Festivities mark May Day

Guntur: Working class celebrated May Day by organising rallies and public meetings besides red flag hoisting in coastal districts of Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari districts on Wednesday. Guntur city wore a festive look with workers carrying red flags marched through the main streets. They raised slogans for unity of work force. Addressing a massive gathering at Market Centre, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) leader GV Krishna Rao called upon the workers to foil the nefarious designs of capitalist forces under the cloak of economic liberalisation in the country. Globalisation and privatisation were part of the attempt to deny rights to workers. It was high time the workers realise the need for unified struggle to safeguard their hard earned rights, he said. Workers engaged in construction, sand quarries, dal mills, rice mills, transport and other activities took part in the celebrations. In Ponnur town of Guntur district, workers of organised and unorganised sectors joined to celebrate May Day in a big way. The workers sang revolutionary songs and organised traditional entertainment events to mark the occasion. Activists of Left parties took part in the festivities.

Legal awareness meet Eluru: A legal awareness seminar was organised with the participation of West Godavari District Collector Dr G Vani Mohan and District Judge Ramesh Babu to mark May Day here. Speaking on the occasion, the Collector expressed concern over failure in strict implementation of different laws framed for protection of working class rights. She requested the workers to avail accident insurance by obtaining identity cards from trade unions. She handed over cheques to the family members of deceased construction workers. Ramesh Babu advised the workers to approach legal services authority when their rights were challenged.

Gudivada wears festive look Gudivada (Krishna): Main centres of Gudivada town in Krishna district presented a festive ambience as workers gathered for flag hoisting functions organised by local trade union leaders and workers' associations.A AITUC district general secretary Kothari Ramana hoisted the red flag at a function organised at Nehru Chowk. He recalled the sacrifices of workers who fought for eight-hour working day. The trade union organised rallies in the town.A CPI-M senior leader Tyagaraju hoisted the red flag at Sundarayya Bhavan. A Building Workers Union organised the flag hoisting programme at car stand centre. Retired workers were felicitated at a special programme organised by Gudivada Building Workers Association at Aravapet.