May Day today

The workers’ community is observing the May Day across the country on Thursday to pay homage to the workers of Chicago for struggling to defend their rights. The workers will organise various rallies and functions. Seminars, conferences, processions, rallies and symposiums will be arranged to highlight the problems of the labour community.May Day will also be observed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to express solidarity with the workers’ movement and commemorate the killing of the Chicago workers. The day will be observed to mark the historic struggle of those who laid down their lives for the rights of workers 118 years ago. A number of labourers were killed at Hay Market, Chicago, in May 1886 while demanding an eight-hour working day.Labour, political and social organisations will take out processions and organise meetings to highlight the significance of the day. The federal and provincial governments have declared a public holiday on Thursday. All banks, business centres and educational institutions will remain closed. TV channels will present special programmes while newspapers are bringing out special supplements.In Lahore, All Pakistan Trade Union Federation will hold a rally from Lahore Press Club at 10.00 am. Various rallies to be taken out from different industrial areas will reach at Press Club to join the main procession. The participants will pay tributes to Chicago’s martyrs and also protest against price hike, unemployment, increase in flour prices, load shedding and privatisation process.Labour Party Pakistan will highlight the judges issue along with problems faced by workers in its May Day rallies in six cities. The Labour Party’s rally in Lahore will start from Lahore Press Club and participants will march on Abbot Road to Laxmi Chowk after being joined by Women Workers Helpline activists. The National Trade Union Federation and Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Union workers will also take part in the rally to be led by Yousaf Bal.Labour leaders said the origin of this day is indissolubly bound up with the struggle for the shorter workday - a demand of major political significance for the working class. This struggle is manifest almost from the beginning of the factory system in the United States.They said that daily workers and low-paid employees in government departments and private institutions were being exploited by the wealthy class. They added that unemployment and price-hike were serious problems faced by people and jobless skilled youths. They stated that anti-worker steps had further increased the miseries of the have-nots.