Focolare Movement

Labour Day

Apr 30, 2018

Labour Day was instituted on May 1st to commemorate the struggle of workers, which took place across all geographical and social barriers in order to safeguard their rights and improve their work conditions. “Eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure, eight hours of sleep” was the slogan coined in Australia in 1855, and shared by […]

Labour Day was instituted on May 1st to commemorate the struggle of workers, which took place across all geographical and social barriers in order to safeguard their rights and improve their work conditions. “Eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure, eight hours of sleep” was the slogan coined in Australia in 1855, and shared by most of the early twentieth century trade union movements. It was above all the workers’ movements in the United States that fought the cause for the eight-hour day. The State of Illinois, in 1866, passed a law that introduced this time limit. The law came into force on 1 May 1867, and on that day a huge demonstration was organized in Chicago, with the participation of ten thousand workers, the largest protest ever seen on the streets of the American city. The manifestation was violently repressed. Much has changed since then, but still today, in many parts of the world, workers do not enjoy the same rights and dignity. For Christians, there is a profound connection between work and the identity of the human person. Jesus himself spent most of his life working as a carpenter in his father’s workshop.

___

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Recognizing beauty: Giulio Ciarrocchi and his legacy

Recognizing beauty: Giulio Ciarrocchi and his legacy

On 26th June, 2025, Giulio Ciarrocchi returned to the house of Father. Giulio was a married focolarino who together with his wife, Pina, worked at the Secretariat of New Families from 1079-2014. To him the Focolare Movement expresses its deep gratitude for his legacy and the example of an immeasurable and fearless faith.