The Day is observed every year, to commemorate the historic struggle of the working class across the world and pay homage to the martyrs of Chicago, who laid down their lives for labours' rights in Chicago on May 1, 1886.
Being weekly off on Saturday, all the government offices and educational institutions will remain closed across the country. Business centres will also observe holiday on Saturday. Newspapers will bring out special supplements to commemorate the workers who died while fighting for eight-hour workday and other rights at Hay Market in Chicago in 1886.
Radio and TV channels will also present special programmes with reference to significance of the day. To mark the day, different political parties, labour unions and social organisations have planned rallies and other functions in a bid to express solidarity with the working class and to press protection of labourers' rights, raise in the minimum wages, eradication of forced labour and enactment of pro-workers labour laws.
The Pakistan Workers Confederation (PWC) has arranged programmes in all major cities of the country including Lahore, Quetta, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Karachi, Multan and Faisalabad. In Lahore, the main function will be held at the Bukhtiar Labour Hall, which will be joined by other organisations as well including members and trade union representatives from the affiliated federations of PWC including Pakistan Workers Federation, All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, Muttahida Labour Federation and National Trade Union Federation.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Mohammad Nawaz Sharif in his message on the occasion of May Day said, "PML-N would continue its struggle to give employment, residential, education and healthcare facilities to every citizen."
He said, "no society could achieve the goal of progress and prosperity without removing deprivations of workers and labourers." It is our basic obligation to safeguard rights of labourers and give them respectable status in society, he added.
The PML-N Chief said today whole world is facing difficult economic situation and real sufferers are labour class. In Pakistan, he said there are a large number of people who throughout their lives struggled hard to make their both ends meet. Unfortunately, these people could not provide, education, healthcare facilities to their children what to say residential facility.
Nawaz said, "We must realise our responsibilities and if unfortunately, situation is aggravated, disappointment and uncertainty may cause a big crisis. He said that country's economic situation could not improve unless governmental policies are made pro-people. He said, today nation is facing grave problems on unemployment and price hike due to wrong policies persuaded during dictatorship.
Expressing serious concern over load shedding, the PML-N Chief said, if the government failed to adopt seriousness to resolve this issue, it might bring any big crisis. He deplored that the government failed to start any comprehensive project to overcome load shedding.
Nawaz further said that after passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment, there left no excuse for the government and political forces in the parliament to concentrate on resolving public issues. "It is basic obligation of the federal and provincial governments to devote their energies and resources to provide relief to the masses," he said.