Tens of thousands of people around the world have attended parades and rallies on Thursday, Labour Day, calling for more rights for workers.

In France, people took the streets of Paris against the government's plan to reform the pension and education systems.

Annabelle Janodet is a representative from the student union of France.

"This May Day is particular because it is one year after the election of Nicolas Sarkozy, and the so-called 'president of the purchasing power' has done nothing for the society in general and for the young people in particular. And there is also the issue of the pension reform which surfaces this week."

But in Austria, although May Day is a national holiday, many traditional parades were cancelled after recent revelations that an Austrian man fathered seven children with his own daughter.

The woman was kept locked in the basement of his home for 24 years and Austria's government said officials are trying to repair the nation's image.

In Germany, a May Day rally turned violent, as police used water cannons to break up clashes between leftist and rightist groups in the nothern port city of Hamburg.

In Cuba, thousands of workers joined the traditional May Day march in the capital Havana. President Raul Castro oversaw the parade, smiling and waving at the crowds.

Salvador Valdes Mesa is secretary-general of the Cuban Workers' Confederation.

"We have important challenges ahead of us. The first one comes from our own frustrations, from what we still need to do to develop the country to benefit all of us. We have pinned down insufficiencies and weaknesses and we know that we must act."

And in Pakistan, workers in the nation's largest city, Karachi, demanded higher wages and called for the end of what they called "exploitation by capitalists".

Amir Nawab, the labour minister for Sindh province, said they are trying to act as a bridge between the labour and employers and lead Pakistan's path of development.

"If there was no industrialisation and if there were no factories, poverty, unemployment and inflation would further increase and affect the poor. The issue is linked to demand and supply of labour. If demand for labour increases then worker's wages will be higher. If supply of labour is higher than demand then the issue will not be solved."