Global General

May Day marked by workers around world

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-02 09:27

People attend a grand parade and rally to mark the May Day and show solidarity with their country, in Havana, capital of Cuba, May 1, 2010. [Xinhua]

In France, hundreds of thousands of people took to the street to voice their appeals on pension reform, employment and purchasing power.

Launched by five major labor unions, large groups of demonstrators started to rally at the Republic Square in Paris shortly after noon.

Several political parties joined the march. Many foreign descendents held the flags of their home countries and raised banners declaring, "Global Workers United."

French media said similar demonstrations took place across France, from the northern city of Lille to the southern port city of Marseilles.

In Turkey, more than 300,000 people staged a citywide rally in Istanbul to celebrate the holiday, calling on the government to create more opportunities for jobs.

The rally was organized by different political parties and labor unions, including Turkish Revolutionary Workers Union Confederation, Public Workers Union Confederation, Revolutionary People's Party Workers Movement Party and Education Workers Union.

Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin said the authorities had taken security measures to ensure a peaceful environment for the celebrations.

This was the first time a Turkish government had allowed people to commemorate Labor Day in Taksim square in the city center since 1977, when nearly half a million people gathered on the square and unidentified shootings led to chaos that killed 34 people.

The Turkish government's ban of Labor Day gatherings on the Taksim square in the past 32 years had caused increasing tensions between the government and unions.

In Spain, labor unions organized a series of street protests all over the country, venting anger over issues such as unemployment, pensions, social reform and the financial system.

The protests and other activities were staged under the title of "For employment, for rights and the guarantee of our pensions."

Union heads urged reform of the financial system to avoid fiscal fraud and asked for a tax on financial transactions, saying the financial markets should put themselves at the service of Spainsh society.

The unions reiterated their strong opposition to the government's proposals to raise the age of retirement to 67. They also asked EU governments to think twice before applying cutbacks in public spending.

In Finland, thousands of people took part in marches and rallies organized by leftist parties and workers' unions in Helsinki.