May Day Protests Across Manila and Istanbul Demand Peace, Higher Wages, Better Working Conditions

May Day rallies and street protests were held across the world on Friday, with demonstrators calling for “peace, higher wages and better working conditions” as workers grappled with “rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war.”

“Home / Lifestyle / International Labour Day 2026: History, theme, significance & celebrations International Labour Day 2026: History, theme, significance & celebrations May Day 2026: The world marks May 1 as International Labour Day”

Business Standard

The protests were framed around International Workers’ Day, with May 1 described as “a public holiday in many countries” when unions “traditionally rally around wages, pensions, inequality and broader political issues.”

Democracy Now!

In Europe, the European Trade Union Confederation said, “Working people refuse to pay the price for Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East,” adding, “Today’s rallies show working people will not stand by and see their jobs and living standards destroyed.”

In the Philippines’ capital of Manila, crowds marched and protesters “clashed with police blocking the way near the US embassy,” while banners included “no troops, no bases, no war games, resist U.S.-led wars.”

In Turkey, Turkish authorities in Istanbul detained hundreds of demonstrators attempting to march in areas declared off-limits, “most notably the central Taksim Square,” and France 24 reported police fired tear gas and arrested hundreds.

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.

Across multiple countries, the protests were tied to economic pressure and to the US role in the Iran war, with organizers and participants linking day-to-day costs to broader geopolitics.

EDP24 said the rallies were held “as many workers grapple with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war,” and it described “Rising living costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East” as “a key theme in Friday’s rallies.”

EastMojo

In Manila, KTVH reported protesters denounced “the United States' role in the Iran war,” and France 24 said crowds marched “to call for higher wages and lower taxes” while protesters “clashed with police blocking the way near the US Embassy.”

In Istanbul, France 24 described a major police response, saying “Turkish police on Friday fired tear gas and arrested hundreds of people holding May Day demonstrations in Istanbul,” and it added that “at least 370 people were arrested in Istanbul.”

In Pakistan, KTVH said May Day is a public holiday but “many daily wage earners cannot afford to take time off,” quoting Mohammad Maskeen: “How will I bring vegetables and other necessities home if I don’t work?”

In Indonesia, KTVH reported President Prabowo Subianto joined a rally in Jakarta, greeting “tens of thousands of people amid a tight police and military presence,” while workers called for “stronger government protection amid rising prices and difficulties in finding raw materials for their industry.”

In the US, EDP24 said activists opposing President Donald Trump’s policies held “marches and boycotts,” and it quoted the coalition May Day Strong urging an economic blackout through “no school, no work, no shopping.”

In France, May Day carried a specific political dispute over whether employees should be allowed to work on the country’s most protected public holiday, described as “the only day when most employees have a mandatory paid day off.”

““Labour was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things” – (Adam Smith, 1776) In Guwahati, an online delivery platform worker races through traffic to meet a 10-minute deadline”

EastMojo

EDP24 said “a recent parliamentary proposal to expand work on the day prompted a major outcry from unions and left-wing politicians,” and it added that “Faced with the dispute, the government this week introduced a bill that would allow bakeries and florists to open.”

The same reporting emphasized that “Almost all businesses and shops are closed, and only essential sectors such as hospitals, transport and hotels are exempt,” and it noted that it is customary in France to give “lily of the valley flowers on May Day as a symbol of good luck.”

The Hereford Times similarly described the debate and said 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.

KTVH added a direct line from unions, quoting a joint statement: “Don’t touch May Day,” workers' unions said in a joint statement.

KTVH also reported that “the government this week introduced a bill meant to expand May Day work to people staffing bakeries and florists,” echoing EDP24’s account of the policy change.

France 24 further framed the French protests as part of a broader international pattern, saying workers marched “for peace and better pay” while the May Day theme remained tied to energy prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Beyond large demonstrations, some May Day reporting focused on a localized labour dispute in Assam, where a tea union said it secured May Day wages for temporary workers in a “historic milestone.”

The Assam Tribune reported that in Dibrugarh on May 1, the Assam Tea Labour Union (ATLU) achieved the outcome after a “dispute resolution meeting held at the office of the Assistant Labour Commissioner in Tinsukia.”

France 24

The meeting addressed grievances of temporary workers employed under MK Tea Export Limited in the Daimukhia tea estate, “recently renamed Roseberry tea estate,” under the Doomdooma constituency, and the Baghjan tea estate under the Makum constituency.

The article said temporary tea workers had been excluded from receiving wages for May 1 “even during official closures,” but after “sustained protests and continuous efforts by the Union over the past year,” the management of Baghjan Tea Estate agreed to pay “the pending May Day wages for 2025 within the next one and a half months.”

The Assam Tribune quoted Israil Nanda, general secretary of ATLU and senior vice-president of the National Front of Indian Trade Unions, and it said union representatives credited “the impartial role played by the Assistant Labour Commissioner of Tinsukia.”

The report described the meeting as attended by representatives from estate management, members of the tea workers’ association, and union leaders including ATLU General Secretary Izrail Nanda, Garden Unit President Binanda Nanda, and Secretary Bilap Nanda.

It also said the decision was expected to “set a precedent for similar cases across the region,” offering “renewed hope to thousands of temporary tea workers seeking fair treatment and labour rights.”

Several articles tied May Day 2026 to themes about labour rights, workplace conditions, and the future of labour protections, while also emphasizing the day’s historical roots.

“Workers across the world march for peace and better pay in May Day rallies May Day rallies across the world brought workers out in force on Friday to protest against rising energy prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran, with Turkish police arresting hundreds of people in Istanbul, according to a lawyers' association”

France 24

Business Standard said May Day 2026 is observed on May 1 as International Labour Day, “also known as May Day,” and it described the ILO theme for 2026 as “Ensuring a Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment.”

KTVH

It added that the theme focuses on “psychosocial risks—such as stress, burnout, and mental health issues—that have become common in contemporary workplaces,” and it said the ILO calls on “governments and corporations to prioritise psychosocial risk management.”

News18 similarly stated that the ILO theme for May Day 2026 is “Ensuring a Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment,” and it said the theme addresses “psychosocial risks that have become prominent in modern workplaces, such as stress, burnout, and mental health challenges.”

Business Standard also connected May Day to the Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886, saying labourers demonstrated for “an 8-hour workday,” and it described the day as a global occasion where labourers “come together to call for improved working conditions, equitable pay, and the ability to form unions.”

OrissaPOST framed May Day 2026’s slogan as “Workers Over Billionaires,” saying the call was “aimed at combating wealth inequality and corporate influence,” and it cited a “Foundation for Economic Development” claim that “64% of workers” earn below the legal wage floor.

Pratidin Time argued that on November 21, 2025, the government implemented “four Labour Codes consolidating 29 central labour laws,” and it said the threshold requiring government permission for layoffs was raised from “100 to 300 workers,” while working hours “can extend to twelve hours per day.”