All news

Around 1.7 mln to take part in May Day trade union rallies in Russia

Rallies and marches will take place in 1,047 cities and towns
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, May 1 (Itar-Tass) - Around 1.7 million people will take part in demonstrations to mark the International Workers’ Day or May Day, which usually occurs on May 1 in many countries, the chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, Mikhail Shmakov, said.

Rallies and marches will take place in 1,047 cities and towns of Russia.

Shmakov recalled that the holiday appeared in 1889 to remember Chicago’s workers striking for an eight hour day.

“If we take into account proposals of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs to submit amendments to the Labour Code on increasing the work week to 60 hours, we can say today those slogans of 1889 are very timely. This is from where the May protests began,” he said.

The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia approved such slogans as “Decent wage - the basis of progress,” “Put tariffs for public utilities and housing services under public control,” etc.

The chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Moscow, Sergei Chernov, said up to 65,000 people plan to take to streets of Moscow.

The head of the State Duma committee for labour, social policy and veterans’ affairs, Andrei Isayev of the United Russia party, said representatives of United Russia and All-Russia People’s Front will take part in demonstrations on May 1.

“We do not think that May 1 belongs to any party. The parties’ place is in trade union lines. Our members will participate and will speak with workers in an informal atmosphere,” he said.