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Dear brothers, dear sisters:

We are on the eve of the 1st of May, and we are as always, working for the dignity of the brothers and sisters whom we represent.

As we write these lines we look at the photos of the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza catastrophe in Bangladesh. 1138 workers killed, many others still missing, and 2100 workers with permanent disabilities. We fight against this devastating and greedy capitalism. Against companies like Walmart that wants to pay a miserable compensation to those who survived, and to the families of those who died making their $ 5 shirts and that refuses to sign an agreement to prevent further disasters.

Bangladesh is a cruel picture of the price of precarious work. But it is not alone. And not only in Asia but in our continent, where extreme exploitation, lack of hygiene and safety, and precarious work are commonplace.

This is why on the 1st of May we will beat the drums as always: for decent work, for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. For more and better democracy and against stale attempts seeking to gain in darkness what they cannot win at the polls.

From North to South in our homeland, on this 1st of May we will beat the drums for more inclusion. For strong, representative and powerful unions. For collective bargaining to support a true redistribution of wealth. For the full and complete respect for human rights. For memory, truth, and justice.

On this 1st of May we will beat our drums for more unity and organising. For more solidarity. For more equality.

In this 1st of May we remember each and every one of the martyrs, every fighter, each man and woman who give their lives for the construction of a more just society, our silent everyday heroes. We stand with the workers in Colombia, who firmly confront adversity, and despite everything, they form their unions and bargain collectively. We stand with the workers in Prosegur, who struggle and expect to be treated with respect. We stand with our brothers and sisters of Ripley, in Peru, who do not back down despite the efforts of the company to destroy their union.

We stand with Walmart workers who proudly insist on changing their working conditions, despite the multinational’s brutality. We stand with our brothers and sisters of Atento, Mexico, who demand the right to belong to a democratic union. We stand with the workers who suffer bullying at BBVA in Argentina. We stand in solidarity with workers of HSBC in Brazil, who are being unfairly stripped of their jobs. We stand with the workers of the finance sector in Trinidad and Tobago, who fight bravely to gain legal recognition of their unions, refused systematically and arbitrarily. We stand with our brothers and sisters in Guatemala, who confront heroically the constant attacks that seek the destruction of the union movement. We stand with the North American workers, who are persistently and systematically denied the right to organise.

And on this 1st of May we will be present in squares, parks, unions, and avenues saying today and always, long live those who fight!

In solidarity