Workers' rights have gone to the wall, activists claim

Filipino activists apply the finishing touches on a mural that will be used at the Labor Day at their headquarters in Quezon City (Getty Images)

Activists apply finishing touches to a huge mural in Quezon City, east of Manila in the Philippines, in readiness for a May Day rally tomorrow.

Workers and activists will march through the capital in protest at the government's migrant labour policy and demand higher wages to help them cope with the rising cost of living. Police are on high alert after 40 labour groups and unions said they expected 20,000 people at the rally.

They will call for better job security and an end to the widespread practice of "labour contractualisation", where full-time staff are replaced by temporary workers who are paid less and receive fewer or no benefits. Other May Day rallies are planned in countries across the world.