Labor Day – Swiss Confederation of Trade Unions calls for more democracy – News

  • Large demonstrations are to take place in Basel, Zurich, Geneva and Bern on Sunday, May 1st.
  • This year the motto “Peace, Freedom, Solidarity” will determine the celebrations.
  • Prior to this, Pierre-Yves Maillard, President of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation (SGB), called for a fight for more democracy.

Freedom is not a cultural construct, said Maillard on Saturday in Lucerne. The trade unions need democracy in order to be able to perform their role, but at the same time there can be no real democracy without free trade unions, Maillard said, according to the text of the speech, during his appearance after a demonstration on Helvetiaplatz in front of around 200 rally participants.

Legend:

According to SGB President Maillard, there could be no real democracy without free trade unions.

key stone

The Lucerne Federation of Trade Unions organizes various activities throughout the weekend for Labor Day, which falls on Sunday this year. In his speech, Maillard referred to the war in Ukraine. This shows that dictatorships do not put up with it for long if peoples decide and shape their future freely alongside them.

Democracy as a promise

He called democracy “a promise” that must also be kept. It is the promise of a dignified life, education, work and retirement for all and the right to health and safety protection. All this should not only be secured for a part of the population. Democracy needs certain social security to be real.

An event of the referendum committee against the AHV reform.

Legend:

On May 1st, according to Maillard, we would have to fight for sufficiently high pensions and an AHV that would secure our livelihood.

key stone

Western democracies have all too often forgotten this truth in recent decades. That helped dictatorships around the world. Because: “Free markets alone do not make real democracy.” Maillard also called on Switzerland to keep its promises, as anchored in the constitution: namely equal pay between men and women, sufficiently high pensions and an AHV that secures a living. He also advocated a reduction in health insurance premiums.

Free markets alone do not make real democracy.

The strength of Swiss democracy is that the people can intervene if politicians don’t keep their promises, said Maillard. This should already be done during the autumn votes on the AHV reform and the partial abolition of withholding tax. In both cases, the trade unions took part in the referendum.

The Labor Day celebrations are themed “Peace, Freedom, Solidarity”. For the first time in two years, these can take place again without corona restrictions. The big May Day demonstrations will take place on Sunday in Basel, Zurich, Geneva and Bern.

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