Celebrations of Labour Day started on the eve of the holiday with traditional bonfires on hills around the country.

Goran Lukić of the ZSSS confederation of trade unions pointed to the need to get organised and act together to fight against the injustices faced by workers around the country.

Addressing an event on the top of Rožnik in Ljubljana, Lukić also said Labour Day was not just a right, but a responsibility towards those who gave their lives for labour rights.

Similar calls were heard at the traditional bonfire in Maribor, where Milan Utroša of the same union criticized the authorities for blindly advocating austerity.

He said they followed the dictate of international institutions from Europe and the US at the expense of workers.

While many people go to Labour Day celebrations, especially bonfires, not all would share the trade union's views.

A recent Delo poll has showed an ambivalence toward unions, as 54% of those polled said the unions played both a positive and negative role.

Moreover, a comparison with May 2012 showed that the share of people who view trade unions in a positive way has dropped from 42% to 15%.

While standing up for worker's rights is the essence of the holiday, many Slovenian citizens would take the opportunity of two work-free days for short holidays.