Honor the Workers

Honor the Workers

There are two reasons why May 1st is significant: it is a secular and religious festival. The annual Labor Day event, which is observed in many nations around the world, is the secular observance. The fact that it is St. Joseph the Worker's feast day has a religious significance.

It was created as a secular holiday as a result of the labor union movement to honor the importance of employees in both the economy and society. Labor Day is observed on May 1 in the majority of countries. It is also occasionally referred to as May Day and International Workers Day. However, it is observed on the first Monday in September in certain nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The eight-hour workday movement is where the tradition of Labor Day celebrations began.

The Union Obrero Democratica de Filipinas (UODF) organized the first May 1st celebration in the Philippines in 1903. To seek total independence, thousands of workers marched from Plaza Moriones in Tondo to Malacanang Palace, which at the time housed the governor general of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly enacted a measure designating May 1 as a national holiday on April 8, 1908. Former president Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 442, also known as the Philippine Labor Code, on May 1, 1974.

The decree stressed that although the employer and the employee have different roles at the same workstation, they are connected by a shared goal of effective production to meet the needs of their fellow citizens. Therefore, the rise in wealth that would satisfy man's demands might be produced by private initiative. Capital and labor should work together since they are not at odds. Additionally, Pope Leo XIII tried to address the struggle between capital and labor in his encyclical Rerum Novarum. In it, he made the case that the government should take special care of and protect wage earners in contrast to the wealthier class.

Thus, the commemoration of St. Joseph the Worker, a feast that has been observed liturgically since 1955, echoes the meaning of Labor Day. The Church celebrates the value of work in a special way on this day, drawing inspiration from St. Joseph's example of teaching Jesus his trade.

Source: https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.iVlAZXTEBDQGneBSQS-13wHaFj?pid=ImgDet&rs=1