Three Types of Attacks on the Global Working Class

The spirit within May Day's history has become more ambiguous today. The spirit of those who gave their lives in Chicago in 1886 for an eight-hour workday now stands before the threats of wars, inflation, and precarious employment. Globally, the concentration of capital has reached its highest stage. Finance capital, tech giants, and military-industrial complexes are directly dictating policies.

War between states – the people bear the economic burden:

Israel's military actions, backed by the US in West Asia, are not only devastating a specific region but also disrupting global supply chains. According to an International Labor Organization report, the threat of an attack on Iran had driven crude oil prices up by 32 percent by April 2025. The direct impact falls on the pockets of workers in every country, from India to Brazil. According to World Bank data, military expenditures reached $2.44 trillion in 2023-24 – an amount that rivals global education and health budgets combined. The burden of this war falls on poor workers and ordinary people.

Global inflation and the decline of real wages:

In 2024-25, real wages in the world's major economies declined by an average of 3.7 percent (ILO Global Wage Report 2025). Energy prices in Europe have risen by 150 percent. In Latin America, mine workers are struggling as market monopolies double the prices of basic goods. In Southeast Asian garment factories, wages have effectively decreased in local currency due to a strengthening dollar. In response, over 5,000 labor protests occurred worldwide in 2024 – a record for the last decade. Unemployment has now entered industrial, commercial, trade, and all other sectors offering jobs and employment, including computer and software fields, due to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Millions are losing their livelihoods.

A final call:

The burden of economic crisis is always imposed on workers and ordinary people. The alternative to this system – which privatizes profits and socializes losses – is peaceful internationalism. Showing solidarity with workers raising their voices against war, from Palestine to Iran, is the true May Day tribute.