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Glasgow’s roads were brought to a stand-still by workers marching in solidarity for international workers day- also known as May Day.
Unions and organisations gathered at George Square on 29th April to celebrate and stand up for workers’ rights around the world.
They made their way through the city centre before crossing the river and heading down the A77, catching many drivers by surprise.
Speaking to the Clyde Insider, Green councillor for Govan, Glasgow, Dan Hutchison, said: “May Day is international workers day.
“There is no way to really transition our economy without a fair deal for workers, and we believe, as environmentalists and trade unionists, that we come together with everyone to make sure we can transition our economy fairly and safely.”
May Day began in 1886 after workers went on strike in America, demanding an 8-hour workday.
What started out peaceful eventually became violent, with an unknown assailant throwing a bomb at the police in Chicago.
This led to the arrest and prosecution of eight workers.
The event became known as the Haymarket Affair and soon was an international symbol of the struggle for workers’ rights.
Now, each year on the 1st of May, many countries around the world celebrate May Day.
According to the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) trade union organiser Richie Venton: “One of the slogans for May Day historically was for the 8-hour day.
“I believe that nowadays that could be modernised to a 4-day week for 5-days’ pay.
“We’ve had the biggest strike wave in 34 years, and over the last 12 months, we have seen about a million workers take strike action, driven by the cost-of-living crisis, driven by the profiteering of the capitalist class and driven by the necessity to fight back to survive.”
