The first of May is our day of celebration. It’s the day of celebration of the labour movement – and no one else’s.
But the first of May is also our day of combat. Because when it comes to social justice, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Nothing definitive has yet been gained from all our struggles. That’s why we need to celebrate on May Day, because that’s when we can showcase our pride in what we have achieved so far. But we must also remain vigilant, as well as active – because the (far) right is still on the rise and will not hesitate to turn back the social clock if it can.
Read my full statement below.
Proud of what we have achieved… knowing that there is still a lot to do
In many places around the world, the labour movement has been able to achieve some form of prosperity for working people. Much of the welfare state as we know it today is the result of our struggle: strong social security, solid public services, decent education for all, universal suffrage – and so on. All of these have been achieved by the labour movement. But in too many parts of the world, people can still barely dream of prosperity. Instead, hunger, thirst, overpopulation, war, etc. are what they have to contend with.
Clearly, wealth and welfare are poorly distributed. Over the past two years, the world’s richest 1% have amassed almost twice as much money as the other 99%. While Elon Musk has paid an actual tax rate of 3% for years, rice sellers in Uganda have handed over 40% of their hard-earned income. They earn barely € 70 a month, whereas Musk is worth 165 billion euro. Which just shows that the gulf between the rich and the poor only continues to grow.
As a labour movement, we can only have one answer to counter that disparity: international solidarity and action that somehow rectifies the skewed proportions of global wealth.
Our hard-won achievements are under attack
We often think that everything we have managed to achieve is acquired forever. However, nothing is forever!
Employers do everything they can to undermine what we have built. Across the world, bosses are on the offensive. They claim that wages are too high, social safety nets are too expensive to implement, the retirement age is too low, working hours too short and productivity too low – all endangering their “competitive position”.
All over the world and in every sector, we are faced with social dumping and a race-to-the-bottom in terms of wages and working conditions.
At the same time, there are major challenges facing the labour movement.
Digitalisation and automation are two of them. The digitalisation of the transport economy can rightly be called disruptive. Entire sectors have been stood on their head like never before by the “gig economy”. Uber, Deliveroo, Amazon and others have destabilised labour relations in areas such as the taxi industry and parcel delivery services, etc. It is up to us to reverse these developments in order to guarantee the rights of the employees who work in these sectors. Digitalisation must be social!
And then, of course, there is global warming. It is now clear that we are all facing the consequences of climate change, wherever we are in the world: drought, water shortages, forest fires, floods and other natural disasters… Action is needed. And while the transport sector may be part of the problem, is it also part of the solution. Appropriate measures need to be put in place – but without passing the bill on to the working people, as is usually the case. Sustainable innovation and fair transition should be our guiding principles. Cheap and efficient public transport is part of the solution.
They shall not pass!
The far right is gaining ground all over the world. Orban in Hungary, Erdogan in Turkey and Meloni in Italy are all examples of how the far right has become entrenched in the power structure of various European countries.
The same forces of the right are also attacking the labour movement. ITUC (The International Trade Union Confederation) recently published its “global rights index”. This index shines a light on the practices of governments and companies alike. 148 countries were monitored and assessed with regard to their respect for trade union rights: 78% of these countries violated the right to strike, 97% infringed the right to collective bargaining and, in 13 countries, union members were actually murdered!
The right to strike, the right to organise trade union action, freedom of the press, etc. are all human rights! It is our responsibility to defend these human rights. And if “they” attack one of us, they attack us all.
The storming of Congress in the US, led by Trump who lost the election. Bolsonaro, who brought Brazil to the brink of collapse. These are two examples of how democracy can be successfully secured again for the people through the appropriate reaction of progressive forces. Both of these populists were sent packing by the democratic will of the people.
It is up to us to find motivation in these events and draw strength from them so that we can defend democracy.
Make 1st May a day of combat!
