Asia: Peasant Unions Mobilize on May Day, Call for Contract Regularization, Higher Wages, and Land Reform
Across Asia, peasant organizations marked May Day with powerful demonstrations, rallies, and assemblies demanding justice for rural and agricultural laborers. From Thailand to Pakistan, these mobilizations brought forward urgent calls for regularized employment, enforcement of minimum wages, and comprehensive land reform amid mounting economic, political, and ecological crises.
In Thailand, the Assembly of the Poor (AoP) led May Day mobilizations that drew attention to the plight of landless workers, who are among the most severely impacted by economic volatility and the collapse of agricultural commodity prices. AoP emphasized that in a rapidly shifting economic landscape, the agro-industrial system continues to prioritize mass production over the livelihood security of rural workers, farmers, and landless laborers. The statement also noted how land rights for ordinary people remain a forbidden subject in a society where certain structures are “too sacred to question.” The extreme concentration of land ownership among elites is not just an economic injustice, but a violation of human rights, suppressing opportunity and forcing many into poverty.
AoP also published testimonies from peasants who have experienced violent evictions. One such account came from Pa Kuang, a 60-year-old laborer who was born in Kao Bat village, Lam Nang Rong, Buriram. Once a farmer, he was forcibly displaced when the military government declared his village part of a national park under the guise of a forest conservation strategy that ignored community rights. After being pushed off his farmland, he migrated to Bangkok and then to southern Thailand in search of work—enduring exploitative conditions, skipped meals, and wage theft. Eventually, he returned to his hometown as age and family obligations made city life unsustainable. Now living with relatives and working sporadic rural jobs, he described the constant precarity of his life.
“I don’t have money to see a doctor. I need money to buy food, rice, everything. The 10,000 baht the government gave me was spent on shrimp paste, fish sauce, and my children’s school fees,” he shared. He concluded with a haunting question: “Where do you expect me to make a living, when I have no place to live?”
In Pakistan, the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) highlighted the dire conditions of agricultural workers who make up nearly 37% of the labor force—most of whom are informal and unregistered. These workers are excluded from labor protections, denied the minimum wage, and vulnerable to exploitation, debt bondage, and gender-based violence. Women agricultural workers, comprising about 70% of the rural workforce, often work without contracts and are paid in kind or underpaid in cash. They lack access to social security, maternity leave, or healthcare, and face systemic exclusion and harassment. Climate disasters, like the 2022 floods that caused over $30 billion in agricultural damage, along with rising temperatures and water scarcity, have further deepened rural poverty. Although the official minimum wage is Rs. 37,000 per month, most farmworkers earn far less, with no state enforcement or accountability. Nearly 40% of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line, disproportionately affecting rural communities.
The PKRC also condemned regressive legislation such as the Punjab Labour Code 2024, which restricts labor rights, and emphasized the non-implementation of worker-friendly laws like the Sindh Home-Based Workers Act. Agricultural workers remain unable to unionize or collectively bargain, while union activists continue to face harassment and violence. On May Day, the PKRC demanded the formal recognition of agricultural workers, enforcement of labor protections, secure land tenure, gender-inclusive support programs, universal social protections, and the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP) into national law.
In South Korea, the Peasant Women’s Association (KWPA) also attended May Day rally braving heavy rains. They joined a memorial service to honor the 15th anniversary of the martyrdom of Kim Heon-jeong, alongside members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Democratic General Federation, and the National Democratic Union Labor Union. Following the memorial, they also joined the 135th International Workers’ Day rally. The union members shared native seeds both as a symbol of unity and solidarity.
In Mannar, Sri Lanka, MONLAR joined the May Day rally and march for securing the rights of farmers, fishers, Indigenous peoples, and other food producers. Representatives from various provinces, including members of Provincial Planning Councils, joined the demonstration organized by the People’s Action for a National Peasant Movement. Held under the theme “Build Peasant Power Against Exploitation, Oppression, and Suppression,” the rally sought to unite voices in support of food producers’ rights and call for justice in land and livelihood access.
“This May Day was not just a protest—it was a people’s movement, rooted in the spirit of resistance and resilience. It was organized by the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) in collaboration with Action for a National Peasant Movement and Provincial Peoples’ Planning Forums. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to building a just and sustainable food system that respects the rights, dignity, and sovereignty of all rural people.” a statement from the unions read.
In Indonesia, the Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants Union) participated in the May Day mobilizations as part of the working class and used the occasion to voice six key demands. These included: agrarian reform to ensure land for the people; agrarian reform as a foundation for achieving food sovereignty; food sovereignty as a strategy for poverty alleviation; the implementation of agrarian reform in accordance with the Constitution; the revocation of the Job Creation Law, which they argue contradicts the Constitution; and an end to the criminalization and discrimination against peasants.
In Bangladesh, farmworkers’ unions affiliated with the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour Federation (BAFLF) staged rallies and worker assemblies, calling for the regularization of irregular employees in state-run agricultural and research farms. The unions reiterated their 13-point demand, including a daily wage of 1,000 taka. Earlier this year, the BAFLF submitted formal proposals to the Labour Reform Commission. These included a draft “Agricultural Farm Workers Recruitment and Protection Act” along with recommendations to ensure legal protection and welfare for agricultural and informal economy workers, and to develop an inclusive, non-discriminatory labor law that meets international standards.
In India, the Karnataka State Farmers’ Union (KRRS) co-organized a May Day event in Sira, Karnataka, to commemorate International Workers’ Day and introduce the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) to the local farming community. The event was presided over by Prof. Ravivarma Kumar, Chukki Nanjundaswamy, and other prominent civil society leaders from the state. The gathering focused on the relevance of UNDROP in advancing the rights of farmers and rural workers in Karnataka.
In her inaugural address, Chukki Nanjundaswamy emphasized the importance of training farmers on the contents and implications of UNDROP. She reflected on the early years of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), recalling how training camps played a key role in building the movement. She also raised concerns about the deepening agrarian crisis, the absence of a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP), and the lack of adequate market support. She urged farmers to embrace natural farming practices and create direct-to-consumer market channels as a way to reclaim economic sovereignty.
Prof. Ravivarma Kumar emphasized the importance of UNDROP as a legal instrument and urged the Indian government to adopt it. He also announced KRRS’s plans to promote UNDROP through cadre training programs, aiming to raise awareness and empower farmers across the state.
Together, these May Day mobilizations across Asia voiced a common demand for dignity, equity, and transformative justice in the lives of rural and agricultural workers. Despite different national contexts, the shared struggles—and the determination to resist—reveal a movement rooted in the enduring power of peasant and worker solidarity.