Workers unite!

Workers all over the world have been fighting for their rights since the rise of industrial capitalism. The economic and cultural value of work has changed with work being separated from the home and being moved into industrial factories where many people worked under dangerous and precarious conditions while being extremely underpaid.

Today, things havent changed much, the working conditions for many people are still unbearable with temporary working contracts, low pay and bad conditions. Particularly vulnerable for exploitation are migrants, the undocumented, black, indigenous and people of colour, women, trans and non-binary people.

This is not a coincidence as racism and sexism are often being used to justify the exploitation of the working poor and to break solidarity between the working classes, e.g., white against black workers. Moreover, sectors like sex work and domestic and care work also need special attention as these sectors are culturally undervalued and especially susceptible to exploitation since this work is often being done by the aforementioned groups.

This is why people organized a demonstration in Utrecht for Labor Day. The arc of capitalism naturally bends towards exploitation. It is up to the people to fight for a livable wage and for a life of dignity and without alienation.