May Day 2019: Are you SBI or PNB customer? Know which bank branches are closed today

Labour Day, also known as May Day, corresponds to the International Workers' Day which is celebrated across the globe. This day is observed as a holiday in more than 80 countries including India.

May 1 is also marked as 'Maharashtra Day' and 'Gujarat Day' to mark the date in 1960 when the two western states attained statehood after the erstwhile Bombay state was divided on linguistic lines.

Some banks are also closed However, this holiday varies in different banks from state to state.

State Bank of India:

All branches of SBI will be closed in states such as - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Manipur, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal and Maharashtra (Maharshtra Day).

Punjab National Bank: 

All branches of PNB will also be shut in Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Telangana.

Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement in the United States in the 19th century when the industrialists used to exploit the labour class and made them work up to 15 hours a day. The workers rose against this exploitation and demanded paid leaves, proper wages and breaks for the workforce. The eight-hour day labour movement advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. 

In India, the first Labour day or May Day was celebrated in the year 1923. It was the Labour Kisan Party who had organised the May Day celebrations in Chennai (then Madras).