On the occasion of the International Workers’ Day 2022, the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) points out:
“Long live the 18th World Trade Union Congress!
The World Trade Union Federation, on the occasion of May Day 2022, salutes workers on all continents – all those whose work continues to drive the gears of life even in difficult conditions and who continue to produce all essential goods.
The migrant workers in Chicago, who fought and sacrificed their lives in May 1886 for the establishment of the 8-hour day, paved the way for the international working class to continue to demand its rights.
The international class-oriented labor movement, through the ranks of the WFTU, honors the legacy of their struggle and continues under all circumstances, despite the difficulties, to fight for the fulfillment of the contemporary needs of workers and the abolition of exploitation, for the emancipation of the working class and its liberation from the capitalist barbarity.
In front of the 18th Congress
May Day 2022 coincides with the 18th World Trade Union Congress to be held in Rome on 6, 7 and 8 May 2022.
On May Day 2022, this important day for the international working class, trade union militants from all corners of the world will get ready to depart for Rome to take part in the most important event of our class: the 18th World Trade Union Congress, to unite their forces against capitalist barbarity and against imperialism.
The WFTU is proud of its members and friends all over the world.
In the past period, there was no corner of the globe that has not been marked by the working class action, with the WFTU members to be at the forefront of the struggle, whether on the pandemic fronts or in social and class struggles. This experience will guide our collective discussions and resolutions during our Congress.
In the current conditions of the deep economic crisis of capitalism and the intense competition between the various imperialist centers for the control of the new markets, our most powerful weapons are INTERNATIONALISM and SOLIDARITY. We stand with the heroic People of Cuba, the Palestinian people, we express our solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine and we call for the end of war. Every people has the right to decide freely and democratically on its present and future, without any imperialist interference. We condemn NATO’s intervention which has also lit the fire of war in Ukraine. We call for the dismantling of NATO, which in the last 25 years has launched two wars in Europe: in Yugoslavia in 1999 and now in Ukraine, just as it did with the wars in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today, while technology and scientific progress have helped to increase the social wealth produced, the living conditions of our class have deteriorated. In every capitalist country, the bosses are attacking our class achievements: they are sweeping away wages, pensions and social security, they privatize everything, they don’t hesitate to attack even the sacred right to strike! The strike is the most powerful weapon we have in our hands and we will not allow anyone to limit it, marginalize it or turn it into a dead letter!
In the face of this situation, the World Trade Union Federation calls on workers, the international class-oriented trade union movement to organize mass strikes, demonstrations, rallies on May Day in every country of the world, actions that will commemorate the workers’ uprising in Chicago, to project their internationalism and will demand contemporary rights for the working class in every country, to project the 18th World Trade Union Congress.
Working men and women, young people, unemployed, migrant workers, refugees,
May Day 2022 should be a step forward for the international labor and trade union movement in every country, region and sector. We call on you to join your voices with the class-oriented movement in every country, to join your voices with the voice of the WFTU. With militancy and internationalism we can strengthen our struggle for better labor relations, for better living conditions, for a society without exploitation, for a society where the needs of the working class and the people come first.
The World Federation of Trade Unions calls on its members, its friends, workers all over the world, to raise the flag of the historic struggles of the peoples and to organize the May Day strike once again, as it should be celebrated by the world working class.
Dear comrades,
The WFTU is taking another step forward, organizing its 18th World Trade Union Congress, a Congress that concerns every honest militant, in every corner of the planet.
We invite you to participate massively in its preparation, in its propaganda, but above all in spreading its decisions.
We unite all the militant forces of the World Trade Union Movement for a better world.
Next stop Rome: 6-8 May 2022, 18th World Trade Union Congress.
The WFTU Secretariat
wftucentral.org
Source: In Defense of Communism