Dozens of workers and labour leaders marched through Winnipeg Monday, in an annual gathering in honour of Labour Day.

"[The] labour movement is strong, labour movement is there," said Aleem Chaudhary, president of the local Amalgamated Transit Union.

"It's not going to go anywhere, so people just have to face it."

The march began at a new monument commemorating the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike on the corner of Market Avenue and Main Street. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the strike, which saw between 25,000 and 35,000 workers walk off the job.

Amalgamated Transit Union local president Aleem Chaudhary, in blue, said unions need to work together going forward. (Austin Grabish/CBC)

Chaudhary and other union heads urged workers and labour groups to work together moving forward.

"This march is very, very important today, in these days where we're losing services and we're losing labour, and we've got labour pitted against labour by this government," said Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

"We need to know that we stand in solidarity together, that we can move forward, and we can make further gains for all Manitobans. Not just for unions, but for all Manitobans."

Concerns about safety, cuts, racism

Chaudhary was one of a handful of union leaders who addressed the crowd, raising issues ranging from safety on the job to racism in the workplace.

The Amalgamated Transit Union is in the midst of a legal strike position and a bitter, months-long contract dispute with the city that has seen the two sides trade shots several times since the previous contract expired in January.

Workers walked from a monument commemorating the 1919 General Strike near city hall to the Manitoba Legislature on Monday. (Austin Grabish/CBC)

James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society, said his union has its own concerns in an election campaign that has seen little discussion about education.

"I'm very concerned about public education going forward, that we could see radical change. We could see cuts. But most importantly, we could see all of this done without them engaging with classroom teachers," he said. "I'm going to go out on a limb and think the next four years, we're going to talk a lot more about public education."

Diwa Marcelino of Migrante Manitoba spoke at the Manitoba Legislature, calling for other unions to support migrant workers' rights. (Austin Grabish/CBC)

At a news conference Monday, Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister called Bedford's comments "disrespectful" and partisan, and said education is his party's top priority.

"Our commitment is to invest record amounts, which we've already been doing, in the next four years to improve the quality of education so our children can find their potential," he said. "My dedication to the public school system in this province is second to none."

The march concluded at the Manitoba Legislature.

Diwa Marcelino of Migrante Manitoba, one of the speakers who addressed the crowd, called for support for migrant workers in the province.

"Right now, our friends and coworkers are hearing that migrants are responsible for low wages and cuts to services, rather than the corporations who actually set wages," Marcelino said.

"We need to unite against racism and say, all workers deserve justice. Every worker must have decent work and fair labour protections, including the right to organize and unionize."