ANKARA/ISTANBUL
Thousands of people in Turkey celebrated the Labor Day, also known as the International Workers' Day, in all corners of the country on Tuesday.
The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DISK) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) celebrated the Labor Day in Istanbul's Taksim Square.
Secretary General of DISK Adnan Serdaroglu said that they wanted a life without wars.
Our aim is to create a world in which everyone is equal and lives in a fair system, Serdaroglu said.
Chairman of KESK Lami Ozgen said that they wanted a country in which no one exploited others, no one faced pressure or discrimination based on his/her language, religion and cultural differences and in which no one died due to hunger.
The Confederation of Righteous Trade Unions (Hak-Is) and the Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (Memur-Sen) celebrated the Labor Day at Ankara's Tandogan Square.
Chairman of Hak-Is Mahmut Arslan said that they held celebrations in Tandogan Square to mark the universality of the Labor Day.
Memur-Sen's Chairman Ahmet Gundogdu said that they wanted pays enough to deal with inflation rates.
A major celebration also took place in the north-western province of Bursa where members of the Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is) and the Turkish Public Workers' Union (Turkiye Kamu-Sen) gathered together.
Chairman of Turk-Is Mustafa Kumlu said that the voice coming from Bursa on Tuesday was the voice of the people.
There is no place for despair. We are the real owners of this country. We want to change the constitution and laws and want to erase all traces of September 12 (military coup), Kumlu said.
Chairman of Kamu-Sen Ismail Koncuk said that they gathered together on Tuesday to live in a world of peace, freedom, democracy, and in a nicer world where every human lived in dignity.
People attending the celebrations were seen carrying banners supporting better work conditions and workers' rights.
For the first time in Turkey's history, a movement called "Muslim Anti-Capitalists" joined Labor Day celebrations with leftist groups in Taksim, Istanbul. The members of the movement performed prayers in the Fatih Mosque before going to Taksim.
Meanwhile, in a message released on Tuesday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that meeting the demands of the working sector was crucial to facilitate tranquility and stability in Turkey.
President Gul wished a joyous Labor Day to all Turks.
In a message issued Tuesday, Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said that he joined in the celebrations of Labor Day of workers who contribute significant value to life.
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan wished all workers a happy Labor Day in his message released Tuesday.
We have looked at the problems of workers as our own problems since the first day of our government. I do hope that the Labor Day gets celebrated in a friendly atmosphere and in solidarity, Erdogan stressed in his message.
On the other hand, in a message released on Tuesday, Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security, Faruk Celik, said that the Labor Day became the day of workers around the globe in order to facilitate a more democratic structure for the labor life. Minister Celik attended the Labor Day celebrations in Ankara's Tandogan Square.
