The World Federation of Trade Unions, on the behalf of its 97 million members in 130 countries of the 5 continents, greets the celebration of the International Workers’ Day 2019 with the slogan: “The wealth belongs to those who produce it!”
We greet workers throughout the globe, and their irreplaceable role in the production of all goods and services, necessary to cover all contemporary needs of the peoples internationally. We honor the history of the world working class, the great struggle of workers in Chicago in May 1886, who fought and achieved the establishment of the 8-hour working day, even by sacrificing their life.
The class oriented trade union movement, through the ranks of the World Federation of Trade Unions, firmly continues its struggles with demands for the essential improvement of the working and living conditions of workers and poor popular strata.
Nowadays, when 1% of the population possesses more than 80% of the produced wealth, while 4.5 billion people live in poverty and misery, workers must claim even more dynamically all the wealth we create, so as to put an end to the injustice and inequalities!
In countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, monopolies exploit their immense natural wealth, giving peanuts to the peoples. The rivalries among the powerful imperialist states maintain tensions, outbreaks of war and open wounds in countries where interventions, wars and bombings have taken place in the previous years, where crowds of uprooted peoples, of migrants and refugees, were created.
Even in the so-called developed countries, the attack against salaries and pensions, against historic achievements of workers, is taking place in the name of the capitalist economic crisis, for the support of the profitability of big businesses. Poverty, unemployment, insecurity are on the rise, healthcare services are deteriorated, the governments try to limit the action of the militant trade union movement with fierce repression, by putting obstacles to trade union actions, to the right to strike.
The World Federation of Trade Unions calls on its members, friends, workers of the world, to hoist the flag of historic struggles of the peoples and to organize May Day’s strike for one more year, in a way worthy of the day when the world working class celebrates.
For peace, for the end of foreign interventions in internal affairs of the countries. For the right of the peoples to decide on their own about their present and future.
For the end of racism, fascism, xenophobia, which is promoted by capitalist exploitation. For the unity of all workers. For the end of imperialist wars, waged for the interests of a minority who exploit the toil of workers and bathe the peoples in blood.
For the end of capitalist exploitation, for a society with true justice and equality, where the wealth will belong to those who produce it, to workers, who are the driving force of all progress and achievements of humanity.
Since the first moment of its foundation and for the 74 years of its course and action, the WFTU firmly by the side of the workers around the globe, on the occasion of May Day 2019 expresses once more its solidarity to the peoples of Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya.
We will steadily continue our struggles, aiming to make them stronger through new initiatives, activities and mobilizations! With internationalism and solidarity.
Let’s continue our efforts for the strengthening of the militant trade unions with many new members, with young people and women, with the enhancement of class characteristics and of the class unity of all workers.
By revealing the dirty role of reformists and of corrupted bureaucrats that turn trade unions into servants of the bourgeoisie.
We participate actively in the strike of May Day 2019!
Long live the International Workers’ Day!
The wealth belongs to those who produce it!
