MAY DAY APPLEAL BY THE GCTU COUNCIL
The Council of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, gathered for a regular session in Moscow 11 April 2014, calls on the GCTU affiliates, and on all working people in the New Independent States to mark the upcoming May 1 as a Day of International Workers' Solidarity on a broad scale.
Millions of organised workers throughout the world will take to the streets on this day under trade union banners to jointly reaffirm their right to decent work and a decent life in the conditions of social justice.
This year’s May Day will be observed in a world dominated by massive unemployment, especially among young people, with unacceptably low rates of work remuneration, delayed wages, growing poverty of working people and retirees, and a widening gap in the incomes of different population groups. The burden of taxes and charges becomes ever heavier, discrimination against women continues, and the problems of labour migration are increasingly grave. The ruling circles and transnational corporations keep entertaining the idea of removing the consequences of the global economic crisis through infringement of workers’ basic interests.
Any opposition from trade is often met with further tightening of labour legislation, blatant disregard of international labour standards, and attempts to impose atypical or precarious employment on society, bypassing the unions and thus undermining the foundations of the trade union movement.
The GCTU affiliates, like all trade unions around the world, are waging incessant struggles against these policies - within the framework of tripartite dialogue in their respective countries, and by means of organising various campaigns and protest actions. However, their efforts are not always successful, which calls for new mobilisation, and stronger solidarity and unity at national, regional and global levels.
In this context, with May Day at the threshold, the GCTU Council wishes success to all trade unions of the region in their efforts to protect the rights and interests of their members, improve the mechanisms of social dialogue, and secure social justice, and calls on the affiliates to mark this day with mass actions in support of their struggles. Their participants may put forward whatever demands they find most relevant to their particular country or industry, however, the Council proposes that the upcoming demonstrations, marches, rallies, pickets, meetings should extensively use the common slogan of:
- "Decent Work, Decent Life, Social Justice!”
- Long live the international solidarity of workers and trade unions!
- Long live May Day!