A network of labour union and student groups calls for the Transcontinental May Day 2017, to join the struggle for the interests of workers and wage earners and act together on the global level. Various activities in this context are also planned to take place in Hamburg.
While the social productivity is as high as never before, there are people around the world living under threatening conditions. Although the global production of food could provide everyone with more than needed, millions of people die of starvation every year. The access to food, water, education, housing are uncertain – also within Europe.
The ruling economic system is unable to satisfy the basic necessities. That’s not what it aims at, but to generate profits of the capital.
The increasing authoritarian and nationalist attitutes of many people in so called industrial nations are also a reactionary expression of the fear of soon belonging to the group of people that are economically outplaced and despised. Nationalism supports military conflicts worldwide, racism as well as antisemitism and promotes the competitive struggle among workers.
The social partnership practiced by the DGB (German Trade Union Federation) labour unions, which is aimed at not harming the „local industry“, intensifies the precarious conditions here and worldwide. It takes combative labour unions, demands for the reduction of working hours and increase in wages, solidarity with refugess as well as stronger networking of (labour) struggles on the transcontinental level. Such a practice can generate the conditions needed for our emancipation and against the wrong order – the struggle of each against everyone else. Fighting for better conditions wherever we are is an expression of transcontinental solidarity.
The demand of the initial May Day rally in the year 1886 for an eight-hour day is eroding also due to the social partnerships of trade unions. They go along with increasingly flexible working time models, working time accounts, contracts for work, fixed-term contracts, and temporary employment – as national partners of the employer side affirming the capitalist system.
In contrast we put the common transcontinental struggle for a good life for all.
We, as grassroot labour unions and wage-earners therefore call for an anticapitalist, antinationalist and DGB-critical block at this years general May Day rally in Hamburg. Beforehand we will support a CNT comrade who was recently suspended at Ford in Velencia and stand in solidarity with workers on Margarets‘ Hope tea plantation in Darjeeling (India) who are struggling for better working conditions.
For a combative and transcontinental labour union movement! Let’s get organized in districts, learning facilities and factories!
#1world1struggle
Free Workers Union (FAU) Hamburg
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Hamburg
