Erected at the northern end of the beach at the Anna Square opposite University of Madras, it is an important landmark of Chennai.

The statue shows four men toiling to move a rock, depicting the hard work of the labouring class.

The statue is the earliest one to be erected on the beach[1] and is installed close to the site where the country's first commemoration of May Day was held.

The statue was installed on the eve of the Republic Day in 1959, as part of the Kamaraj government's drive to beautify the beach.

[2] To commemorate this, the Labour statue, depicting an inspiring posture of a team of labourers engrossed at arduous work, was sculpted by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, who was the first Indian principal of the then Government of Madras School of Arts and Crafts (what is today the Tamil Nadu Government College of Fine Arts)[3] and was erected on 25 January 1959, unveiled by the then Governor of Madras, Bishnuram Medhi.