On the occasion of 1st May, Education International and the other Global Unions Federations issued a joint statement on behalf of all workers around the world, calling for fresh initiatives to reform the global economy.
The ten Global Union Federations, which represent workers from all sectors, condamn the dire state of the global economy now, brought about by the recklessness of banks and neo-liberal economists.
Workers around the world call on governments and inter-governmental agencies to put in place a new global paradigm of recovery and social justice, which defends the rights of all workers, promotes sustainable development, values effective public services and commits to the goal of Education For All.
"No thanks to the global economic and food crises, on this 1st May, workers around the world are more united than ever before in their resolute goal for sustainable, decent employment and people-centred global governance," said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.
EI wishes all educators around the world a happy May Day. Below is the full text of the Global Union Federations' statement.
Statement by the Global Union Federations
Jobs, Justice and Public Service – Getting the Economy to Work
Global Unions, the voice of the global labour movement, today issued the following statement to mark May 1st 2010:
On today of all days trade unionists around the world demand fresh steps to reform the global economy in favour of social justice, investment in jobs and fairness in society. This is no time for business as usual.
Neo-liberal economists and reckless financial dealings have created a crisis that has put millions of people out of work and forced many more into precarious employment to survive. Social safety nets are being torn apart. Public spending that provides for cohesive communities is being savagely cut.
With all of this in mind, Global Unions call on policymakers and democrats everywhere to support a new paradigm of recovery and social justice that will:
- Reassert in government at all levels the primacy of public interest over private gain and ensure that the protection of citizens’ rights is made a cornerstone of social and economic development;
- Defend the rights of workers and trade unions; Mobilise for the creation of sustainable, secure and good quality jobs for all workers, that allow workers and their families to live in dignity;
- Ensure that social justice is a central mission of government and take concrete measures to reduce income disparities and increase equality, in particular gender equality;
- Eliminate market abuse through short-term speculation and manipulation of financial markets by imposing binding and effective regulation;
- Promote sustainable development with job-centered policies, effective social protections and reversal of global warming and environmental degradation;
- Renew commitment to public service values in society and enhance the contribution of quality public services to fairer and more efficient societies and to finance these services through progressive systems of taxation that provide sufficient resources while improving social equity;
- Commit to education for all and provide resources needed to achieve the enrichment of society that comes from high quality education and training; Improve the quality of people’s lives by providing universal access to health care and other vital social welfare services, as well as such fundamental issues as clean water and adequate nutrition, and breathing new life into efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.
May Day 2010 is a moment to change course, to meet the aspirations of workers and communities for a new beginning, to put to flight self-serving politics and corporate greed, and, above all, to build a new solidarity in society in support of people-centered values that will enrich the lives of all.