2003 May Day message

National Confederation of Trade Unions (ZENROREN), 1 May 2003

On the occasion of the May Day in 2003, ZENROREN has sent the following solidarity message to 33 trade union organizations in 26 countries and 2 international trade union organizations.

On the occasion of 2003 May Day, with its century-long history as a day of international united actions and struggles of working people for their pressing demands, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (ZENROREN) conveys its warm greetings of international solidarity to workers and trade unions in your country and the world over. ZENROREN wishes you all success in your struggles to secure basic rights and demands of workers and their unions and for better life, peace and justice for all humankind.

Unprecedented massive anti-war actions have resounded over the globe against the U.S. and British preemptive attacks on Iraq in trampling down the U.N. Charter, in which many innocent Iraq citizens were killed. At this juncture, 2003 May Day celebration in Japan will be, firstly, a significant peace rally calling for peace and post-war reconstruction of Iraq to be implemented in the framework of the U.N. We must strengthen further joint actions of workers and trade unions the world over, in order to fight against the aggressive U.S. hegemony and to establish a genuine international peace order in which international disputes be solved in accordance with the U.N. Charter and international laws.

Secondly, it will be a rally of workers and people to fight back the misgovernment of the Koizumi Cabinet: mass unemployment, lay-offs and substantial wage cuts of working people; adverse revision of the Labor Standards Law to give employers a free hand to dismiss workers without consent; revision of social security system, particularly that of health insurance system imposing heavier burden of medical cost on working people; pursuing such economic policy that drives small- and medium-sized companies to bankruptcy and accelerates domestic industrial hollowing-out, while it is supporting big corporations and banks for making colossal profits.

We must make utmost effort to defend peace in Asia and the world and for a nuclear weapon free world, as well as intensify workers solidarity and cooperation to realize a fair society where everybody can work in humane conditions and live in peace. ZENROREN is firmly determined to further strengthen joint struggles of workers and their unions the world over who have common demands and aspirations.

We wish your struggle further advance and a new victory making success of 2003 May Day a springboard.

Long live unity of workers the world over!

Long live the 2003 May Day!