News

May Day Message from SOLIDAR Secretary General

Dear friends,

The 1^st of May is an opportunity to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. But it is also a day to take stock of what still needs to be done. This year in particular, in the face of the dire social consequences of the crisis, efforts need to be doubled to counteract job losses as well as social spending cuts.

That is why yesterday, SOLIDAR launched a Declaration 'Together for Social Europe' proposing concrete actions in 6 areas to the European institutions based on the experiences of social workers working on a daily basis with poor and vulnerable people in Europe, the people who are hit hardest by the crisis.

And next week, at the European Employment Summit in Prague, representatives from the EU and social partners will discuss how to deal with the consequences of the crisis on employment.

So, we need to seize the opportunity of the 1st May to go out and stand together in solidarity to show our governments that despite the crisis, people still need to come first, that spending in social infrastructures need to be maintained and that equal pay for equal work and decent working conditions still have to be fought for and achieved for everyone.

We need to demand that governments not only focus on maintaining and creating jobs, but also on social cohesion. For this, European institutions need to promote active inclusion policies throughout Europe.

But jobs and social cohesion are not only vital in Europe, but also in the rest of the world.We see our partner organisations fighting hard to create the first legal union to protect workers' rights, like the CTUWS in Egypt, or standing up for better working conditions for Arab andJewish workers in Israel, like WAC.

And it is by acting together, that we are a force for change!