Thousands rally in Istanbul with complaints to mark Labor Day

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Istanbul on Monday to mark the International Labor Day, raising their voices against poor working conditions, high unemployment rate and low wages.

The crowds also protested against what they call anti-democratic regulations imposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party in the wake of a failed coup in July last year.

Some 100,000 civil servants, over 40,000 police and nearly 33,000 teachers have been expelled in the ongoing crackdown over their alleged links to terror organizations, according to press reports.

"No! It is not over," read a banner carried by some academicians, who were dismissed in the purges. "We are not leaving. Our democratic struggle continues," read another banner.

Main trade unions agreed this year to have a mass rally in government-designated Bakirkoy district, as the iconic Taksim Square was closed to rallies for a fourth year straight.

The square has a symbolic meaning for the trade unions and leftist groups, as 34 workers were killed in 1977 May Day celebrations in shots fired from a nearby building. Since then, Turkey's worker unions and labourers have been insisting on commemorating the killings at the square.

The authorities, however, have banned all demonstrations and gatherings there since massive anti-government protests erupted in June 2013 in the square and in neighboring Gezi Park.

This year police were blocking all the roads to the square with iron barriers and deploying over 30,000 personnel to patrol the city.

Public transportation, including ferry service offering shuttles between the European and Asian parts of Istanbul and metro service in several districts, was halted as part of the blockade of Taksim Square.

Some leftists groups, however, tried to march to the square from several districts, leading the police to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse them and detain over 50 individuals, press reports said. Endit