The World Federation of Trade Unions follows the developments about the situation of workers of Arab countries, which is being deteriorated due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Except for the consequences on their health, the workers are called to pay the price for the consequences that the Pandemic and the lockdowns have brought upon to the economies of their countries.

In Algeria, Air Algeria plans to reduce the salaries of its employees. In Jordan, the government reduced the salaries of 100.000 workers on the occasion of the Pandemic. In Qatar, Air Qatar has announced to the workers the intention to lay off a big part of them. In Tunisia, many job positions have been suspended with the workers with short-term contracts being the first victims of unemployment. In Lebanon, the COCA COLA factory will close down until the end of May. In all Arab countries poverty, unemployment and insecurity are on the rise.

Under these circumstances, the WFTU calls upon the workers to struggle inside and outside the workplaces, for the protection of their Health, for the immediate covering of all shortages in staff and infrastructure of the Public Health System. For the preservation of job positions; no worker must lose his/her job. Against the cuts in their salaries and rights.

The big business groups, the monopolies, the airlines, the big hotel owners, do not have other interest than the continuation of their profitability. While they had turnovers of trillions, now they are threatening with lay-offs, salary cuts or even closure, because they saw their profit margins being decreased. But their profits come from the work of their employees, who work under harsh exploitation.

In their largest part, the governments’ budgets are based on the taxation of workers and the People, so governments have the responsibility to immediately equip the Public Hospitals with all the necessary supplies for the struggle against the Coronavirus and take measures of support for the unemployed, the workers and the People in general.

We call on workers of the Arab countries to strengthen the participation in their trade-unions, to enhance their struggle for the protection of their health, their work, with improvement of their working conditions. The workers and popular strata must not pay for the crisis!

#International #CapitalismAndEconomy #Labor #OppressedNationalities #MiddleEast #Healthcare #PeoplesStruggles #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #COVID19

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 95 million workers of the five continents as well as the world class-oriented labor movement, strongly rejects the attempted coup d’état against the legitimate government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

This interference, orchestrated by the US government, NATO and the EU and executed by the representatives of the transnationals and monopolies in the country, constitutes a flagrant violation of the most elementary rules of international law and of the Venezuela’s sovereignty. For the WFTU, it is an inalienable right of each people to decide for themselves, without outside interventions, on their present and future.

At the same time, the WFTU reaffirms, as it has already done on several occasions, its solidarity with the Venezuelan people, with the working class and our affiliated organizations in the country in front of this imperialist threat. In addition, we call on the Venezuelan people to reject the maneuvers of the imperialists and their lackeys in the region, to condemn the plans of the murderers of the peoples. We will continue to support the Venezuelan working class, for the deepening of the Bolivarian process, until the abolition of man by man exploitation, towards a new world, without wars and imperialist barbarism. This is the only way forward to repel the plans of the imperialists.

Long live internationalist solidarity!

#Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU #Americas

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Aug. 5 statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

The World Federation of Trade Unions condemns the assassination attempt against Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro that took place in Caracas, Venezuela during his public speech at a military event.

The class oriented international trade union movement is on the side of the popular strata of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and, once again, clearly states that the only competent to determine the future of the country is its own people. The World Federation of Trade Unions, as the only trade union International that fights against imperialism and capitalist exploitation, will continue to show its active solidarity with the Venezuelan working class.

We call on the Venezuelan people to be vigilant in the face of events and to fight for the deepening of their social achievements, until the dawn of a new world, without the exploitation of man by man.

#athens #Venezuela #Assassination #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #Americas

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 92 million members in 126 countries around the world, reiterates its internationalist solidarity with workers in France who will strike on 19 April.

In an international context where capitalists, multinationals and European bourgeoisies attack labor rights, promote anti-worker policies, reduce pensions and wages, dismantle social gains and union rights, European workers must organize their own counter attack. Today, it is more than ever necessary for workers to coordinate their struggles globally, under the values of internationalism and class solidarity.

At the same time, workers around the world must be well aware that the same political forces – like the Macron government – that are eliminating their labor rights are the same forces that bombed Syria a few days ago; they are the same imperialists who contribute to NATO and EU interventions and who, by assassinating peoples, maximize their profits. So, our answer must be the anti-imperialist struggle.

In this context, the WFTU expresses its solidarity and it guarantees the workers of France that will continue to firmly support their just claims.

Long live internationalist solidarity!

The Secretariat

#France #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in the name of its more than 92 million affiliates all over the world salutes, on the occasion of this great day, all the workers who live, work and struggle in every corner of the world. May Day was, is and will be a beacon for the struggles of yesterday and tomorrow despite our enemies’ efforts. May Day has to be a message of resistance against bourgeoisie, imperialists and their international alliances’ policies.

At the same time, the workers’ blood which was shed in Chicago on 1886 reminds us of our duty today; it reminds us that nothing is given for free; every right or freedom that was conquered by our class has been won through sacrifices, conflicts and organized struggles.

Today, whilst technology and scientific progress have contributed to the increase of the produced social wealth, our class’ living conditions have been deteriorating. In every capitalist country, the bosses attack our class achievements: they are sweeping through salaries, pensions and social security; they are privatizing everything, they don’t hesitate to attack even the sacred right to strike! Strike is the most powerful weapon we have in our hands and we are not going to allow anyone to limit, confine or convert it to a dead letter!

At the same time, they are intensively preparing and conducting regional wars. They pave the way for new massacres that will maximize their profits, for new imperialist interventions that will destroy nations, spill peoples’ blood and deprive them of their natural resources. The ongoing imperialist intervention in Libya and Syria, the growing aggression against Venezuela, the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the massacre of Saudi Arabia against Yemen, the tension on the Korean peninsula, they are all indications that multinationals have smelled new profitability areas; and every time this goes through the dead bodies of workers.

Under the current conditions of the deep economic crisis of capitalism and intense competition among various imperialist centers to control new markets, our most powerful weapons are INTERNATIONALISM and SOLIDARITY. No worker must feel alone. All together, we must move on with Solidarity and Internationalism, building the Unity of the working class to give practical effect to Karl Marx’s motto “proletarians of all countries unite”.

In this context, and on this anniversary, the WFTU expresses its solidarity with our persecuted brothers, the immigrants and refugees, who either because of imperialists’ bullets or because of poverty and misery generated by this system, are forced to leave their homeland. The WFTU will continue to be on their side, fighting for a world without exploitation and refugees. Immigrants must become an integral part of unions, unite with local workers and fight together for wages, rights, against wars and interventions.

We join our voice with the heroic Palestinian people in order to gain their own independent and democratic homeland.

At the same time, we stand by the side of the struggling female worker, the one who suffers from double exploitation. The WFTU female members, at the recent World Women’s Congress in Panama, declared loud and clear that they want equal rights to work, society and life. The WFTU also fights and will continue to fight for this equality. It’s the same orientation that we follow for the the youngsters, as the new generation of workers have the task to honor the best May Day struggle traditions.

This year, the WFTU, by giving its hand to anyone who has stood up, has announced the year of trade union education and training. Our purpose is that the new shifts of workers be insubordinate, militant, enemies of class compromise and collaboration. We honor the year of trade union training and we call on every union to contribute to the militant truth, revealing the true meaning of May Day and the sacrifices the working class made for it. By rescuing the past, the very memory of our movement, we leave a legacy for tomorrow’s struggles and we also have a tool for the future. It is a duty to know the history of our movement.

The WFTU takes steps forward, strengthens and grows: and that’s what frightens our opponents. There is no other way than to make it present everywhere, in every corner of the world, so that there is no longer a hungry, dismissed, hunted or persecuted worker. The WFTU must be a “trench” of struggle for a future without exploitation of man by man. This is how the vision of the first Secretary General of the WFTU, Luis Saillant, envisioned in 1945 will be brought to life: “The WFTU for the workers of the whole world!”

LONG LIVE MAY DAY! The Secretariat

#UnitedStates #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

Panama City, Panama – The World Working Women’s Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions was held in Panama City March 8 through 10. Militant women trade union leaders from around the world gathered under the slogan, “We fight for equal rights at work, in society and in life.”

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international union federation with more than 92 million members that is based on class struggle unionism, union democracy, internationalism and anti-imperialism. The third World Working Women’s Congress was hosted by the National Coordinator of Panamanian Workers (CNTP). Delegates from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and the U.S. attended.

The congress included presentations by union leaders from many countries in the Americas and around the world about the struggles faced by women workers in their countries, including the fight to improve working conditions and wages, equal pay for equal work, for maternity and family leave expansion, and for an end to sexual harassment and assault.

U.S. trade union leader Cherrene Horazuk told congress participants, “The situation might appear grim in the U.S. But it is not, because each attack by the capitalists and their cronies in office are being met with resistance. And women are leading the way.”

Horazuk also stated, “As trade unionists from the U.S., our delegation recognizes the important role that we must play in the fight against U.S. imperialist aggression. Our enemies who are carrying out the neoliberal agenda and waging wars against the peoples of this world know no borders, and therefore our solidarity knows no borders. We know that our interests as U.S. workers lies not with U.S. business interests or U.S. government interests, but our interests are tied to the interests of workers around the world. We stand in solidarity with all of you in the fight for an end to the exploitation of the working class.”

The Panamanian Labor Minister hosted the delegates at a special screening with the director of an award-winning documentary about the life of the great Panamanian woman militant Marta Matamoros, WFTU vice president, who dedicated her life in the struggle for the rights of the working women.

The congress delegates voted to pass a general declaration and action plan and elected new leadership until the next congress. The action plan includes coordinated mobilizations for International Working Women's Day (March 8) and other key dates each year; to advocate for UN ratification of resolutions regarding women's unpaid work, the rights of migrant women workers, education of girl children, and women's reproductive health. The congress also called for the creation of an Asian Union of Textile and Garment workers, and for the strengthening of regional and sectoral educational programs for women.

Grace Khanye Mathelepo of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Arica was elected chair of the WFTU Working Women's Committee. She is joined on the new leadership body by union leaders from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, Peru, U.S., India, Australia, Senegal, Palestine, Austria, France, Greece and Spain.

#PanamaCityPanama #PanamaCity #WomensMovement #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

México City, México – On March 5 the World Federation of Teachers Unions (FISE) successfully concluded its 18th Congress in México City. Militant teachers and education workers from around the world gathered to strategize how to resist regressive ‘education reform’ proposals that capitalist governments are pushing forward in country after country to corporatize and privatize public education.

FISE is the education sector federation of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), an international union federation with more than 92 million members worldwide that is based on class struggle unionism, union democracy, internationalism and anti-imperialism. The 18th FISE Congress was hosted by the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE), the militant Mexican teachers’ union that has led bold strikes in defense of public education. Throughout the congress, CNTE leaders from Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacan and many other parts of Mexico shared their inspiring experiences of militant mass mobilization and strikes to defend public education.

The second day of the FISE Congress included presentations by union leaders from many countries in the Americas and around the world about the struggle to defend public education in their countries. Presentations were followed by approval of several resolutions. One resolution condemned the U.S. government’s denial of WFTU General Secretary George Mavrikos’ entry into the U.S. to speak at a labor conference in Los Angeles. Other resolutions were passed in support of the statewide teachers’ strike in West Virginia, and in support of the teachers’ struggle in Puerto Rico against the privatization of public education in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

After the resolutions, the congress delegates voted to pass a general declaration and action plan, and elected FISE’s new leadership until the next congress. The new FISE leadership body includes union leaders from Lebanon, México, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Senegal, Greece, Tunisia, U.S., Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Panama, Niger, Basque Country, Chile, Morocco, El Salvador and Cuba.

#MexicoCityMexico #MexicoCity #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU #TeachersUnions #FISE #WorldFederationOfTeachersUnions

Since its foundation, on 3 of October 1945 until today, the WFTU has always stood on the side of women and female workers all around the globe. The big trade union family of the WFTU, since the very start of its long journey full of struggles and sacrifices, has included in its founding principles the fight for the equality between men and women as an integral part of the anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist fight.

This way and on this occasion of the International Women’s Day, 161 years after the 8 March women’s uprising in New York, the WFTU keeps honoring this very symbolic date in memory of all female militants who fought for a world of social and gender equality, a world with no exploitation, imperialist wars and poverty. This year, the WFTU chose to pay tribute to every woman in the struggle in every corner of the world, by celebrating its World Working Women Congress in Panama City, Panama, on 8,9 and 10 March. This Congress proves that the demands which were once written on the first banners and communications of the WFTU for women equality, for equal pay for equal work, for pregnancy and childbirth leave, for respect for the women personality are still a necessity of our times.

At the same time, the WFTU and its affiliated trade unions have been the first ones to appoint female cadres to important positions within the life and activity of Trade Unions, with a substantial and not a decorative role. The WFTU was the first to call upon women and men for joint class-oriented struggles against capitalist exploitation and the aggression of monopolies and of cartels.

We are proud of our history and we continue this legacy. The slogan of the World Working Women Congress is clear: “we fight for the equality of rights at work, in society and in life”, especially in a time when capitalist forces attack the women’s rights and try to turn again workers into modern slaves of the 21st century. That’s why the WFTU underlines that the only way out are the joint struggles for a new society, for the emancipation of women from the capitalist slavery!

Also today, under the conditions of an acute capitalist crisis, we call upon every working woman to join the ranks of the WFTU, to stand up against capitalist barbarity on the side of the class-oriented trade union movement. Furthermore, we reaffirm our solidarity with every woman persecuted for her militant activity; We struggle for the liberation of the Palestinian youngster Ahed Tamimi, for our women colleagues who suffer the anti-union terrorist action of the fascist groups in Colombia, for the women rural workers in India, for every militant who dares to stand up and fight against imperialism in every corner of the world.

This way, we call on all the WFTU national affiliates and friends to honor this special date and we salute every working woman who keeps fighting for her life and contemporary rights.

Long live the International Women’s Day!

The Secretariat

#US #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #WorkersAndGlobalization #InternationalWomensDay #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU #WomensDay

As World Federation of Trade Unions, we denounce the government of the USA which has denied granting to the WFTU General Secretary George Mavrikos an entry visa to the US.

The WFTU General Secretary has scheduled a visit to the USA for March 2018 to attend an event of the United Nations in New York, where he is a permanent representative of the WFTU, and to participate as main speaker in the annual trade union meeting of Trade Union Organizations members and friends of WFTU that will take place the same month in Los Angeles, USA.

We followed the procedure of ESTA but unfortunately the persistent answer from the competent USA state authorities was negative.

This position of the US Department of State is antidemocratic and aims at preventing the free trade union action and the strengthening of the militant trade union movement of the workers in the USA. At the same time, it is a deliberated discrimination against the WFTU and against its right to fulfill its role within the United Nations, a role that has possessed since 1945. The USA governments do not like the consistent anti-imperialist, anti-monopolist line of the WFTU, and they think that through antidemocratic prohibitions they will stop our internationalist action in favor of the peoples who struggle to decide on their own, in a free and democratic way, about their present and future. But they will never manage this, no matter how many anti-democratic, racist discriminations they make against the international militant trade union movement.

We also addressed the embassy of the USA in Athens without receiving a positive answer.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece was also informed, but the coalition government of SYRIZA and of far-rightist ANEL neither wants nor is able to assure the right of free movement of the citizens of Greece to the USA.

At the same time, trade union organizations in the USA sent a letter of protest to the US Secretary of State, Mr. Tillerson, but until today no solution has been found.

The answer of the USA competent authorities to all these legal actions we proceeded to so as to issue a visa, was that we should apply to be exempted from the “Terrorist Travel” System.

These actions are provocative and unacceptable. The WFTU is a massive, class oriented, international Trade Union Organization with 92 million members in 126 countries all over the world. Since its foundation, in October 1945 until today, its history is public and well known. It has never been servile towards imperialists or multinationals. Nor now will it sell its history.

At the same time, the prohibition of entry of the WFTU General Secretary into the USA points out one more question. How is possible for International Organizations to operate in the USA, since their government randomly sets out antidemocratic rules and arbitrary restrictions about visa issuing. We are awaiting with interest the position of the competent services of the United Nations on this subject, since the USA prohibit the entrance of the WFTU legal representative into the country where the United Nations Headquarters are located.

On the basis of this situation we ask a legal visa to be granted to the General Secretary of the WFTU and all these discriminations against WFTU cadres to stop.

We assure the workers of the USA that irrespectively of any difficulties and obstacles, the WFTU will stand by their side in their fair struggles. Internationalism and solidarity are the unbeatable weapons of workers and peoples.

THE SECRETARIAT

#UnitedStates #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

Greetings comrades, from the militant workers of the United States. I want to thank the World Federation of Trade Unions and the USB for hosting this Congress and inviting me to be here.

My name is Richard Blake. I am a warehouse worker in my home state of Florida and an elected shop steward in my union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Like much of the rest of the world, the war on U.S. workers by the employers has not ceased for a moment since the 2008 financial crisis. Workers, and especially the working youth, are experiencing falling wages, worsening conditions and declining benefits. Young workers are looking at a future with failing old-age pensions and jobs with no protections whatsoever. Many have debts from school or medical bills that they will never pay back.

And now, our new president, Donald Trump, launches new attacks on the rights of unions to organize and even exist. He threatens to privatize Social Security and eliminate welfare rights. On top of that, President Trump’s government works day and night to divide our working class by appealing to the chauvinism of white workers.

More than ever, the U.S. working class needs a united and militant response to these attacks.

Unfortunately, the majority of our union leaders have chosen collaboration with the bosses over struggle. These class traitors make huge salaries while our unions lose members every year. Workers in our unions, including young workers, are realizing more and more that our union leaders are not capable of defending the interests of our class, the working class.

Therefore, it is up to us, the militant and revolutionary trade unionists of the U.S. to take this dissatisfaction and turn it into power within our unions to turn them into internationalist, class struggle organizations.

This struggle is more important than ever as our government passes law after law criminalizing trade union activity. As our bourgeoisie takes more from us every year and with every new contract. As our capitalists work to privatize all government services and Social Security. As our government threatens the entire world with war.

To put our unions on a class struggle basis would mean:

• A willingness to fight concessions by using our most powerful weapon, the strike, instead of accepting defeats like our leaders currently do.
• Solidarity with the movement for political rights of African Americans, Latinos and immigrants. Young workers currently suffer the worst from daily police killings where there are never any punishments for these killer cops.
• Internationalism and solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggle around the world. Just as many brave dockworkers refused to load military equipment for the criminal invasion of Iraq in 2003, we must refuse to aid any U.S. imperialist endeavor and instead actively work to stop them. As Che Guevara once said, militants in the U.S. live in the belly of the best so we have a special duty to do this.
• And finally, class struggle unions in the U.S. would join the WFTU.

This is a difficult task, but we are gaining strength continuously.

For example, in my union, a transport union of 1.4 million workers, class conscious unionists came within 6 thousand votes of winning national leadership. And in local unions where we have taken power, we strike and we win.

So this is the situation in the U.S.:

• A right-wing Trump government that gives every gift to the capitalists that they ask for.
• A fascist movement trying to attract white youth to its banner.
• A working class who wants to fight the bosses and a trade union bureaucracy that refuses to lead them.

But we believe that with struggle, the full force of our working class can turn to fight its real enemy, the enemy of all working people: the U.S. imperialist class.

And it is on behalf of the revolutionary trade unionist youth in the U.S. that I tell you that we are honored and excited to continue working with the WFTU and this Youth Congress. We look to your example in our ongoing fight against our capitalist class and against yellow trade unionism.

And it is the working youth, who are receiving fewer and fewer crumbs from the capitalist syste , who must be the center of our struggle against the imperialist class and for an end to exploitation of man by man.

Long Live the WFTU! Long Live the International Working Youth!

Death to Imperialism!

Thank you.

#RomeItaly #Rome #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

Rome, Italy – The third World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) World Working Youth Congress opened here, Nov. 2. Delegates from Italy, Vietnam, Brazil, Denmark, Mexico and many other countries exchanged experiences on organizing young workers to fight for their rights and building class-struggle trade unionism.

Among the speakers was a young Florida Teamster, Richard Blake, who was well received by the delegates.

#RomeItaly #Rome #Teamsters #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU

The World Federation of Trade Unions on the occas