May Day demonstrations take place amid rising energy costs due to Iran war

Activists worldwide are marching in May Day rallies, calling for peace, higher wages and better working conditions as many workers grapple with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war.

The day is a public holiday in many countries, and demonstrations, some of which have turned violent in the past, are expected in many of the world’s major cities.

“Working people refuse to pay the price for Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East,” the European Trade Union Confederation, which represents 93 trade union organisations in 41 European countries, said.

“Today’s rallies show working people will not stand by and see their jobs and living standards destroyed.”

In the US, activists opposing Donald Trump’s policies are planning marches and boycotts.

Rising living costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East are expected to be a key theme in Friday’s rallies.

In the Philippine capital, Manila, protest organizers said they expect big crowds of workers. “There will be a louder call for higher wages and economic relief because of the unprecedented spikes in fuel prices,” Renato Reyes, a leader of the left-wing political group Bayan, told The Associated Press.

“Every Filipino worker now is aware that the situation here is deeply connected to the global crisis,” said Josua Mata, leader of Sentro umbrella group of labour federations.

In Indonesia, unions have warned against worsening economic pressures at home. “Workers are already living paycheque to paycheque,” said Said Iqbal, president of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation.

In Pakistan, May Day is a public holiday marked by rallies, but many daily wage earners cannot afford to take time off.

Rising oil prices have fuelled inflation, which the government estimates at about 16%, in a country heavily reliant on financial support from the International Monetary Fund and allied nations.

Workers’ unions traditionally use May Day to rally around wages, pensions, inequality and broader political issues.

Protests are planned from Seoul, Jakarta and Istanbul to most European Union capitals and cities across the United States.

In France, unions called for demonstrations in Paris and elsewhere under the slogan “bread, peace and freedom”, linking workers’ daily concerns to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

In Italy, the government approved nearly one billion euro (£738 million) in job incentives this week, aiming to promote stable employment and curb labour abuses ahead of May Day. The measures extend tax breaks to encourage hiring young people and disadvantaged women, and seek to address exploitation tied to platform-based work. Opposition parties dismissed the package as “pure propaganda”.

In Portugal, proposed labour law changes by the centre-right government sparked a general strike and street protests last year. There is still no deal after nine months of negotiations with unions and employers.

Unions say the proposals would weaken workers’ rights, including by expanding overtime limits and reducing some benefits.

May Day carries special meaning this year in France after a heated debate about whether employees should be allowed to work on the country’s most protected public holiday – the only day when most employees have a mandatory paid day off.

Almost all businesses, shops and malls are closed, and only essential sectors such as hospitals, transport and hotels are exempt.

A recent parliamentary proposal to expand work on the day prompted major outcry from unions and left-wing politicians.

“Don’t touch May Day,” workers’ unions said in a joint statement.

Faced with the controversy, the government this week introduced a bill meant to expand May Day work to people staffing bakeries and florists. It is customary in France to give lily of the valley flowers on May Day as a symbol of good luck.

Activists and unions are organising 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”.

Voicing strong opposition to US president Mr Trump’s policies, organisers listed thousands of May Day actions across the country and are seeking an economic blackout through “no school, no work, no shopping”.

Demands include taxing the rich and putting an end to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.