May Day 2019: India’s labour day comes at the cost of 570,000 job losses and 297 deaths

Labour day isn’t only about recognition of hard work. It is also pushing for equality, work rights and the larger benefit of working men and women across the globe.

As the world celebrates Labour Day, here is a look at its history and what it means for workers. It dates back to 1886 when workers in the US took to the streets protesting long work hours. They demanded that their work time be reduced from 16-10 hours to 8 hours a day.

In India, the situation of labourers has been far from pleasant. Over the years, it has been marred with gender inequality, hazardous working conditions, job crises and unemployment. Indian labour laws leave much to be desired on minimum wage and mandated work hours.

Here’s a low-down of several fronts where Indian workers are fighting for basic rights, conducive work environment and a decent pay scale: