May Day has been commemorated across the globe, with workers staging rallies and demonstrations demanding improved working conditions, better salaries, and stronger labor rights. This comes at a time when the global economy is facing several crises, including trade wars and heightened market volatility. 

In South Korea, workers assembled in central Seoul as part of a broader movement for union rights and sweeping social reforms. Yang Kyung-Soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), emphasised the importance of labour protections. 

“On the occasion of International Workers’ Day 2025, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is taking action to demand the rights for all workers to form unions and to be protected under labour laws. Building on the foundation of having ousted the immoral Yoon Suk Yeol administration, we join today’s May Day rally with demands for the eradication of deep-rooted injustice, the resolution of past insurrection, and sweeping social reforms.” 

In Turkey, May Day demonstrations in Istanbul turned tense as police clashed with protestors. Several demonstrators were detained and forcibly loaded onto buses. 

GALLERY | MAY DAY – International Workers’ Day 2025

Meanwhile, in Greece, workers rallied for higher wages amid soaring living costs. One protester explains, “There are many colleagues, depending on their sector, who have a really hard time making ends meet. We see couples where both partners work and earn 800 to 900 euros per month, who face a real survival problem with all the rent hikes and grocery prices.” 

In Argentina, thousands of union members gathered in Buenos Aires to protest the worsening economic conditions. Demonstrators denounced the impoverishment of the working class and demanded wage negotiations. 

Amidst the global discontent, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva acknowledged the growing financial strain, “We have significantly downgraded our projections for global growth; major trade policy shifts have spiked uncertainty off the charts, accompanied by tighter financial conditions and higher market volatility. Simply put, the world economy is facing a new and major test, and it faces it with policy buffers depleted by the shocks of recent years.” 

From Asia to Europe to Latin America, workers used the day to call for increased salaries, collective bargaining agreements, lower tax thresholds, and overall economic justice.

The global message was unified: better pay and improved working conditions are urgent and necessary.