International Workers' Day - May Day Rally 2025

ATUC May Day Rally, Aberdeen 2025

Speech given by ATUC President, Tommy Campbell at the Aberdeen May Day rally Saturday 3rd May 2025

International Workers Day (May Day) is the time each year  when we celebrate the links between workers across our world.  

International Workers Day was established in July 1889 at a worldwide meeting of Trade Union and Labour Federations in Paris. It was agreed to hold the first International Workers Day on 1st May 1890 in  recognition of the launch of the campaign for an eight hour working day on 1st May 1986  by American Trade Unionists which suffered a major violent reaction by the bosses including the killing and  imprisonment of workers  who went on strike to achieve their demands.

There was also a major miscarriage of justice with the  execution of four workers  who were falsely accused of killing police officers in a bomb attack in Chicago.  The international Trade Union movement since has been demonstrating each year on May Day so this is the 135th anniversary of Aberdeen TUC’s annual May Day March.

The theme of our May Day march and rally  event this year  is Workers Rights and Human Rights  and this has never been more important. The fundamental message of May Day is for peace,  prosperity and  friendship between workers of all backgrounds and nationalities and this is needed more strongly now  than ever before.

The ATUC  strives  for  unity and solidarity between workers  and this is absolutely critical, especially given the  wars being raged in many countries around our world.

It is for this reason that we offer support to all refugees fleeing war in their own countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and  Sudan.

The ATUC fully supports the International Solidarity and boycott campaign work of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Committee activists in Aberdeen against  the Apartheid Israeli government who continue with their  war crime of Genocide  committed against innocent adults and children in Palestine. The only war that should exist is a war on inequality, hatred , poverty and ill health.

In Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire  workers & their families, social security benefit claimants and pensioners  also face an intensifying cost-of-living crisis in addition to severe cuts in our public services and our NHS. Energy bills are now rising much faster than workers  wages. We are witnessing  increased levels of poverty and hardship  because the super  rich are getting richer at the expense of workers, benefit claimants and pensioners.

The scandal of Aberdeen City Council threatening its employees with fire and rehire  underlines why we need major changes in employment laws that support and protect workers rights.

This is why the Aberdeen TUC  will always provide  its support and solidarity to workers   in dispute with their  employers and to all those  fighting any form of injustice in their workplaces or in their communities whether that be in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire or elsewhere in our world.

Nelson Mandela had this to say:

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.  Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is created by humans and therefore can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

Building on the New Deal for Workers - ATUC at STUC Congress

 #STUC25 Congress, held in Dundee from 28-30 April and chaired by UNISON's Lilian Macer fairly bowled along as speaking times were cut from the outset to 4 minutes for movers and 2 minutes for everyone else. The theme was Building on the New Deal for Workers with a focus on workers' rights and workers in struggle. 

In her President's speech, Lilian condemned the UK Labour Government for their cuts to public services and their lurch to the right and demanded proper funding for public services in Scotland. “They are essential to the very fabric of our society and we to see significant investment to support our most vulnerable”.

On Gaza she said, “We must demand an end to the killings in Gaza and the horrific scenes we have seen, pointing out that 70% of those murdered are women and children.”

The Monday of Congress was International Workers Memorial Day and she slammed the murders of the health workers by Israeli forces and pledged to continue to fight for the living.

At lunchtime a moving service was held outside the Caird Hall with speeches from a number of union representatives, who also laid wreaths.

Congress heard from both First Minister, John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. They highlighted all the concerns including a loss of industrial base in Scotland, the politics of division and rise of Reform and the far right, and the failure of our current political system to engage workers but themselves failed to offer any compelling answers and just trotted out more of the same - each condemning the failings in the other's parties.

A highlight of Congress was an excellent panel session on the crisis in social care with three young trade union activists working in the sector, from UNISON, Unite and GMB.

Their clear message - Scottish government should put its money where its mouth is, recognise social care is on its knees and properly fund the sector for the benefit of the workers and those who need care services.

Standing on the side of humanity - supporting Palestine

#STUC25 Congress backed a total of seven motions which together set out a wide ranging strategy to support Palestine through Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and other actions and to end the genocide in Gaza.

Congress passionately condemned Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians and the slaughter of so many in Gaza, especially the children. They heard that the number one cause of child deaths across the world is Israel.

Kate Ramsden moved ATUC’s motion which called for the STUC to lobby the Scottish government to end funding to any company and/or organisation involved directly or indirectly connected to supplying any weapons or weapons parts to Israel, as part of a strategy of BDS.

Moving the motion, Kate Ramsden told delegates that we are proud to stand in solidarity with Palestine as we move into 20 months of genocide and see Israeli violence on the West Bank continue to grow.

“Like everyone here we stand in the side of humanity and utterly condemn Israel’s massacres of children, women and men in Gaza, the targeting of health workers, aid workers and journalists, and now the withholding of essential aid, condemning Gazans to death by starvation and from sickness and injury,” said Kate.

She slammed the UK government’s complicity in the genocide, calling on them to end all arms licenses to Israel. And she demanded that the Scottish Government puts its money where its mouth is and does not provide any government funding to businesses involved in supplying arms or military hardware to Israel.

She called on trade unions to do more to promote BDS amongst their members and to campaign for pension fund divestment from companies complicit in Israeli oppression.

“We know from our solidarity with South Africa all those years ago how powerful BDS can be as a peaceful weapon for freedom and justice.

“Let’s all stand on the right side of history,” urged Kate.

Congress backs St Fittick's Park campaign

 #STUC25 Congress backed the St Fittick’s Park campaign and will actively support communities led just transition processes. It recognised the crucial role of trades union councils and encouraged all unions to affiliate.

Moving a composite from ATUC and Moray TUC, Steve Gray said the "Save St Fitticks Park campaign was “a story of greed power and corruption set against community solidarity, love and hope.

“Torry, home of the Torry cough, a life expectancy of 55, and Torry’s green lung St Fitticks Park, under threat from speculative development.”

He told delegates the bigger picture is who decides the future of the workers and their communities when their industrial base is at risk.

“The problems the people of Torry, Aberdeen and Moray face are replicated right across Scotland as big business tries to divide and rule our communities and asset strip our green spaces.”

He called for communities “to be able to make informed choices about their own future, resisting the divide and rule tactics of big businesses and their lackeys in local government.

Ann Joss

“Regional just transition plans backed by 20 years funding and growing Scottish manufacturing supply chains are a vital tool.”

The motion was supported by RMT’s Ann Joss who roundly condemned the attacks on Torry’s Green spaces.

Defending the right to protest

 #STUC25 Congress condemned attacks on the right to protest, especially in relation to Palestine and slammed police repression and escalating attacks on our right to protest.

The General Council will now submit a Freedom of Information request to establish the strategy for policing pro-Palestine demos in

Supporting the amended motion from the STUC Youth Conference, on behalf of ATUC, Jonathan Christie told delegates that there has been increased overpolicing and police repression of the SPSC demos in Aberdeen.

He added, “There were further arrests just over a week ago at a demo against an Israeli representative competing at the World Bowls championship in Aberdeen.

“This peaceful BDS protest was met with 32 police officers turning up and arresting 3 protestors. With 2 out of the 3 protesters being held in the police van for over 1.30 hours.

“We have seen increasing police heavy handedness against protesters and intimidation tactics against protestors.

“This is at a time when a genocide is being committed by Isreal on the Palestinians in Gaza over the last 18 months, which has seen 60,000 Palestinians-of which mostly woman and children - being killed.”

He reminded that the ICJ has ruled it as a plausible genocide.

“The police should be arresting war criminals not protesters,” slammed Jonathan.

“As trade unionists and activists, we have a duty to stand up to this injustice and police repression. Protesting is our human right and this is a threat to all activists right to protest.

“BDS worked against Apartheid in South Africa and is making an impact again today,” said Jonathan, calling on all trade unionists to defend the right to protest, use our voice to call out the Gaza genocide, take BDS action and show solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Bring back the Winter fuel payment for ALL pensioners

 

#STUC25 On the first day of Congress, delegates overwhelmingly supported a call from ATUC and West Lothian Trades Union Council to lobby the Scottish Government to restore the Winter Fuel Allowance for Scottish pensioners from this coming Winter.

Steve Gray, on behalf of ATUC told Congress that although Aberdeen is ostensibly a wealthy area, there is also a lot of poverty.

“It may have the second highest number of millionaires after London, however it also has a much higher number of poorer people.

“The removal of the Winter fuel allowance highlights the fact that Aberdeen is a city of ultra poor and ultra rich and the pensioners are noticeably one of the biggest groups amongst the poorest.

“The removal of the Winter fuel allowance is another demonstration that the poorest people in society are having funds removed that could help them, whist funds to the super rich are increased.”

On day 2 Steve seconded a motion from UCU that included our amendment calling on overseas students, especially those from China and the global south, to be treated with respect, especially in our current 'hostile environment' on China.

Moving IWMD service mourns those who have died at work and pledges to fight for living

A moving International Workers' Memorial Day service at the Workers’ Memorial in Persley Walled Garden brought together trade unionists, councillors and citizens to lay wreaths in memory of those who had died as a result of an accident at work or an industrial disease and to pledge to fight for the living.

The late Graeme Farquhar, former President of ATUC, widow Hazel laid the ATUC wreath. 

Wreaths were also laid by Trade Union Representatives from Unite, Unison and CWU. 

A wreath was laid by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, David Cameron who also delivered a message of support and solidarity from Aberdeen City Council. Cllr Alison Evison from Aberdeenshire Council also laid a wreath on behalf of the NHS.

Linda Carmichael of the WASPI pension equality campaign group laid a wreath and delivered a message of sympathy and support for the families who have lost loved ones in workplace accidents or through industrial disease. 

There was a minute's silence held in memory of all who have died.