The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) on the occasion of the International Workers Day – May 1st 2015 sends a warm militant salute to the international working class and the 90 million organized workers of the WFTU member-organizations in 126 countries of the world.
The International Workers Day is a day of memory and honor to the workers who sacrificed their lives for the rights of the working class, for the abolition of the exploitation of man by man. The struggles of the working class internationally, from the sacrifice of the workers in Chicago in 1886 up to our days, have proven that the working class is not only the creator of the social wealth but also the vanguard, able to lead and rally on its side other oppressed popular strata, in the struggle for the overthrow of capitalism.
The acute and major problems that make the life of the working class difficult continue to exist. The capitalist governments serving the orders of the Capital and the transnational corporations intensify and expand the anti-labor policies: Salary and pension cuts, flexible labor relations, privatizations, destruction of the social security schemes, elimination of trade union rights and liberties and state terrorism. Unemployment, continues to remain and open wound for the working class and continues to attack the rights of the workers. This is the recipe of the world capitalism for the “exit” from the capitalist crisis and the increase of the monopolies’ profit.
In international level the attack by employers and capitalist governments in the right to strike continues in every country but also at international level, within the International Labor Organization. The ILO pushes the issue to the international courts, controlled by the international bourgeoisie and imperialism. This cannot be accepted. The right to strike was not handed over to the workers, but gained by struggles and it can only be defended through the working class’ struggles.
The policies of the international monopoly groups and the competition amongst the imperialist forces has been intensified with disastrous results for the people of the world. The imperialist intervention and the revival of Nazism is to blame for the carnage in Ukraine with thousands of our colleagues as victims.In Syria the imperialist intervention continues. In Venezuela, the US government and the imperialist multinationals promote plans of intervention, destabilization and coup against the democratically elected government. The attacks against the unyielding Cuban people continue with the embargo still in force.
The position of WFTU remains stable and consistent that the workers and the peoples of the world must be the masters in their own countries and free to decide for the present and future of their country without imperialist interventions.
In front of this situation, the World Federation of Trade Unions calls the workers, the international class-oriented trade union movement to organize mass strikes, demonstrations, rallies for the 1st of May in every country of the world, celebrations that will honor the 129 years since the revolt of the workers in Chicago and will project their internationalism and demand contemporary rights for the working class in each country, better wages, labor and trade union rights and liberties, social security, policies to confront unemployment.
Working men and women, youth, unemployed, migrant workers,
The May Day 2015 must be a step forward for the international for the labour and trade union movement in each country, region and sector. We appeal to you to unite your voices with the class-oriented movement in each country, to unite your voices with the voice of the WFTU. With militancy and internationalism we can strengthen our struggle for better working relations, for better living conditions, for a society without exploitation, for a society where the needs of the working class and the people will come first.
Dear brothers, workers, unemployed, pensioners,
This year, in 2015, we celebrate the 70th anniversary since the foundation of the WFTU.Since its creation the WFTU became and continues to be the home, the family, the defender of each workers family.
This common home that we share, this family, let’s honor it by making it stronger everywhere. Let us make WFTU stronger, more militant, more class-oriented, more internationalist, more active, more efficient in every corner of the planet. By strengthening the trade union Organizations in every sector, in all regions, by organizing new members in the trade unions, by building new trade union cadres and more workers leaders, we will move forward.
WITH DETERMINATION – WITH INTERNATIONALISM – WITH STRUGGLES
THE SECRETARIAT