ITUC May Day Manifesto 2008
April 29, 2008
On this day, the 1st of May, millions of working
people across the world join together to celebrate the
achievements of more than a century of trade unionism. The high
principles of equality, justice, human dignity and peace which
have found expression through the trade union movement are just
as relevant today as they were when working men and women first
came together to fight for their rights at work. These
principles gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and ILO Convention 87 in 1948. But the fundamental
rights enshrined in these celebrated instruments are far from
reality for much of humanity.
For most of the world’s people, decent work is but a distant
dream. Millions of children are at work instead of school,
workers are deprived of their fundamental rights and subject to
exploitation by unscrupulous employers and repressive regimes,
and inequality is growing within and between countries as a
small minority accumulates incalculable wealth at the expense of
others.
Not for many decades have the failings of global governance by
“market solutions” been more apparent. Contagion continues to
spread through world financial markets, with working women and
men bearing the brunt of the unwillingness of governments to
face up to the need for financial regulation. 100 million
people more than last year do not have enough to eat as the
global food crisis grows by day, threatening the very fabric of
societies and fuelled by the legacy of decades of damaging
policies at the world level. Action on climate change, perhaps
the greatest test of human history, is feeble compared to the
magnitude of the challenge. And the United Nations MDGs, goals
which the global community set for itself, are far from being
reached.
The means to deal with all these challenges exist, but the
political will to resist the powerful interests that stand in
the way of progress is lacking. Trade unions everywhere are
confronting these interests, campaigning to put social concerns
and sustainable development at the centre, rather than the
margins, of policy. We demand a fundamental change to global
governance, putting decent work at the core of a new
globalisation and making the global institutions respond to the
real needs of people instead of following the erroneous policies
of the past.
On October 7 2008, the World Day for Decent Work, trade unions
across the world will join together to issue a global call for
rights at work. We will bring to the fore the great traditions
of solidarity which have been the mainstay of trade unionism
since its earliest days, and which are essential to solving the
problems which confront the world today. We will show how
decent work is central to ending poverty and ensuring equality
for all men and women, and demonstrate our abiding commitment to
solidarity with the marginalised and the dispossessed. We
remain steadfast in our quest for a better world and renew our
commitment to bring this about through united action of working
people from every corner of the planet.
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and
territories and has 311 national affiliates. Website:
http://www.ituc-csi.org
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department
on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018.
