World Federation of Trade Unions
October 3rd 2021: International Action Day of the World Federation of Trade Unions under the slogan: DIGNIFIED LIFE for workers and the Peoples around the world! On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the founding of WFTU, on October 3, 1945, for one more year we honor its history and militant course by promoting the following demands: DIGNIFIED LIFE today means: – Public and free healthcare for all As the pandemic has proven, when health and medical care are considered to be a cost by states and governments, it is workers who face the tragic consequences of the undermining of public health. The WFTU members since the first moment of the Pandemic dynamically claimed public and free healthcare, safe and free vaccines for all. During the recent WFTU Symposium on Vaccines and Medicines, all the trade unionists who took part argued loud and clear that health, medicines and vaccines cannot be commodities, that they should be social goods, and subsequently that patents on medicines should be completely abolished. A relevant resolution with the decision of the Symposium was sent to all the International Organizations. – Improvement of the living standards of workers and pensioners Nowadays, the enormous wealth that is produced is enough to cover all the contemporary needs of all workers and Peoples on earth. However, the contradictions between the workers and the few powerful ones increased with the outbreak of the new economic capitalist crisis. Under the pretext of the pandemic, the governments passed new anti-labor measures attacking salaries, pensions, working conditions of workers. Poverty, extreme poverty and unemployment are on the rise. High prices in fuel, heating and basic goods will deteriorate the situation of all workers and their families. We demand immediate improvement of the living standards of workers and pensioners by increasing salaries and pensions, with Collective Agreements that ensure dignified working conditions, with social security for all. – Trade union and democratic freedoms Over the last time period, trade union freedoms and democratic rights have been limited around the world, so that the Peoples accept the failure of the capitalist states to manage the pandemic; so that they do not react to the new anti-people measures and they do not organize their struggle against their acute problems. The repression against workers’ and popular protests in Latin America, Europe, Asia, etc; terrorism, violence by the forces of repression under the pretext of measures to contain the pandemic; new measures to limit the right to strike, to monitor and control the unions; the persecution of trade unionists; all the aforementioned must not lower the morale of workers. As history has repeatedly shown, workers and the Peoples have the power to overthrow their oppressors, they are the ones who have the last word when they struggle and put forward their demands in an organized and decisive manner. – Eradication of racism and discriminations The WFTU calls upon all workers to struggle together regardless of race, nationality, language and religion for their common interests; to strengthen the joint struggle against racism and xenophobia, against imperialist interventions that create flows of refugees and migrants, for dignified living conditions for refugees and migrants, for the end of imperialist wars and exploitation of local and foreign workers. –Protection of the environment The position of the class-oriented trade union movement for adequate measures to protect the environment and workers against fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, etc., is firm. The lack of these measures is diachronic and responsible for the great disasters in the environment and for the victims who mourn the Peoples after every natural disaster or extreme weather events. The…
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October 3rd 2021: WFTU International Action Day under the slogan: DIGNIFIED LIFE for workers and the Peoples around the world!