MAY DAY

 

Today is 1st of May, International Workers Day, the day of labour and solidarity. Dating back to the 1880s and born as a result of the worldwide struggle of workers for daily working hours, 1st of May is all the more important today as we come to well realize the importance of solidarity.

In the battle for equality, unions are key. We also extend our solidarity to all the May Day events taking place across the country.

May Day is a time for exchanging solidarity messages with those celebrating across the world and renewing that international friendship between workers.

May Day restates that workers across the globe face the same problems if the severity varies. Workers don’t want war, be it in Yemen or Ukraine, Sudan or Syria, or denial of democratic rights. In all those battles it is ordinary people who suffer the most. Arms manufacturers the least. The history of the labor movement is largely the history of human beings, living at the margins of mainstream society, uniting in solidarity, asserting their rights and fighting for a better, more fair world. It unfortunately remains true that racism, xenophobia and white supremacy redound to the benefit of those with economic and political power. From racist appeals to white supremacy that destroyed radical efforts during Reconstruction towards true multiracial democracy.

We are living a historic moment when we have to better understand the value of labour, and the importance in our lives of each and every worker ranging from health workers to store workers, bakers to delivery staff, farmers to pharmacists, barbers to waiters and waitresses, domestic workers to taxi drivers. This ordeal has also once again shown us the contribution both at home and work, by women fighting in the front lines against the pandemic.

Solidarity is indeed the expectation of everyone, be that a bread distributing worker walking through our street, or a bank teller sweating at desk for his/her labour’s worth, or a worker concerned with contracting the disease at work or being laid off.

We demand paid 10 sick days, 20-dollar minimum wage, pay all hours of work, access to EI, CPP and WSIB compensation, bring back all workers who was forced by the employer on LWOP for practicing their Canadian Charter of Rights.

We the workers are the recovery not the politicians who makes deal to stay in power. We must reject the parties who bribes the voters.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. STAND UP RISE UP UNITE FOR OUR FUTURE.

Let us Vote on June 2nd,2022 and make working class as ruling class.

We must elect a government who listens to the workers as workers are the builders of this country.

In Solidarity

 

Qaiser Maroof

CUPW Toronto Local

May 1st,2022

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