CIVIL congratulates May 1: The pandemic and economic crisis must not be an excuse of capitalists to violate workers’ rights!

CIVIL congratulates all workers in the Republic of North Macedonia and the world on May 1st. This day is dedicated to the workers’ protest and to the loud demands to stop the inhumane and exploitative attitude towards workers.

CIVIL calls on trade unions, civil society organizations, political parties to join the fight for social justice and workers’ rights.

The first and greatest victim of the economic consequences of the pandemic are precisely the workers’ rights. Therefore, only political will and government measures are not enough, rather involvement of the entire society. It is high time to initiate a real and consistent action for protection of workers’ rights in conditions of a pandemic that has seriously hit the world economy. More important is for the economic crisis not to be used for reducing workers’ rights, but for their promotion, at the expense of the big profits of capitalists.

The pandemic and economic crisis must not be an excuse of capitalists to violate workers’ rights!

CIVIL calls on political parties, the government and Parliament to work on further changing the laws in favour of workers’ rights and their consistent implementation.

Some workers in North Macedonia work in difficult conditions, usually without basic means for protection at work, and are frequent victims also of mobbing at the workplace. Women workers and single mothers are in an even more difficult position.

The political will and reforms in the area of social justice and workers’ rights in the past three years are noticeable, but that is not enough. The entire society needs to be involved: encouraging victims whose workers’ rights have been violated to report, real unions whose basic and only goal are workers’ rights, civil society organizations that speak loudly and media that do not hide the facts.

CIVIL calls on workers to report violation of human rights, mobbing and discrimination. Most important is to first encourage them and to for them to loudly demand their rights, because they are entitled to them!

Happy May 1