May Day Rallies/ Workers around the world march for peace and better wages

2026-05-01 16:57:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Workers around the world today have called for peace, higher wages and better working conditions, as they face rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power linked to the Iran war.

Today, May 1, is an official holiday in many countries, and demonstrations, some of which have turned violent in the past, have been held in many countries around the world.

"Workers refuse to pay the price for the war in the Middle East. Today's rallies show that workers will not sit idly by and watch their jobs and living standards destroyed," said the European Trade Union Confederation, which represents 93 union organizations in 41 European countries.

Turkish police on Friday used tear gas and arrested hundreds of people holding May Day demonstrations in Istanbul. According to the CHD Lawyers Association, at least 370 people were arrested in Istanbul, where police fired tear gas into the crowd.

May Day demonstrations around the world

Labor unions use May Day to protest over wages, pensions, inequality and broader political issues. Rising living costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East are also a major theme at Friday's rallies.

In the Philippine capital, Manila, large crowds marched to demand higher wages and lower taxes.

In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto joined a May Day rally in the capital Jakarta, greeting tens of thousands of people amid a heavy police and military presence. Workers demanded stronger protection from the government amid rising prices and difficulties finding raw materials for their industry.

In Pakistan, May Day is an official holiday marked by rallies, but many daily wage workers cannot afford to take a day off. Rising oil prices have fueled inflation, which the government estimates at around 16%, in a country that relies heavily on financial support from the International Monetary Fund and allied countries.

In France, unions called for demonstrations in Paris and other French cities under the slogan "bread, peace and freedom", linking the daily concerns of workers to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Faced with controversy, the government this week introduced a bill that aims to allow bakeries and florists to work during the holiday. In France, it is customary to give lilies of the valley on May 1 as a symbol of good luck. Meanwhile, almost all businesses, shops and shopping malls are closed, with only essential sectors such as hospitals, transport and hotels exempt.

In Italy, the government this week approved a nearly 1 billion euro package aimed at promoting sustainable employment and curbing workplace abuses ahead of May 1. The measures extend tax breaks to encourage employment for young people and women, and aim to address exploitation linked to platform work. Opposition parties have called the package "pure propaganda."

In Portugal, proposed changes to labor laws by the center-right government sparked a general strike and street protests last year. There is still no agreement after nine months of negotiations with unions and employers. Unions say the proposals would weaken workers' rights, including expanding limits on overtime and cutting some benefits.

Activists and unions are organizing street protests and boycotts across the United States, where May Day is not a federal holiday. “May Day Strong,” a coalition of activist groups and unions, has called on people to protest under the banner of “workers over billionaires.”

May 1, or International Workers' Day, dates back more than a century, to a crucial period in the history of labor in the United States.

In the 1880s, unions demanded an eight-hour workday through strikes and demonstrations. In May 1886, a rally in Chicago against the police killing of two striking workers the day before also turned deadly when a bomb was thrown at the police, who fired into the crowd in response.

Several union activists, most of them immigrants and staunch anarchists, were convicted of conspiracy and other charges, despite the fact that the perpetrator of the bomb attack had not been identified; four of them were executed.

Unions later designated May Day to honor workers. A monument in Chicago's Haymarket Square commemorates them with the inscription: "Dedicated to all the workers of the world." May Day is now celebrated in most parts of the world, from Europe to Latin America, Africa and Asia. /CNA