WFTU - World Federation of Trade Unions

30/10/2026

Workers all over the world organized strikes and mobilizations on October 30 the Second International Action Day of Dockworkers.

This International Action Day marks a major new step in the international militant coordination of the working class. From port to port, in every workplace and sector, from country to country, workers are sending the message that they will not choose between the camps of their exploiters, will not become cogs in their war machine, and will not sacrifice their lives and rights for the profits of the monopolies.

No sacrifice for the profits and wars of the imperialists!

Long live the internationalist solidarity of the working class!

28/10/2026

WFTU Statement on the Train Crash near Madrid

The World Federation of Trade Unions, representing more than 105 million workers in 133 countries, expresses its deep sorrow and sincere condolences for the deadly train crash that occurred south of Madrid on October 28.

According to the information available so far, more than 500 passengers were on board the two high-speed trains that collided, resulting in at least 64 deaths and at least 80 injuries.
Once again, human lives are being placed below profit. Once again, lives are sacrificed due to the lack of adequate safety measures and policies that treat transportation as a field for business activity rather than social good.

Our thoughts are with the families, relatives and loved ones of those who lost their lives, as well as with the injured and all those affected.

We demand the immediate and substantial support of all those affected, a full, independent and comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, and exemplary punishment for all those responsible.

The class-oriented trade union movement expresses its unwavering solidarity with the just struggle of the working class and its affiliates for modern, safe, reliable and affordable public mass transportation systems that serve the contemporary social needs of popular strata.

27/10/2026

More and more trade unions are preparing to take part in the strike.

30 October2026 - 2nd International of Action of Dockworkers

No sacrifice for the profits and wars of the imperialists!

The World Federation of Trade Unions issues a militant, class-oriented and internationalist call to its member organisations and trade unions around the world to make the 2nd International Day of Action of Dockworkers, on 30 October 2026, their own cause and support it.
The mobilisation is taking place at a critical time, as military conflicts are spreading and war fronts are dangerously expanding and becoming interconnected, from Ukraine to the Middle East. The murderous state of Israel, with the support of the USA, the European Union and NATO, continues its crime against the Palestinian people and escalates its military aggression against Iran and Lebanon, increasing the danger of an even broader conflict.
Behind the various pretexts lies the conflict among powerful capitalist states, and the confrontation between the Euro-Atlantic bloc of the USA – NATO – EU and other imperialist centres over markets, energy, raw materials, trade routes and control of strategic infrastructure.
Imperialist wars are not a departure from the “normal” functioning of the capitalist system. They are the continuation of exploitation and competition by other means. Billions are being spent on armaments and the war economy, while wages are squeezed, social spending is cut, healthcare and education are commodified, and exploitation reaches extreme levels, with exhausting schedules, including 13-hour working days and work seven days a week.
The peoples have nothing to gain from wars and the antagonisms of the imperialists. They are called upon to pay for profits, wars and the consequences of a new capitalist economic crisis, to sacrifice themselves for interests that are alien to their own, while business groups claim ever larger shares of the spoils.
Ports, railways, airports and transport infrastructure as a whole are being turned into critical hubs for the movement of weapons, am******on, military equipment and troops. Workers are being pressured to become cogs in the war machine and accomplices in crimes against the peoples.
Dockworkers have already proved that, through organisation, collective struggle and coordinated internationalist action, they can prevent ports from being turned into staging grounds for war. They can block the cargoes of death that fuel the Israeli state’s slaughter of the Palestinian people and the spread of war throughout the Middle East.
On 6 February 2026, strike action was held in 20 ports across 7 countries. In May, in Istanbul, trade union organisations from 35 ports formed a coordination network, which now encompasses more than 40 ports across the Mediterranean and Europe, with the participation of organisations from France, Greece, the Basque Country, Turkey, Morocco and Italy, under the slogan: “Dockworkers Do Not Work for War”.
On 30 October, trade unions will hold new militant actions and strikes. The common framework “Ports for Peace – Jobs with Dignity” links the struggle against imperialist war with the fight for Collective Labour Agreements, wage increases, stable employment, shorter working hours and substantive health and safety measures.
It is also linked to opposition to privatisations, subcontracted and temporary employment, and the use of automation and artificial intelligence to eliminate jobs and intensify exploitation. Technological and scientific progress must serve to reduce working time and improve workers’ lives, not the profitability of the monopolies.
The experience of dockworkers has wider significance for workers in the metal industry and shipyards, railways, energy, telecommunications, transport and logistics. These sectors connect ports, industrial zones and military infrastructure and can play a decisive role in the common struggle against imperialist war and exploitation.
30 October can mark a major new step in the international militant coordination of the working class. From port to port, in every workplace and sector, from country to country, workers are sending the message that they will not choose between the camps of their exploiters, will not become cogs in their war machine, and will not sacrifice their lives and rights for the profits of the monopolies.

No sacrifice for the profits and wars of the imperialists!
Long live the internationalist solidarity of the working class!

19/10/2026

The World Federation of Trade Unions Condemn the Assassination of Worker Rabee' Ubaidi Jenin, Palestine

On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions, its General Secretary, Pambis Kyritsis, the members of the WFTU General Secretariat, and its 105 million workers worldwide, the WFTU, together with the Palestinian Trade Union Coalition, represented by its General Secretary, Muhammad Arqawi, strongly condemned the assassination of worker Rabee' Ubaidi, from the town of Zububa in the Jenin Governorate.
Ubaidi was treacherously murdered near the town of Tur'an, within the Green Line, by individuals whose actions demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and dignity.
The Palestinian Trade Union Coalition described this heinous crime as a flagrant violation of fundamental human values, standards, and ethics. It emphasized that Ubaidi was killed while seeking to secure his material and moral rights, which he had earned through his hard work to provide for his children and family.
The Coalition therefore called for the harshest possible penalties for all those involved in the crime, the full restoration of his family's rights, and financial assistance for his children and family from the relevant authorities. It also stressed that Ubaidi should be recognized as a martyr who lost his life while striving to earn a living and defend his family's well-being.
His death must not be regarded as that of just another victim, but as the loss of a worker who was struggling to uphold the dignity and rights of working people against those who exploit workers and deprive them of their rightful entitlements.
WFTU General Secretary Pambis Kyritsis and Palestinian Trade Union Coalition General Secretary Muhammad Arqawi reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the resilience of Palestinian workers and defending their rights, dignity, and livelihoods.

19/10/2026

Long live the youth uprising in France!

The World Youth Committee of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expresses its unwavering solidarity with high school students in France who are fighting for a better education system, with more teachers and greater resources for public schools, for the right to education, access to university for all, and a better future free from repression, unemployment and war. Instead of responding to their just and legitimate demands, the authorities have deployed thousands of riot police against these young people to forcibly prevent them from making their voices heard.
The WFTU World Youth Committee unequivocally condemns the acts of brutality committed by the French police in recent days against young people taking part in the mobilisations: assaults, shots fired with Flash-Ball-type weapons, beatings and nearly 3,000 arbitrary arrests of young people across the country!
This is the sham “democracy” across the EU, which cracks the whip against those who stand up and demand their rights.
We demand an end to the brutal repression they face, the immediate release of those arrested, and solutions to the extremely serious problems that have left schools unsafe, neglected and without the resources necessary to provide meaningful, high-quality education.
The EU’s policies of austerity and war are causing a deep crisis, driving up the cost of living and the prices of fuel, energy and basic necessities, while undermining and privatising public services in European countries. This is the real cause of the anger spreading among young people and the working class across Europe.
The French government, like governments across the EU, spends billions on armaments, sacrificing wages, healthcare and education.
School students, university students, teachers and parents must fight together for education and a life with rights! For schools that educate rather than wear students down, with decent working and learning conditions.
Against the policies of poverty, profit and war, and the imperialist plans of the European Union and its governments!
The WFTU Youth Committee stands alongside all those who struggle and demonstrate in every country to defend the rights of the oppressed and exploited.
WFTU WYC.

16/10/2026

Argentina: Seminario Internacional por los 80 años del SAMC

El panel 2 funcionó dentro de la consigna temática " Perspectivas y desafíos de la clase obrera y las y los trabajadores", donde lxs panelistas nos brindaron una serie de intervenciones que nos permitieron pensar, reflexionar y construir más y mejor unidad. Lxs compañerxs Adilson Araujo , Cacho...

16/10/2026

The World Federation of Teachers’ Unions‎ (FISE), affiliated with the ‎World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), stands with the high school and ‎university students of France in their struggle for "education for all."‎

The World Federation of Teachers’ Unions‎ (FISE), affiliated with the World ‎Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), salutes and expresses its full and complete ‎solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of high school and university students in France ‎who, since mid-September 2026, have been engaged in protests and determined struggles ‎to defend public education and advocate for "education for all"- the central slogan of ‎their mobilizations.‎
Student precariousness, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated facilities lacking ‎essential equipment, thousands of unfilled teaching positions, social barriers, and
discrimination: this is the reality of the French education system. Young people are ‎responding en masse against budget cuts to education, at a time when the French ‎government -much like the majority of governments worldwide- is spending vast sums on ‎armaments while sacrificing wages, healthcare, and education.‎
Across the globe, education is a fundamental right, a common good, and a public ‎responsibility. It cannot be reduced to a commodity, nor subjected to the logic of ‎profitability, social selection, or privatization. The French youth rising up today ‎courageously recall an essential truth: without a high-quality public education system ‎accessible to all, there can be no democracy, no social justice, and no future for young ‎people.‎
The FISE commends the maturity, dignity, and determination shown by this ‎movement. It also acknowledges the commitment of education unions, parents' ‎associations, secondary school student organizations, and university student unions that ‎are organizing, assisting, and supporting these mobilizations.‎
The FISE condemns in the strongest possible terms the police repression, mass ‎detentions, and legal proceedings faced by young people who have mobilized to defend ‎their legitimate rights to protest and organize collectively.‎
According to official figures as of October 14, 2026, French police and gendarmerie ‎forces have placed 7950 individuals in custody since the protests began in mid-‎September 2026. A vast majority 6773, or 85% of those detained are minors, and 2735 ‎young people are now facing legal prosecution. We say no to the criminalization of ‎protest.‎
Schools and universities have reportedly been blocked, evacuated, or placed under ‎heightened police surveillance, thereby obstructing the right to assembly and freedom of ‎expression. Furthermore, instances of police violence have reportedly been documented ‎and denounced by trade unions, associations, and observers of civil liberties.‎
The FISE points out that, for these young people, the freedom to protest and freedom ‎of expression are fundamental rights guaranteed by: the Universal Declaration of Human ‎Rights (UDHR, 1948), Article 19 (freedom of expression) and Article 20 (freedom of ‎assembly and association); the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989), ‎Article 13 (freedom of expression) and Article 15 (freedom of association and assembly); ‎the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966), Articles 19 ‎‎(freedom of expression) and 21 (the right to peaceful assembly); and the European ‎Convention on Human Rights (ECHR, 1950), Article 10 (freedom of expression) and ‎Article 11 (freedom of peaceful assembly and association).‎
The General Secretariat of the FISE demands:‎
‎1.‎ The immediate release of all young people detained or prosecuted for their ‎participation in mobilizations and protests, and the dropping of all legal proceedings and ‎administrative sanctions against high school and university students who have taken part ‎in these mobilizations;‎
‎2.‎ An immediate end to police repression and strict respect for the right to protest;‎
‎3.‎ The opening of genuine negotiations with representative organizations of education ‎staff, high school students, university students, and parents, regarding the demands put ‎forward by the movement;‎
‎4.‎ Respect for and the promotion of public education as a fundamental, free, secular, ‎democratic, and universally accessible public service.‎
The struggle of the youth in France is part of a global fight for education for all - ‎against the commodification of schooling, against austerity policies, and against all forms ‎of discrimination and exclusion in accessing knowledge.‎
The FISE, which brings together education unions from every continent, expresses ‎its active solidarity and calls upon its member and associate organizations to:‎
‎1)‎ Disseminate this statement and raise awareness about the situation in France;‎
‎2)‎ Send messages of solidarity to French trade union organizations (representing ‎educators, pupils, and students);‎
‎3)‎ Organize acts of support (rallies, petitions, social media campaigns);‎
‎4)‎ Call upon international institutions to address the violations of the rights to ‎freedom of expression, trade union organization, and public liberties in France.‎
The FISE reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the youth currently in struggle. ‎Education for all is not a concession; it is a right. Repression will not silence the demand ‎for social and educational justice.‎
Long live the internationalist solidarity of education workers and the youth!‎
Education for all, now, in France and across the globe!‎
For the General Secretariat of the World Federation of Teachers' Unions ‎‎(FISE)‎
Affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)‎
General Secretary : Drissi Abderrazzak‎

16/10/2026

Press conference on the International Day of Action of Dockworkers and Port Workers against War and Militarization on 30 October

Cinzia Della Porta, from the WFTU Secretariat, conveyed the WFTU’s greetings and support at the press conference held on 15 October in Rome to launch the International Day of Action of Dockworkers and Port Workers against War and Militarization on 30 October
On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions, the militant voice of hundreds of militant trade unions from all over the globe with more than 105 million workers in their ranks, I bring here our solidarity and support to this important action day.
In an era of increased military expenses, and amid the general enforcement of the war economy and the rearing of fascism, racism, and xenophobia, in an era in which there is the ‘normalization’ of the genocide of the Palestinian people, in which Cuba is under siege, in which war is the only way they are looking for to go out from the capitalist crisis ,the militant and class-oriented trade unions and workers all over the world should stand up and fight back, unequivocally condemning imperialism and its wars.
The peoples all over the world know there is nothing to expect from their war but death, misery, refugees, poverty and deterioration of their living conditions. Workers all over the world know that the tremendous resources channeled into the war economy are drained away at the expense of the welfare state, education, healthcare, wages, pensions, and benefits for the popular strata.
The WFTU firmly reiterates the demand for an end to all imperialist interventions, full and unconditional respect for the sovereignty, independence, and the right of every people to determine their own present and future. We reject the exclusions, discriminatory measures, blockades, and sanctions imposed by the USA, the EU, and their allies on numerous countries, which directly affect the daily lives of ordinary people. We assert the demand for the dissolution of NATO and all military coalitions, and the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. No participation in imperialist wars or military missions. Military forces must return to their own countries, and the struggle of the working class in every country for disengagement from NATO, the EU and every imperialist alliance, and for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, must be strengthened.
We unequivocally condemn and denounce the genocide against the Palestinian people by the murdering state of Israel, and we demand an immediate end to ethnic cleansing practices; we demand an end to occupation and settlements in the occupied Arab territories, we denounce the intensified imperialist aggression against Cuba, the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade and ideological war imposed by the United States, which aims to suffocate the Cuban economy and deliberately creates enormous difficulties for the Cuban people.
In this context the 30 of October is a concrete example of the struggle the class-oriented trade unions have to do, an example of concrete international solidarity, an example of the necessity to connect our struggles against our war and militarization.
The WFTU salutes the militant initiatives and the relentless struggles of the working class and their unions that send a clear message that they oppose any involvement of their countries in wars, refusing to work for the production, loading, and transfer of weapons and military equipment, and boycotting any collaboration or facilitation linked with the active battlefronts.
We support the International Day of Action of Dockworkers and Port Workers against war and militarization on October 30th, 2026 and call on workers all over the globe to organize and support initiatives in this direction.
United we continue

16/10/2026

Belarus: WFTU participates in the FTUB International Strategic Session

From October 13 to 14, the International Strategic Session titled "Fair Labor Market Transformations in the Digital Era" took place in Minsk, Belarus. Organized by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), the forum brought together participants from 28 countries, including representatives of national trade union centers, sectoral trade unions, international trade union organizations, diplomats, experts, and academics.
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was represented by its Scientific Advisor, Christoforos Giakoumelos, c.PhD in Political Economy. In his address, he analyzed the nature of technological change and underscored the importance of class-oriented trade union education concerning the issues raised during the Session.

15/10/2026

Message of Congratulations to the New Leadership of COSATU

On behalf of the 120 million members of the World Federation of Trade Unions, we extend our warmest and most militant congratulations to the newly elected President of COSATU, Mike Madala Shingange, the new General Secretary, Zingiswa Losi, and all those elected to the leadership of this historic trade union federation of South Africa.
COSATU, with its long and proud history of struggles against apartheid, exploitation and social inequalities, holds a distinguished place in the international labour and trade union movement.
At a time of intense challenges for the working class worldwide, unity, class solidarity, collective action and the coordination of our struggles are becoming more important than ever.
We express our expectation and confidence that the new leadership will contribute to further strengthening the relations between COSATU and the World Federation of Trade Unions, enhancing COSATU’s active participation and role as a member of the great international class-oriented trade union family of the WFTU.
Strengthening this relationship on the basis of our shared principles of internationalist solidarity, militant unity and the defence of the interests of the working class can make a significant contribution to strengthening the class-oriented trade union movement, particularly across the African continent and internationally.
We wish the new leadership strength, determination and every success in its struggles to defend workers’ rights, social justice, peace and the dignity of working people.
With unity, struggle and internationalist solidarity, we continue our common fight for a world free from the exploitation of one human being by another.

Strength and success in your struggles!
Long live international solidarity!

Pambis Kyritsis
WFTU General Secretary