popular base of the freedom struggle, brought working hours, wages, and labor rights to the center of national debate, and gave the fight for independence immense public support and strength – without which the defeat of the British Empire in India would not have been possible.
After independence, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar repeatedly emphasized that democracy should not be limited to political rights alone; economic and social equality are equally essential – only then can the real lives of workers and laborers improve. He insisted on incorporating provisions into the Constitution and labor policies that created a strong foundation for rights such as the 8‑hour workday, weekly holidays, paid leave, and maternity leave. His vision was that without dignity and security for workers, democracy remains incomplete. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru believed that the progress of any nation depends on the condition of its workforce and working class. He therefore considered fair wages, safe working conditions, and social security as essential. In independent India, the government led by Nehru took several steps to implement labor laws and welfare policies in the organized sector, giving institutional footing to workers’ rights. But today, 76 years after the Republic came into force, circumstances have completely reversed.
Marx said that history repeats itself – first as tragedy, then as farce. Today, the history of Chicago 140 years ago is repeating itself as farce in Noida. In present‑day India, by implementing the four Labor Codes, workers have been stripped of the rights to form unions, to strike, to not work more than 8 hours, and to receive minimum wages. And when workers – in Noida and other cities across the country – take to the streets demanding that the minimum wage be raised to ₹26,000–30,000 per month, that contract labor be abolished, and that the Labor Codes be repealed – demands that are the minimum condition for their survival – they are met with batons and jail. Their movement is labeled Pakistan‑sponsored, and they are branded traitors. Just as the Chicago labor leaders were hanged without proof of throwing the bomb, today the leaders of the Noida labor movement have been thrown into prison under serious charges without any evidence, labeled conspirators, and subjected to brutal torture. More than 300 people have been arrested under criminal charges related to rioting, violence, and arson, while many others remain missing.
Lucy Parsons, wife of May Day martyr Albert Parsons, stood in court and told the American rulers of that time: this society is yours, and you have made it – where a woman is forced to sell her body because dying of hunger is even worse. A man becomes a thief because the system forces him to become one, and when workers fight for bread, they are sent to jail. Those words of Lucy Parsons ring entirely true in the context of today’s Noida movement.
After the recent labor movements, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were forced to make some limited increases in wages. The details are as follows:
In fixing these wages, neither were the workers consulted, nor were the prices of the essential goods needed for their survival taken into account. Before independence, most goods – from needles to ships – were imported into India from England. The country’s working class, through their tireless labor, built roads, bridges, railways, dams, high‑rise buildings, and infrastructure like smart cities. At the same time, by working in factories and mills, they fueled industrial production and have kept economic growth moving forward to this day. India’s future lies in the hands of these millions of workers, who, through their blood and sweat, are constantly advancing the nation. Yet, when it comes time to determine wages and make other critical decisions affecting their lives, governments reduce their participation in the decision‑making process to zero.
The May 1886 Chicago movement may have been crushed at the time, but its ideas gave workers across the world such power that they succeeded in winning the movement’s demands as rights. Similarly, no matter how much today’s rulers in India may appear to be crushing the current labor movement, it has already become a vital starting point in the struggle to secure a minimum wage, abolish contract labor, and repeal the four anti‑worker Labor Codes. This movement has become a symbol of the idea: “No life without a livable wage.” In the days to come, the working class will have to move toward a broader struggle to win these rights.
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*Labour rights activist
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