Trump's policies loom like a shadow over the day
By. Roberto Morejon
From Jakarta to Seoul, from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, millions of workers in many cities and towns marked their day last May 1 not only with the usual demands, but also by challenging Donald Trump's tariffs and deportations.
In the United States in particular, International Workers' Day protests were directed at the nation's president for his draconian cuts that have sent thousands of workers home.
In addition to the usual labor activists, immigrant rights advocates and supporters of the Palestinian cause joined the marches and parades in the northern powerhouse.
In the United States, students alarmed by the underfunding of public schools and the White House's demands on university programs also joined in.
In Japan, some said Trump's policies loomed like a shadow over the day, with a truck in the Tokyo march carrying a dummy resembling the prime minister.
Across the Atlantic in Paris, French labor leaders condemned what they portrayed as Trump's strong military and trade influence on world politics.
In the face of the high tariffs already imposed or threatened by the United States, many unions in Europe called on their governments to rebalance trade, saying that if Washington does not want their products, they should offer them in other markets.
Old labor demands also returned to the table, as in Germany, where they warned that longer working hours and growing anti-immigrant sentiment were eroding labor protections.
In Manila, they demanded wage increases and greater protection for local jobs and businesses, and in the Old Continent, tens of thousands of people demanded shorter hours and better pay.
Labor groups say employers in many parts of the world are resorting to summary dismissals rather than addressing problems, and are demanding that the process be in line with social charters and agreements between employers and unions.
The recent mass day called by workers around the world highlighted fears of global economic instability, to which the trade war unleashed by Trump is negatively contributing.
