NGOs announce two-day workers’ rights events

NGOs Moviment Graffiti and Solidarjeta have launched their two-day programme celebrating Workers’ Day.

“May Day has a rich history in different parts of the world, especially those associated with international labour movements. It has elements of both public secular festivals as well as political demonstrations,” the NGOs said in a press statement on Tuesday morning.

They said that they are seeking to combine these elements in their programme of events.

A screening of the documentary “Union” will be held at Valletta, starting from 7pm on Wednesday 30 April. “The film features workers employed at Amazon organising themselves against the exploitative system,” they said.

Celebrations from the NGOs will continue Thursday 1 May, under the theme “Workers Feast” (Festa Ħaddiema) at the Council of Europe Garden in Gzira between 3pm and 8pm.

The NGOs highlighted that the programme of activities will include workshops, music and food, aimed to be “a socio-political celebration for all those who want to remember workers’ struggles, to celebrate workers’ achievements and for those who want to continue fighting for workers’ rights, dignity and social justice in Malta and across the world.”

This comes after last year, the two organisations launched their ‘Justice for Workers’ campaign, which highlighted various challenges that workers in Malta continue to face today and included a set of recommendations aimed at ensuring that our growing economy benefits workers.

The proposed measures included intervention from government to increase low wages, the introduction of better work-life balance measures, the strengthening of outdated employment laws, a crackdown on exploitation, reforms to systems that leave workers, both local and foreign, in vulnerable situations and the accessibility of greater decision-making powers in the workplace.

The activities, which are both free of charge, will also include live performances by Karmaġenn, Sean Borg, Vintage, Funky Monkey, and Edgar Allan Paul, along with two short talks on workers’ struggles in Malta, and a workshop at 3pm by the union Solidarjetà on organising workers at the workplace.

“We invite the public to join us in our celebrations and struggle for workers’ rights as the fight continues,” they concluded.