{"id":19010,"date":"2025-07-04T07:35:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T07:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/india\/?p=19010"},"modified":"2025-07-10T10:35:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:35:58","slug":"labour-climate-and-solidarity-a-may-day-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/india\/en\/story\/19010\/labour-climate-and-solidarity-a-may-day-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour, Climate, and Solidarity: A May Day to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This May Day wasn\u2019t just about reflecting on the struggles of workers\u2014it was about shaping the future of labour and climate justice, together.<\/p>\n\n

On May 1st, 2025, something incredible happened. It wasn\u2019t just another May Day rally. No, this was history in the making<\/em>. A moment where workers\u2014gig and platform workers, rickshaw pullers, domestic workers, construction labourers, and waste pickers\u2014came together with one unified voice, to demand accountability from the biggest polluters in the world. This wasn\u2019t a one-time event, it was something bigger. Something that will resonate for a very long time.<\/p>\n

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The Workers Collective for Climate Justice (WCCJ) \u2013 South Asia was officially launched. And on a busy labour day: 200+ workers didn\u2019t just come to show up\u2014they came to unite. They came to be heard. For the first time, unions that rarely cross paths\u2014unions of workers from all walks of life\u2014stood together, sharing their struggles, victories, and calling for a fairer world. This was about mobilization <\/em>to demand accountability.<\/p>\n\n

What followed was a pact that made history.<\/p>\n\n

A Pact for Justice: Make Polluters Pay<\/strong>
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On the 139th anniversary of the original May Day, 6 unions including YODHA, Basti Suraksha Manch, Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union, Gig Workers Association, Amazon India Workers Union<\/strong> and Hawkers Joint Action Committee\u2014representing over 2.2 lakh workers\u2014signed the \u201cMake Polluters Pay Pact.\u201d For the first time in history, workers\u2014those who are the first to feel the heat of the climate crisis\u2014demanded accountability from the oil giants. They\u2019re not just talking about their own survival; they\u2019re talking about justice for all workers who are impacted by climate change.<\/p>\n\n

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And the movement didn\u2019t stop there. Eight more unions from across South Asia are joining in, pledging their voices in solidarity: Joint Trade Union Alliance (Sri Lanka), Youth 4 NDC (Bangladesh), Bangladesh Environment and Development Society, Janathakshan (Sri Lanka), Power Shift (Nepal), Nepalese Youth 4 Climate Action, and Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity.<\/p>\n\n

But that wasn\u2019t all.<\/p>\n\n

Sarees for Solidarity: Weaving Messages Across Borders<\/strong>
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Have you ever thought about a saree as a medium for political expression? The saree, traditionally a symbol of South Asian sisterhood, became the canvas for something deeper. Workers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh wrote messages of resilience, solidarity, and hope on sarees. These sarees aren\u2019t just fabric\u2014they are witnesses<\/em>. They are stories of workers standing together, creating a statement of resistance.<\/p>\n

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The plan? To take these sarees to COP later this year, turning them into an art installation that will tell the world: Labour Justice Is Climate Justice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Bringing Lived Experiences to Light: The Labouring Through the Climate Crisis Report<\/strong>
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No jargon. No abstract discussions. Just real stories.<\/p>\n\n

This was the heart of our report, Labouring Through the Climate Crisis<\/em>. We didn\u2019t just present numbers and stats\u2014we told stories. Stories of underserved workers who are facing extreme heat, rising floods, and unpredictable weather. These voices in the room were not just subjects of discussion\u2014but as experts of lived experiences of the vast majority.<\/p>\n

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At the roundtable discussion, panelists from Amazon workers, domestic workers, gig workers, and more spoke candidly about their daily struggles. One story that stood out was from Neha, a leader of the Amazon India Workers Union, who shared their fight for proper working conditions in warehouses with no cooling and no access to water. No water<\/em>, they were told. Imagine that. But Neha and her union didn\u2019t back down. They fought for their rights, they raised their voices, and they won better conditions.<\/p>\n\n

This wasn\u2019t just a victory for Amazon workers\u2014it was a victory for workers everywhere who stand up and say, we deserve better<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

Media Buzz: From Local to Global<\/strong>
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This isn\u2019t just a local issue. This is global. With coverage from The Times of India<\/em>, Indian Express<\/em>, Behan Box<\/em>, and Down to Earth<\/em>, the voices of the workers reached far beyond the rally. And internationally? Al Jazeera<\/em> published our Op-Ed, while BBC interviewed our ally Sandeep from Yoddha. This is the power of unity.<\/p>\n

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IIt wasn\u2019t just about the media presence\u2014it was about catalysing a global conversation that puts workers\u2019 rights at the center of the climate discussion<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

A Moment to Celebrate<\/strong>
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And then, there was the collective energy. The sense of community. Workers from different sectors, regions, and backgrounds coming together, sharing stories, laughing, supporting each other. The day was full of humanity<\/em>\u2014the kind of humanity that makes you believe, even in the toughest times, that change is possible.<\/p>\n\n

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To every worker, every union, every person who believes that workers are the backbone of climate justice<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

This is just the beginning. Together, we rise.<\/p>\n\n

Zindabad!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n