United in Struggle

On May 1st United in Struggle celebrates workers fighting for economic justice and liberation. We remember the historic struggles of the workers movement: from early battles for the 8-hour work day; to the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike; to Operation Solidarity, the uprising of hundreds of thousands of BC workers in 1983 to fight back against a slate of repressive anti-worker legislation.

The chronic crises of capitalism have been thrown into sharp relief since the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are experiencing stagnant wages and a cost of living crisis. Despite the decline of the rate of inflation in early 2024, prices in key sectors of the economy such as food and housing remain high. The interest rate hikes of 2022 which reached 5% have not been reversed, leaving working-class people subject to crippling debt. Not only are wages low, we often face dangerous conditions at work because of the effort of the bosses to minimise costs and maximise profit. In 2023 there were almost 5 workplace deaths a day – not including deaths from occupational disease which are not counted towards this statistic. A worker and mother of two was killed earlier this year at a construction site near Cambie and W. 41st. These deaths are a direct result of profit being placed above workers’ lives.

The incompetent approach of the government towards addressing the economic issues of workers demonstrates where their interests align: with the corporate ruling elite. In a declassified report from the RCMP to the Prime Minister in 2023, one of their principal concerns was the potential of revolt once a whole generation of working people in Canada come to accept that they will never be able to afford to own a house. This exposes the response of the government to the crises faced by the working class – preparing to crush resistance. 

And yet, this May Day United in Struggle sees hope for the workers movement! The conditions of workers are met with advances in the labour movement. In addition to high profile landmark strike actions, strikes in 2023 were longer and more militant, with the average duration of work stoppage reaching almost 80 days. In April 120,000 federal workers walked off the job for 2 weeks demanding higher pay and the right to remote work. The strike of the ILWU in BC in July demonstrated the power of workers in key industries, grinding the flow of commodities to a halt and disrupting an estimated $10 billion in trade over the course of their 2-week action. In the fall the formidable Common Front of unions in Quebec mobilised hundreds of thousands of workers for weeks in response to the antagonistic CAQ government. 

New efforts have emerged across the country to unionise Amazon, the corporate giant notorious for union busting, including the ongoing attempts in BC by Unifor, and the recent file for certification by the Montreal Amazon Workers Union which would mark the first successful union drive at an Amazon facility in Canada. And for the first time in decades, union and non-union workers alike are fighting back en masse against the complicity of the Canadian ruling class with Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. 

Despite the advances, the horizon of the workers movement continues to be defensive, divided sectorally, fighting to maintain historic gains rather than advance the interests of workers as a class against those of the bosses and the business owners. This is why the steps working class militants are taking to bridge the divides imposed by the capitalists are so important. Across the country Workers Assemblies have launched to struggle for democracy in the workers movement, to unite and organise workers across industries, to build working class consciousness, and to unite the economic struggles of workers with a revolutionary political vision.

These are powerful and moving examples of the rejuvenation of the labour movement in defensive struggles against the assault of capital. We must take inspiration from these victories and use them to deepen and advance the struggle against our enemies: the Canadian ruling class who occupy a key place within the Anglo American Imperialist Alliance (AAIA). We must struggle to reconstitute the workers movement on the foundations of a revolutionary horizon, not just fighting for crumbs, but the whole pie. We must organise the unorganised, unionise new workplaces, launch new workers assemblies, and connect our economic struggles to a political vision for the working class.

We refuse to work ourselves to the bone to provide luxuries for the rich! We refuse dangerous work in unsafe conditions! We reject government impingement on our fundamental right to organise! We call on all workers to join the struggle! For our land and our labour, we unite in struggle towards liberation!

Long Live International Workers Day!

All Power to the Working Class!

United in Struggle Planning Committee

2024-05-01