The labour movement, tasked with protecting workers’ rights and improving their quality of life, is essential to expanding employment opportunities and ensuring just conditions of work.
Workers, through their trade unions, historically supported the struggles for the achievement of political independence, social justice, increases in wages and improvements in their living conditions.
Workers, today, are much better off as a result of the sacrifices of their forebears. Legislation, organisations, institutions and services now ensure workers’ rights ─ including gender equality and retirement benefits. Improved access to education, health, housing, social protection and public utilities has transformed workers’ lives.
Your government has ensured improvements in workers’ well-being, most recently, by increasing the monthly public service minimum wage by 62 per cent from $39, 540 to $64,200; attracting investment to catalyse job-creation; promoting entrepreneurship as a stimulus for employment and expanding public services.
The labour movement is urged to continue to work with the government, private sector and civil society to support efforts to generate employment, including self-employment, especially for women and young people.
Labour Day celebrates the achievements of the working people. It recalls their sacrifices and struggles for freedom, food and fair employment. It salutes trade unions and their stewardship for the workers’ well-being.
Your government remains a friend of workers and of the labour movement. It supports, always, the trade unions’ struggle for a good life for everyone.
Happy Labour Day!
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