Tens of thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations across the German capital on Labor Day.

Hopes of a repeat of 2022, when there were minimal arrests and violence in Germany, were given a boost after police said the traditional Walpurgis Night celebrations that precede the Labour Day demos went off with only minor scuffles and some fireworks thrown.

"It's been a quiet night," a police spokesperson told broadcaster RBB on Monday morning.

There was a large police presence across demonstrations in Berlin on Monday, with an extra 6,300 police on duty to cover three major demonstrations.

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Near Berlin's famous Alexanderplatz the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) was holding its own rally.

This year the DGB is campaigning for a higher collective bargaining agreement. Their demand is that at least 80 percent of employees should work under collective bargaining conditions. 

The DGB said this is the only way to make work attractive and protect workers from poverty. Less than half of German employees are currently covered by collective agreements. The unions also support plans for mandatory training place allocations for workers.

This year the role of Germany's unions has been at the forefront of people's minds, especially if they have had to travel or are planning to travel around the country. Unions representing those working at airport security and check-in, as well as those employed in the railways, have had their members out on strike for improvements to pay and conditions.

Deadlines that were set for the end of April have now come and gone without agreement being reached and now German airports and railways are staring at the very real prospect of a summer vacation season beset by strike action.

May Day rallies also took place in the Kreuzberg district, including one held by the Left Party. The previously popular Kreuzberg 'MyFest' which attracts tens of thousands of visitors and has regularly boiled over into a bacchanalia of drink, drugs and demonstrations in the overcrowded streets in Kreuzberg, did not take place due to complaints by residents. Instead, left-wing groups marched through the villa district of Grunewald.

Later in the evening the 'Revolutionary May Day Demonstration' will march through Neukölln to Kreuzberg, passing the new police station at Kottbusser Tor. The police expect between 10,000 and 15,000 participants. Over the years this has been a flashpoint for violence between demonstrators and police.

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