Labor or Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st and is a public holiday

O Labor Day, Labor Day or International Workers Day is celebrated annually in the May 1st in several countries around the world, being holiday in Brazil, Portugal, Angola, in Mozambique and other countries.

The liturgical calendar celebrates the memory of St. Joseph the Worker for being the patron saint of workers.

O May 1st it is the day when people all over the world celebrate work, or rather, celebrate the rights that workers have won.

In the past, there were no factories or large industries. The products were handcrafted, that is, by hand, and the person who started making an object was the same person who finished and sold it. For example, the person who sold candy was the person who planted the tree, picked the fruit, cooked it and then sold it in places like fairs.

This artisanal work still exists today, but much less since, around 1770, in England, the first factories appeared. Hand work was being replaced by machines and, as a result, many people became unemployed.

Factory workers also suffered from the lack of rules that gave them the right to adequate working hours, weekly rest, vacations and retirement.

The workers wanted better working conditions and, therefore, they carried out strikes and protests. On May 1st, 1886, in the United States, there was a very large and violent demonstration and some of them were arrested and sentenced to death.

In 1889, to honor the workers who died at that time, the 1st of May was chosen for workers to express their complaints. From that year onwards, this date began to be celebrated around the world as the Labor Day.

Next Labor Day will fall on:

• 2018 – Tuesday, May 1st;
• 2019 – Wednesday, May 1;
• 2020 – Friday, May 1st;
• 2021 – Saturday, May 1st;
• 2022 – Sunday. 1st May;
• 2023 – Monday, May 1st;
• 2024 – Wednesday, May 1st.

Labor Day in the United States

In the United States and Canada, Labor Day is known as labor day and is celebrated in the first monday of september.

Labor Day - Rights and Worker's Duties

Duties of the worker:

• respecting and politely treating the employer, co-workers and other people with whom he establishes professional relationships;
• attend the service assiduously and punctually;
• carry out the work with zeal and diligence;
• comply with the employer's orders in everything that concerns the execution of the work, except to the extent that they are contrary to their rights and guarantees;

Worker's Rights

• Work permit signed from the first day of service;
• Medical examinations for admission and dismissal;
• Paid weekly rest (1 day off per week);
• Salary paid until the 5th working day of the month;
• First installment of the 13th salary paid until November 30th.
• Second installment until December 20th;
• 30-day vacation plus 1/3 of salary;

Labor Day - Important facts related to May 1st in Brazil:

• On May 1, 1940, President Getúlio Vargas instituted the minimum wage. This should meet the basic needs of a family (housing, food, health, clothing, education and leisure).
• On May 1, 1941, the Labor Court was created, aimed at resolving legal issues specifically related to labor relations and workers' rights.

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Messages and phrases for Labor Day

• Congratulations to all the warriors who, rain or shine, get up daily in search of a better future! Happy Labor Day!
• Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, addiction and need.
• The natural gift of life is to work. Life develops through work. The one who thanks the need and the work progresses.
• To be successful at work, the first thing to do is fall in love with it.
• Work distracts vanity, cheats powerlessness and brings hope of a good event.
• The biggest reward for our work is not what we are paid for, but what it makes us.
• God grants us the privilege of working in order to act for ourselves, and that we may have the blessing of replacing those who do not yet understand the happiness of working.
• On this 1st of May, may all blessings befall the worker who, without distinction of category, race, creed or purchasing power, always strives for the best and is the driving machine of the entire Nation.

Prayer for Labor Day

Jesus, divine worker and friend of workers, turn Your benign gaze to the world of work. We present to You the needs of those who work intellectually, morally or materially. You know how hard our days are, full of weariness, suffering and insidiousness. See our physical and moral pains and repeat that cry of Your heart: “I have pity on this people”.

Give us the wisdom, virtue and love that encouraged You in Your laborious journeys, inspire us with thoughts of faith, of peace and moderation, of economy, of in order to seek, with our daily bread, spiritual goods, to transform the face of the earth, thus completing the work of creation that You you started.

And may Your light enlighten us in the search for better social laws and enlighten legislators to establish a society of justice and love. Amen

Activities for Labor Day

In schools across the country, teachers use this commemorative date to work in the classroom. With this in mind, we selected some suggestions and tips from Activities for Labor Day.

• Textual Production Activities (Collectively or Individually);
• Drawings to color;
• Making of Murals and Panels;
• Souvenir Making;
• Dramatization or Theater;
• Conversation Wheel about jobs and workers;
• jokes;
• Dynamics;
• Print Labor Day Activities – May 1st;
• and much more…