On the occasion of International Workers’ Day, the world’s workforce has mobilized in much of the latitudes of the planet. France, the Netherlands, Turkey and Canada have been some of the countries where workers have marched. In addition, governments such as the Portuguese and Italian have implemented new legislation related to the working conditions of their workers.
The first day of the month of May marks International Workers’ Day, an event that honors the labor force around the world and pays homage to the historic victories of labor movements.
Year after year, union organizations in various territories organize massive demonstrations to commemorate the workers’ struggle and continue their efforts to improve working conditions in their respective industries.
Historical mobilizations in Europe
This year, France leads union demonstrations on May 1. According to the country’s main unions, approximately 2.3 million people have taken to the streets of Paris, Nantes and Lyon to commemorate the date, but also to express their disagreement with the pension reform imposed by the government of Emmanuel Macron.
Protests in France were followed by violent confrontations with French law enforcement. In addition, some protesters broke into commercial establishments to continue showing their disagreement with the current situation. According to the French Interior Ministry, at least 200 people have been arrested in the demonstrations.
In the Netherlands, employees of the largest union in the country, the FNV, stated that they would go on strike against the authorities of the same union group. This in an effort to increase the salaries they receive.
“It’s painful that we have to go on strike,” said FNV employee representative Judith Westhoek. However, she reiterated the need for workers to ask for a salary increase: “FNV personnel also have the right to an honest and appropriate salary agreement for current times.”
In Germany, the mobilizations began with a massive concentration called “Recover the night”, called by feminist groups and defenders of the rights of the LGBTQ + community. In addition, the main German unions have also led marches in Berlin to commemorate this day.
On the other hand, the war in Ukraine has caused the traditional celebrations and mobilizations within Russia are overshadowed and limited by the events of the so-called “special military operation” by the Kremlin on Ukrainian territory.
In kyiv, some citizens have moved away from the commemoration ofl International Workers’ Day. Many call it a celebration of the Soviet era, a temporality that Ukrainians want to forget.
“It is good that we do not celebrate this holiday as it was done in the Bolshevik times. It was something truly horrible,” said Anatolii Borsiuk, a resident of the Ukrainian capital.
In Asia, workers also took to the streets
the union movement in Sri Lanka organized multiple rallies to mark the day. The workers also expressed their disagreement with the austerity policies proposed by the Government, as well as with the agreement signed with the International Monetary Fund.
At the same time, in South Korea, thousands of people gathered in Seoul, the capital, to protest against the increase in prices in the country and demand a reduction in working hours. It is reported that it has been the largest mobilization for May 1 since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Tokyo, the Japanese capital, also experienced massive demonstrations in its streets. Dozens of academics, union members and opposition politicians led the waves of workers who took to the streets. In addition, they criticized the Japanese government for its plans to increase military spending, arguing that this money should go to social welfare programs.
Arrests and confrontations with government authorities
Some governments have organized special police operations to protect certain areas from the mobilizations, which has provoked hostilities between protesters and the police in certain parts of the world.
Turkish authorities report that approximately 40 people have been detained in the Istanbul mobilizationsas the contingents were trying to reach the historic Taksim Square.
Although the square has important significance for Turkish workers — in 1977, armed individuals attacked a group of workers who were commemorating May 1 in the square — the place is off-limits to hosting gatherings on this day.
in pakistan, the Government prohibited the mobilizations on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, arguing that the political stability of the country could be affected. However, the ban has not stopped the workers, who have called for indoor events to demand better working conditions in the country.
Legislative packages on the occasion of May 1
The workers, although protagonists of the day, have not been the only actors who have acted on the occasion of May 1.
The Canadian Government closed an agreement with more than 120,000 state workers, who had been on strike for two weeks. The agreement guarantees a salary increase of 12.6% over a period of four years and represents the end of the largest strike led by government workers in the country’s history.
In Italy, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a regulatory package that aims to facilitate job creation in the country. One of the measures would make it easier for companies to offer temporary jobs, with 1-2-year contracts, and reduce the “citizen’s wage,” a social assistance fund for the unemployed.
The measures have been criticized by the main Italian unions, which consider them “insufficient” and that they do not cover the problem of high rates of “job insecurity”.
The Portuguese Government implemented a legal provision that would give workers the power to obtain a leave of absence by “self-declaring” sick to their employers.
According to the Ministry of Health, this would not have any cost for the companies or for the State because the duration of the license corresponds to the period in which the worker is not paid by social security while on leave.
The permit can last up to three days and has the objective of lightening the burdens of public health, since before the measure, the only ones authorized to issue sick leave were doctors in public hospitals.
With Reuters, AP and local media
