6 May, 2020The Coronavirus created a unique May Day; for the first time in 130 years, workers around the world were not be able to celebrate in the streets. So, we took the picket line online.
Even apart, we celebrated May Day together. In order to make workers’ voices heard, IndustriALL, together with LabourStart and global unions ITUC, PSI, UNI, ITF, IUF, BWI, EI, IFJ, organized a 12-hour May Day event online, spanning the globe.
#VirtualMayDay from LabourStart on Vimeo.
IndustriALL and our affiliates around the world marked the importance of May Day, and unions in several countries like France, Germany, Spain and Brazil organized virtual celebrations.
“During this crisis we need to stand together in solidarity and defend workers’ health and safety, as well as their jobs and wages,”
says Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary.
Union leaders from Turkish confederation DISK, who were about to march towards Istanbul's Taksim square to place a wreath to commemorate martyrs killed on May Day in 1977, were taken into custody on the grounds of being a threat to public security.
Although later released, Valter Sanches says:
"This is unacceptable and on this May Day, the workers’ day, IndustriALL stands in solidarity with those showing courage and determination to fight for workers' rights."