Popular Mobilization Advances the Struggle for Land Regularization at the Federal University of Cearรก, Brazil
Fortaleza, Cearรก, Brazil โ November 4, 2026
On Wednesday, November 4, residents and supporters from communities located within and around the Pici Campus of the Federal University of Cearรก (UFC) organized a public mobilization during the opening ceremony of the University’s annual Academic Meetings (Encontros Universitรกrios).
The mobilization is part of an ongoing struggle for land tenure regularization and the recognition of the right to housing for working-class communities that have established themselves in areas belonging to or administered by the University.
For several years, these communities have faced uncertainty regarding their right to remain in their homes. Through collective organization, residents have been demanding a negotiated and socially just solution that guarantees housing security, dignity and the right to the city.
The campaign has been coordinated alongside the Organizaรงรฃo Popular Terra Liberta, a grassroots popular organization that supports community self-organization, direct action and collective struggles for housing and social rights in Cearรก.
A direct action to move the process forward
The mobilization took place during an important public event attended by the University’s Rector, Custรณdio Almeida. Taking advantage of this opportunity to bring the communities’ demands into the university’s public space, residents and supporters:
Raised a protest banner calling for immediate land regularization.
Distributed more than 100 informational leaflets to university students, workers and visitors.
Personally delivered a formal request to the Rector demanding progress on the regularization process.
The technical work concerning the proposed regularization has already been completed, but the matter has remained pending at the Rector’s office and has not yet been submitted to the University’s Superior Council (CONSUNI) for deliberation.
During the encounter, the Rector stated that he would move forward with the regularization process. While this statement represents an important development, the communities remain attentive and organized, understanding that institutional commitments must be translated into concrete decisions and effective guarantees.
The struggle continues: towards a Popular Assembly
The next major step in this campaign will be a Popular Assembly on Land Tenure Regularization, scheduled for November 24, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., at the Rector รcaro de Sousa Moreira Auditorium, Pici Campus, Federal University of Cearรก.
The assembly aims to bring together residents, supporters, university workers, students and other allies to collectively discuss the situation, strengthen mobilization and advance the demands of the communities.
An internationalist perspective
This struggle is part of a broader reality experienced by working-class communities across Latin America and elsewhere: the contradiction between the social function of land and its institutional, economic and political control.
The right to housing cannot depend on the goodwill of authorities, nor can communities be treated as obstacles to urban development or institutional interests. Those who build their lives and social relations in a territory must have the right to participate directly in decisions concerning its future.
We understand that lasting victories come from grassroots organization, solidarity and collective action. Institutional negotiations may be necessary, but they must be sustained by an organized community capable of defending its own interests.
We therefore share this experience with grassroots organizations, housing movements, workers’ organizations and internationalist comrades around the world.
From Cearรก to the world: solidarity with all those organizing for land, housing and dignity!
LAND TENURE REGULARIZATION NOW! HOUSING IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE!
Organizaรงรฃo Popular Terra Liberta Cearรก, Brazil
The letter below is a reaction to the explosion of gas cylinders at a garment factory run by Pretty Group in Ashulia, Dhaka (Bangladesh) killing nine workers and injuring at least 35 on September 20, 2026. Most recently, workers have also been taking to the streets in their struggle for a living wage in the garment industry. Following the escalation of the minimum wage struggle in 2023, which resulted in the deaths of at least five workers, thousands of workers have now rallied and blocked a highway in Uttara, Dhaka, in their fight for an increase in the monthly minimum wage from the current meagre 12,500 BDT to 35,000 BDT (250 EUR | 281 USD). The rally was attacked by riot police on October 17, 2026, leaving at least 50 workers injured. On November 4, 2026, workers clashed with riot police in Savar and Gazipur, two major garment manufacturing hubs on the outskirts of Dhaka. This marked the fifth consecutive day of protests, strikes, and highway blockades. Hundreds of factories are closed. (reuters.com | bbc.com)
In support of the workers we want to involve a primary actor in this labour struggle: the brands. Therefore the below open letter is directed at these brands and retailers sourcing from factories run by Pretty Group:
EUROPE: C&A | ZARA | Bestseller | Next | Tesco | Celio | River Island AMERICAS: GAP | JC Penney | Macy’s ASIA-PACIFIC: Uniqlo | Cotton On | Country Road | Retail Apparel Group (RAG)
We call on all labour unions and groups to support the open letter and hand it over to the management of stores mentioned above in their cities during the week of Black Friday – November 23 – 29, 2026. Optionally this can also be linked with a rally at the store. Please take a picture/video of the action and share it with us. This will help to communicate this whole coordination as a collective action. asia@icl-cit.org | gwtucbd@gmail.com
Open letter:
Dear management of ________,
We are reaching out to you in your role as a significant customer of the RMG manufacturer Pretty Group.
We, the undersigned organizations, express our deep condolences following the loss of at least nine innocent lives in the gas cylinder explosion at the factory of Pretty Composite Textiles Ltd. in Jamgora, Ashulia, Bangladesh, in September 2026. We wish the 35 injured workers a speedy recovery.
We express our deep anger at the flagrant safety violations that led to these deaths and injuries, which amount to negligent homicide.
We uphold and support the demands of the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center, as listed below. To prevent future tragedies, a swift, independent investigation must be conducted, safety committees with veto power for mandated worker representatives must be established, and robust safety regulations must be implemented and enforced.
Furthermore, garment workers continue to toil in factories for your profits. For years, they have been struggling to secure a decent living wage. Today, they are taking to the streets once again, fighting for a monthly minimum wage of 35,000 BDT (250 EUR / 281 USD).
As a significant party benefiting from the horrendous working conditions in garment factories, we expect you to publicly support the workers’ demands and put pressure on factory owners and government institutions to ensure that the workers who produce your products can live with dignity. Furthermore, we expect you to condemn the state repression targeting striking workers and call for the release of all arrested workers!
It is our duty as members of the global trade union movement to stand in solidarity with workers throughout the entire supply chain. We have strong connections with the labor movement in Bangladesh and are ready to mobilize internationally and organize protests outside your stores if the situation does not improve significantly!
แฏโค Monthly minimum wage of 35 000 BDT! แฏโค Release of all arrested workers! แฏโค Just compensation to family members of the deceased following the gas explosion in Ashulia on Sept. 20, 2026! แฏโค Good quality medical care to the injured! แฏโค Compensation for lost work hours! แฏโค Independent investigations! แฏโค Supporting the formation of safety committees at each factory! แฏโค Enforcement of robust safety regulations!
Initiated by:
แฏโค Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC), Bangladesh แฏโค International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) Working Group Asia
Signatories:
แฏโค All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions (APFUTU) แฏโค Dabindu Collective Union | Sri Lanka แฏโค Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) แฏโค Free Workers’ Union (FAU), international committee | Germany แฏโค International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) แฏโค …
Llamado a la solidaridad: Carta abierta a las marcas en apoyo a los trabajadores de las fรกbricas de Bangladรฉs
La carta que se presenta a continuaciรณn es una reacciรณn a la explosiรณn de cilindros de gas ocurrida el 20 de septiembre de 2026 en una fรกbrica textil operada por Pretty Group en Ashulia, Dhaka (Bangladesh), que causรณ la muerte de nueve trabajadores y dejรณ al menos 35 heridos.
Mรกs recientemente, los trabajadores tambiรฉn han salido a las calles en su lucha por un salario digno en la industria textil. Tras la escalada de la lucha por el salario mรญnimo en 2023, en la que murieron al menos cinco trabajadores, ahora miles de trabajadores se manifestaron y bloquearon una autopista en Uttara, Daca, en su lucha por un aumento del salario mรญnimo mensual de los escasos 12 500 BDT actuales a 35 000 BDT (250 EUR | 281 USD). La manifestaciรณn fue atacada por la policรญa antidisturbios, lo que dejรณ al menos 50 trabajadores heridos el 17 de octubre de 2026. El 4 de noviembre de 2026, les trabajadores se enfrentaron a la policรญa antidisturbios en Savar y Gazipur, dos importantes centros de producciรณn textil en las afueras de Daca. Este fue el quinto dรญa consecutivo de protestas, huelgas y bloqueos de carreteras. Cientos de fรกbricas permanecen cerradas. (reuters.com | bbc.com)
En apoyo a los trabajadores, queremos involucrar a un actor clave en esta lucha laboral: las marcas. Por lo tanto, la siguiente carta abierta estรก dirigida a estas marcas y minoristas que se abastecen de fรกbricas administradas por Pretty Group:
EUROPA: C&A | ZARA | Bestseller | Next | Tesco | Celio | River Island AMรRICAS: GAP | JC Penny | Macyโs ASIA-PACรFICO: Uniqlo | Cotton On | Country Road | Retail Apparel Group (RAG)
Hacemos un llamado a todos los sindicatos y grupos para que respalden la carta abierta y la entreguen a la gerencia de las tiendas mencionadas anteriormente en sus ciudades durante la semana del Viernes Negro โdel 23 al 29 de noviembre de 2026โ. Si lo desean, tambiรฉn pueden combinar esta acciรณn con una manifestaciรณn frente a la tienda. Por favor, tomen una foto o graben un video de la acciรณn y compรกrtanlo con nosotros. Esto ayudarรก a dar a conocer toda esta coordinaciรณn como una acciรณn colectiva. asia@icl-cit.org | gwtucbd@gmail.com
Carta abierta:
Estimada direcciรณn de ________:
Nos dirigimos a ustedes en su funciรณn de cliente importante del fabricante de prendas de vestir Pretty Group.
Nosotros, las organizaciones abajo firmantes, expresamos nuestro mรกs sentido pรฉsame por la pรฉrdida de al menos nueve vidas inocentes en la explosiรณn de un cilindro de gas ocurrida en la fรกbrica de Pretty Composite Textiles Ltd. en Jamgora, Ashulia, Bangladรฉs, en septiembre de 2026. Deseamos una pronta recuperaciรณn a los 35 trabajadores lesionados.
Expresamos nuestra profunda indignaciรณn ante las flagrantes violaciones de seguridad que provocaron estas muertes y lesiones, lo cual equivale a homicidio por negligencia.
Respaldamos y apoyamos las demandas del Centro Sindical de Trabajadores de la Confecciรณn de Bangladรฉs (Garment Workersโ Trade Union Centre), que se enumeran a continuaciรณn. Para evitar tragedias futuras, se debe llevar a cabo una investigaciรณn rรกpida e independiente, se deben establecer comitรฉs de seguridad con poder de veto para los representantes de los trabajadores designados, y se deben implementar y hacer cumplir normas de seguridad sรณlidas.
Ademรกs, los trabajadores de la industria textil siguen trabajando arduamente en las fรกbricas para generar sus ganancias. Durante aรฑos, han estado luchando por conseguir un salario digno que les permita vivir. Hoy, vuelven a salir a las calles, luchando por un salario mรญnimo mensual de 35 000 BDT (250 EUR / 281 USD).
Como parte importante que se beneficia de las terribles condiciones laborales en las fรกbricas de ropa, esperamos que apoyen pรบblicamente las demandas de los trabajadores y presionen a los dueรฑos de las fรกbricas y a las instituciones gubernamentales para garantizar que los trabajadores que producen sus productos puedan vivir con dignidad. Ademรกs, ยกesperamos que condenen la represiรณn estatal contra los trabajadores en huelga y exijan la liberaciรณn de todos los trabajadores detenidos!
Es nuestro deber, como miembros del movimiento sindical mundial, solidarizarnos con los trabajadores a lo largo de toda la cadena de suministro. Tenemos fuertes vรญnculos con el movimiento sindical de Bangladรฉs y estamos listos para movilizarnos a nivel internacional y organizar protestas frente a sus tiendas si la situaciรณn no mejora significativamente.
Contactos: gwtucbd@gmail.com | asia@icl-cit.org | [agregue su direcciรณn de correo electrรณnico]
Los trabajadores exigen:
แฏโค ยกUn salario mรญnimo de 35 000 BDT! แฏโค ยกLibertad para todes les trabajadores detenides! แฏโค ยกUna indemnizaciรณn justa para los familiares de los fallecidos tras la explosiรณn de gas ocurrida en Ashulia el 20 de septiembre de 2026! แฏโค ยกAtenciรณn mรฉdica de calidad para los heridos! แฏโค ยกIndemnizaciรณn por las horas de trabajo perdidas! แฏโค ยกInvestigaciones independientes! แฏโค ยกApoyo a la creaciรณn de comitรฉs de seguridad en cada fรกbrica! แฏโค ยกAplicaciรณn de normas de seguridad estrictas!
Iniciativa de:
แฏโค Centro Sindical de Trabajadores de la Confecciรณn (GWTUC), Bangladรฉs แฏโค Grupo de Trabajo de Asia de la Confederaciรณn Internacional del Trabajo (ICL-CIT)
Firmantes:
แฏโค Confederacion Internacional del Trabajo (ICL-CIT) แฏโค Dabindu Collective Union | Sri Lanka แฏโค Federaciรณn de Sindicatos Unidos de Pakistรกn (APFUTU) แฏโค Federaciรณn de Trabajadores Generales de Myanmar (FGWM) แฏโค Sindicato Libre de Trabajadores (FAU), comitรฉ internacional | Alemania แฏโค …
Aufruf zur Solidaritรคt: Offener Brief an Marken zur Unterstรผtzung der Fabrikarbeiter*innen in Bangladesch
Der folgende Brief ist eine Reaktion auf die Explosion von Gasflaschen in einer von der Pretty Group betriebenen Textilfabrik in Ashulia, Dhaka (Bangladesch), bei der am 20. September 2026 neun Arbeiter*innen ums Leben kamen und mindestens 35 verletzt wurden. Seit Oktober gehen Arbeiter*innen zudem auf die Straรe, um fรผr einen existenzsichernden Lohn in der Bekleidungsindustrie zu kรคmpfen. Nach der Eskalation des Kampfes um einen hรถheren Mindestlohn im Jahr 2023, bei der mindestens fรผnf Arbeiter*innen ums Leben kamen, haben sich nun Tausende versammelt und eine Autobahn in Uttara, Dhaka, blockiert, um fรผr eine Anhebung des monatlichen Mindestlohns von derzeit mageren 12.500 BDT auf 35.000 BDT (250 EUR | 281 USD) zu kรคmpfen. Die Blockade wurde am 17. Oktober 2026 von der Bereitschaftspolizei angegriffen, wobei mindestens 50 Arbeiter*innen verletzt wurden. Am 4. November 2026 kam es in Savar und Gazipur, zwei wichtigen Zentren der Bekleidungsindustrie am Stadtrand von Dhaka, zu Zusammenstรถรen zwischen Arbeiter*innen und der Bereitschaftspolizei. Dies war der fรผnfte Tag in Folge mit Protesten, Streiks und Autobahnblockaden. Hunderte von Fabriken sind geschlossen. (reuters.com | bbc.com)
Zur Unterstรผtzung der kรคmpfenden Arbeiter*innen mรถchten wir einen zentralen Akteur in diesem Arbeitskampf einbeziehen: die Marken. Daher richtet sich der folgende offene Brief an jene Marken und Einzelhรคndler*innen, die ihre Produkte zumindest zum Teil aus Fabriken der Pretty Group beziehen:
EUROPA: C&A | ZARA | Bestseller | Next | Tesco | Celio | River Island AMERIKA: GAP | JC Penny | Macy’s ASIEN-PAZIFIK: Uniqulo | Cotton On | Country Road | Retail Apparel Group (RAG)
Wir rufen alle Gewerkschaften und solidarischen Gruppen dazu auf, den offenen Brief zu unterstรผtzen und ihn in der Woche des Black Friday โ vom 23. bis 29. November 2026 โ dem Filialmanagement der oben genannten Marken in ihren Stรคdten zu รผbergeben. Optional kann dies natรผrlich auch gerne mit einer Kundgebung vor der Filiale verbunden werden. Bitte macht ein Foto oder ein Video von der Aktion und teilt es mit uns. Dies wird dazu beitragen, die gesamte Koordinierung als kollektive Aktion zu prรคsentieren. asia@icl-cit.org | gwtucbd@gmail.com
Der offene Brief:
Sehr geehrtes Management von ________,
wir wenden uns an Sie in Ihrer Rolle als wichtiger Kunde der Pretty Group und ihrer Fabriken in Bangladesch.
Wir, die unterzeichnenden Organisationen, sprechen unser tiefes Beileid angesichts des Verlusts von mindestens neun Menschenleben bei der Explosion von Gasflaschen auf dem Gelรคnde von Pretty Composite Textiles Ltd. in Jamgora, Ashulia, Bangladesch, im September 2026 aus. Den 35 verletzten Arbeiter*innen wรผnschen wir eine schnelle Genesung.
Wir bringen unsere Empรถrung รผber die eklatanten Sicherheitsverstรถรe zum Ausdruck, die zu diesen Todesfรคllen und Verletzungen gefรผhrt haben und die einem fahrlรคssigen Totschlag gleichkommen.
Wir bekrรคftigen und unterstรผtzen die unten aufgefรผhrten Forderungen des Gewerkschaftszentrums der Textilarbeiter*innen (GWTUC). Um kรผnftige Tragรถdien dieser Art zu verhindern, muss eine zรผgige, unabhรคngige Untersuchung durchgefรผhrt werden. Es mรผssen Sicherheitsausschรผsse mit Vetorecht fรผr die Arbeitnehmer*innenseite eingerichtet und strenge Sicherheitsvorschriften eingefรผhrt und durchgesetzt werden.
Zudem schuften die Textilarbeiter*innen weiterhin in Fabriken, um Ihre Gewinne zu sichern. Seit Jahren kรคmpfen sie um einen existenzsichernden Lohn. Heute gehen sie erneut auf die Straรe und kรคmpfen fรผr einen monatlichen Mindestlohn von 35.000 BDT (250 EUR / 281 USD).
Als wichtiger Akteur, der von den entsetzlichen Arbeitsbedingungen in den Bekleidungsfabriken profitiert, erwarten wir von Ihnen, dass Sie die Forderungen der Arbeiter*innen รถffentlich unterstรผtzen und Druck auf Fabrikbesitzer und staatliche Institutionen ausรผben, um sicherzustellen, dass Arbeiter*innen, die Ihre Produkte herstellen, ein Leben in Wรผrde fรผhren kรถnnen. Darรผber hinaus erwarten wir, dass Sie die staatliche Repression gegen streikende Arbeiter*innen verurteilen und die Freilassung aller Festgenommenen fordern!
Als Mitglieder der globalen Gewerkschaftsbewegung ist es unsere Pflicht, uns solidarisch mit den Arbeiter*innen entlang der gesamten Lieferkette zu zeigen. Wir pflegen enge Beziehungen zur Bewegung in Bangladesch und sind bereit, international zu mobilisieren und Protestaktionen vor Ihren Filialen zu organisieren, sollte sich die Lage nicht deutlich verbessern!
แฏโค Ein monatlicher Mindestlohn von 35.000 BDT! แฏโค Die Freilassung aller im Rahmen des Arbeitskampfes verhafteten Arbeiter*innen! แฏโค Eine angemessene Entschรคdigung fรผr die Angehรถrigen der Verstorbenen nach der Gasexplosion in Ashulia am 20. September 2026! แฏโค Eine gute medizinische Versorgung fรผr die Verletzten! แฏโค Entschรคdigung fรผr entgangene Arbeitsstunden! แฏโค Eine unabhรคngige Untersuchung darรผber, wie es zu der Explosion kommen konnte! แฏโค Die Einrichtung von Sicherheitsausschรผssen in jeder Fabrik unterstรผtzen! แฏโค Das Durchsetzung strenger Sicherheitsvorschriften!
Initiiert von:
แฏโค Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC), Bangladesch แฏโค International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) Working Group Asia
Unterzeichner*innen:
แฏโค All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions (APFUTU) แฏโค Dabindu Collective Union | Sri Lanka แฏโค Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) แฏโค Free Workers’ Union (FAU), international committee | Germany แฏโค International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) แฏโค …
Some of you might still remember the struggle for an increase in minimum wages in the garment sector of Bangladesh in 2023. Back then the situation escalated. The para-military forces known as BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) were deployed, factories burnt and at least five workers in the clashes. In the end the minimum wage was raised to 12,500 BDT (currently 90 EUR | 101 USD) as announced by the wage board. It was not enough for a life in dignity back than and it also also not enough three years later – after more than 30% inflation.
Therefore workers started to take to the streets again this month. Thousands rallied in the streets of Uttara, in Dhaka, on October 17th. The protest was attacked by riot police leaving at least 50 people injured.
For some garment workers, earning Tk 19,000 to Tk 20,000 a month means working 15 to 16 hours a day, including overtime, labour representatives told The Daily Star.
Even then, their earnings barely cover rent, food, childrenโs education and medicine. One representative said monthly rent for accommodation that cost Tk 2,500 a few years ago has risen to around Tk 7,500.
The Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC) released the following statement:
Workers of the world, unite! Garment Workers Trade Union Center Head Office: Mukti Bhaban (8th Floor), 2 Kamrul Muni Singh Road, Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000. Contact: 01914805890, 01636021181, 01848988800
Press Release 16 October 2026
A meeting of the central executive committee of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center was held. The minimum wage in the garment industry must be declared at Tk 35,000.
At a meeting of the central executive committee of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center, held on Thursday, the organizationโs leaders stated that garment workers have long been deprived of their rightful wages. They said that the current minimum wage of Tk 12,500 is inadequate in light of the rising cost of living and the prices of essential goods. They called for an immediate movement to demand a minimum wage of Tk 35,000 through a systematic and organized process.nnThe meeting stated that the wages of garment workers are determined through a legally prescribed process involving negotiations between employers and workers. Therefore, it is necessary for workers to raise their wage demands accurately and in an organized manner. The Garment Workers Trade Union Center believes that, given current market conditions, the industryโs productivity, the value added to manufactured goods, and workersโ contributions, the minimum wage in the garment industry cannot reasonably be less than Tk 35,000.nnToday, Friday, 16 October 2026, a meeting of the central executive committee of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center was held at 10:00 a.m. at the organizationโs central office in Mukti Bhaban, Dhaka. The meeting was presided over by the organizationโs president, freedom fighter Mantu Ghosh and its general secretary Sadekur Rahman Shamim, conducted the proceedings. Among those who spoke were Vice President Joly Talukder, Ziaul Kabir Khokan, Deputy General Secretary Monzur Moin, Central Commitee Member Dulal Saha, Mohammad Shahjahan, Azizul Islam among others. At the meeting, the Garment Workers Trade Union Centerโs leaders called for the formation of a wage board for the garment industry and for the announcement and implementation of a new wage structure for garment workers as soon as possible. They also urged the government to play a responsible role in ensuring genuine worker representation on the wage board.
The leaders of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center stated that workers must be able to negotiate effectively with employers when determining wages. They noted that in the most recent wage-setting process in 2023, workers demanded a minimum wage of Tk 25,000, but the final amount was set at only Tk 12,500. Drawing on this experience, they emphasized that workers must strengthen their organizational capacity and unity to achieve their demands through meaningful and effective collective action.nnAddressing fellow workers, the leaders said that workers must organize themselves, build unity, and increase their ability to raise demands collectively. They stressed that the strength of workersโ organizations is essential to securing their rightful wages.nnThe leaders of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center appealed to the public, stating that even when workers work overtime, many still cannot meet their familiesโ basic needs. Considering the actual cost of living and the current economic situation, they called for an immediate campaign to increase garment workersโ minimum monthly wage. They urged all conscientious members of society to support this demand. The meeting concluded that the campaign for higher wages must proceed through lawful, democratic, and organized means. The Garment Workers Trade Union Center called on all workersโ organizations to unite and work together in support of the movement.
Video in Portuguese made by comrades of UTT (Brazil) in solidarity with the struggle of garment workers in Bangladesh:
In case a call for solidarity with the minimum wage movement is released, it will also be published here. So make sure to check out this page regularly or subscribe to the GMD mailing list.
The following report and call for solidarity was shared with the GMD mailing list by Uniรฃo Terra e Trabalho (UTT) on Amazon customer service workers in Cearรก, Brazil, who earn less than the national minimum wage.
MINIMUM WAGE FOR AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKERS IN CEARร, BRAZIL
October 19, 2026
In Cearรก, in Brazil’s Northeast, more than 500 Amazon customer service workers earn about R$ 1,389 (US$ 279) a month, less than the country’s minimum wage of R$ 1,621 (US$ 326). In Sรฃo Paulo, people doing the same job earn twice as much, according to the workers. The case is local, but the method is global: Amazon organizes work on a world scale and pays according to where the worker lives.
Internationalist report from Uniรฃo Terra e Trabalho (UTT, Land and Labor Union) to revolutionary syndicalist organizations and grassroots unions around the world. Amounts in Brazilian reais (R$) and US dollars, at R$ 4.975 per US$ 1 (October 6, 2026).
Who we are
Uniรฃo Terra e Trabalho (UTT) is a Brazilian revolutionary syndicalist organization. It was founded on October 18, 2026, building on years of grassroots work in states across several regions of the country. We organize the working class where it works and where it lives.
We are writing to working-class organizations because Amazon is a global boss that uses the borders between countries, and between regions of a single country, to pay less. Our response has to cross those borders too.
there are more than 500 active workers in several cities across Cearรก, and hundreds more who have already left;
they work 36 hours a week and earn about R$ 1,389 a month;
in Sรฃo Paulo, the same job, with the same training and the same hours, pays about twice as much;
every month most of them find errors in their pay slips, and one worker went almost two months without the correct wage.
What Amazon itself publishes confirms the picture. A 2025 job posting for Cearรก offered R$ 1,280 when the minimum wage was R$ 1,518, that is, 84% of it, and required applicants to live in the state. Workers supply the room, the desk, the chair and the broadband connection.
The numbers
Workers fall R$ 232 (US$ 47) a month short of the minimum wage.
Paying the minimum would cost the company at least R$ 3,090 (US$ 622) per worker per year, including the 13th-month salary and vacation pay. For 500 workers, that is R$ 1.55 million (US$ 311,000).
Amazon organizes customer service as a single operation: same system, same training, same customers. What changes is the price it pays per hour, depending on where the worker lives. Within Brazil, Cearรก is the cheapest place. Between countries, the pattern repeats.
Hire where wages are lowest. The job requires living in Cearรก, even though the work is remote and serves the whole country.
Tie the wage to the place. Brazilian law applies to remote work the rules and collective agreements of the place where the worker is assigned (CLT, art. 75-B, ยง 7). The same job ends up being worth less in the Northeast.
Escape the sector. Amazon says it is a retailer, not a telemarketing company, and so escapes the collective agreements that guarantee more than the minimum wage for 36 hours.
Remote work could erase distance. The company does the opposite: it turns each worker’s home into a workstation and picks the cheapest labor without ever changing its address. It is the same logic that moves factories and call centers to wherever wages are lower. The answer is also the same: organize across the borders the boss uses to divide us.
Working less cannot mean earning less
Amazon relies on a guideline of Brazil’s Superior Labor Court (TST), OJ 358, which allows a proportional minimum wage for those who work fewer than 44 hours a week. But the 36 hours are not the company’s choice. They are the legal limit for call center work, set by a federal health and safety standard, NR-17, Annex II, which states: “without loss of pay”. The shorter working week exists to protect people who deal with the public all day, not to cut wages.
Brazil has just affirmed the same principle. On October 14, 2026, the Senate approved, by 75 votes to 1, the constitutional amendment that cuts the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours with no reduction in pay (O Liberal). Amazon in Cearรก does the opposite: fewer hours, lower pay.
Demands
UTT supports the workers’ demands:
No wage below the national minimum: R$ 1,621 for the 36-hour call center working week.
Recognition of the job as call center work, with all the health protections of NR-17: 6-hour shifts, breaks and protection against abusive targets.
Same work, same pay: an end to the gap between Cearรก and Sรฃo Paulo.
Correct payroll, paid on time.
No retaliation against those who spoke out.
What we ask of working-class organizations
Take up this conflict as a cause of solidarity: public statements, letters and messages to Amazon in your countries.
Translate and share this report in the languages and channels of each organization. We also have a short video in Portuguese, with the worker’s voice, which we can send to anyone who wants to subtitle it. The reverse could also be interesting.
Bring the case to the international grassroots networks you take part in, such as Global May Day.
Send us information on wages and working hours in Amazon customer service in your countries, so that we can document together how the company exploits the differences between regions and countries.
Put us in touch with workers and grassroots unions in Amazon customer service and warehouses, to exchange organizing experience.
The Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC) informs about a gas explosion at a garment factory run by Pretty Composite Textiles Ltd last Sunday (September 20th). The factory is located in Ashulia, a small town just in front of the gates of Dhaka and is part of the Pretty Group – or as they describe themselves: “Bangladesh’s No.1 RMG Conglomerate”. (prettygroupbd.com). Their main customers include brands such as BESTSELLER, C&A, GAP, NEXT, uniqlo and ZARA selling their products in Europe, the Americas as well as the Asia-Pacific region.
Seven workers died – six inside the factory premises and one outside – and at least 25 were injured as a result of the explosion. (thedailystar.net) According to the Fire Service and Department of Explosives the gas transportation and use system was “completely illegal and unsafe”. UPDATE (Sept. 24th): The final number of casualties is still not confirmed. According to comrades on the ground several people are still missing. Latest media reports inform about 9 people killed and 35 injured due to the blast.
Confirming the matter, Ashulia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Tarikul Islam told The Business Standard, “A case of culpable homicide has been filed over the cylinder explosion at the Pretty Group factory premises. Sub-Inspector Abu Taleb filed the case as the complainant, naming six responsible officials of Pretty Group and 10 to 12 unidentified people as accused.”
In reaction comrades of the GWTUC rallied in Dhaka spontaneously and released the below statement.
On the banner ist says:
Workers of the world, unite! This is not an accident, it is institutional murder of workers due to negligence. Ensure justice, fair compensation, and proper medical treatment for the incident at the Pretty Group factory premises in Jamgora, Ashulia, where at least 7 people lost their lives and many were injured due to the illegal and highly risky transportation of gas cylinders. Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center
Below a translation of the press release by GWTUC is published. The original in Bangla can be accessed here.
Workers of the World, Unite!
Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center Head Office: Mukti Bhaban (4th Floor), 2 Comrade Moni Singh Road, Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000.
Press Release 21 September 2026
GWTUC protests explosion at Pretty Group’s garment factory in Ashulia
This Loss of Life is Not an Accident, It is Negligence-Driven Labor Homicide
Demand for Trial, Fair Compensation, and Proper Medical Treatment
Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center has expresses deep anger and protest over the death of 8 people so far and the injuries of many people in an explosion and fire caused by illegal and highly risky gas cylinder transportation on the premises of the Pretty Group factory in Jamgora, Ashulia. There is no scope to evade responsibility by calling this incident a mere “accident.” This loss of life has occurred due to failure to ensure safety at the workers’ workplace, and because no effective measures were taken to stop unsafe and illegal gas cylinder transportation and risky operations. This is a negligence-driven labor homicide, and those responsible must bear the liability.
Today at 5:00 PM, a protest rally was held by GWTUC in the Purana Paltan and National Press Club areas. Following the rally, a protest meeting was held under the chairmanship of Advocate Montu Ghosh, President of GWTUC, and conducted by General Secretary Sadekur Rahman Shamim. Central leaders including Vice President Joly Talukder, Central Leader Dulal Saha, and Azizul Islam spoke at the meeting.
At the rally, the GWTUC leadership stated that workers’ lives are more valuable than any institutional profit. It is repeatedly observed that factories and industrial sectors violate safety regulations, transport flammable and dangerous substances illegally, and workers have to pay with their lives for the negligence of the authorities. The authorities concerned must answer for what steps they took regarding safety, how such risky transportation was approved, and who is responsible for the lapse in safety. The owners, the concerned establishment, and the responsible state agencies cannot escape accountability for this gross negligence or irresponsibility. GWTUC demands the immediate formation of an independent and acceptable inquiry committee to uncover the true causes of the incident and identify those responsible. Workers will not accept any attempt to delay the investigation or protect the culprits. The investigation report must be made public, and exemplary punitive action must be taken against the responsible individuals, establishments, and concerned officials. At the same time, safety regulations must be strictly enforced, and regular inspections must be ensured regarding the transportation and use of all types of hazardous and flammable substances, including gas cylinders, in industrial sectors.
GWTUC demands fair and adequate compensation for each deceased worker’s family in accordance with the ILO Convention, long-term financial security due to the loss of earning members, and the rehabilitation of the affected families. Furthermore the highest quality of medical treatment for the injured must be ensured at government expense, and compensation must be provided for medical costs, loss of work capacity, and future livelihood damage. Under no circumstances can the burden of the workers’ treatment or compensation be shifted onto their families.
GWTUC emphasizes that workers’ safety is a right, not a charity. Due to the lack of safety in workplaces, catastrophic deaths of workers are allowed to happen one after another. For every loss of life, liability must be fixed, and trial and fair compensation must be ensured. The state and the owners cannot avoid their liability by not taking measures to protect workers’ lives and instead showing negligence after an incident by paying some compensation. In the future, to prevent such homicides, effective safety committees must be formed with the participation of workers, and safety regulations must be implemented.
GWTUC expresses deep condolences to the families of the deceased and solidarity with the injured, demanding immediate trial, fair compensation, and proper medical treatment. Any negligence, failure, or attempt to evade liability regarding workers’ lives would not be tolerated. The united movement of the workers will continue to ensure the trial of those responsible and the safety of workers.
Sender: Lutfar Rahman Akash, Office Secretary
ASHULIA (BANGLADESH): EXPLOSรO DE CILINDRO DE GรS EM FรBRICA DE CONFECรรES MATA 7 E FERE PELO MENOS 25 TRABALHADORE
O Centro Sindical dos Trabalhadores do Vestuรกrio (GWTUC) informa sobre uma explosรฃo de gรกs ocorrida em uma fรกbrica de confecรงรตes administrada pela Pretty Composite Textiles Ltd no รบltimo domingo (20 de setembro). A fรกbrica estรก localizada em Ashulia, uma pequena cidade situada logo em frente aos portรตes de Dhaka, e faz parte do Pretty Group, ou, como o prรณprio grupo se descreve: o โConglomerado de RMG nยบ 1 de Bangladeshโ. (prettygroupbd.com) Seus principais clientes incluem marcas como BESTSELLER, C&A, GAP, NEXT, Uniqlo e ZARA, que comercializam seus produtos na Europa, nas Amรฉricas e tambรฉm na regiรฃo รsia-Pacรญfico.
Sete trabalhadores morreram, seis dentro das instalaรงรตes da fรกbrica e um do lado de fora, e pelo menos 25 ficaram feridos em consequรชncia da explosรฃo. (thedailystar.net) De acordo com o Corpo de Bombeiros e o Departamento de Explosivos, o sistema de transporte e utilizaรงรฃo de gรกs era โcompletamente ilegal e inseguroโ. ATUALIZAรรO (24 de setembro): O nรบmero final de vรญtimas ainda nรฃo foi confirmado. De acordo com companheiros que estรฃo no local, vรกrias pessoas continuam desaparecidas. As รบltimas notรญcias da mรญdia informam que 9 pessoas morreram e 35 ficaram feridas devido ร explosรฃo.
Confirmando o ocorrido, o chefe da Delegacia de Polรญcia de Ashulia (OC), Mohammad Tarikul Islam, declarou ao The Business Standard: โFoi registrado um processo por homicรญdio culposo em razรฃo da explosรฃo do cilindro nas instalaรงรตes da fรกbrica do Pretty Group. O subinspetor Abu Taleb apresentou a denรบncia, nomeando seis funcionรกrios responsรกveis do Pretty Group e outras 10 a 12 pessoas nรฃo identificadas como acusados.โ
Em reaรงรฃo ao ocorrido, companheiros do GWTUC realizaram espontaneamente uma manifestaรงรฃo em Dhaka e divulgaram a declaraรงรฃo abaixo.
TEXTO DO CARTAZ:
Trabalhadores do mundo, uni-vos! Isto nรฃo รฉ um acidente, รฉ um homicรญdio institucional de trabalhadores provocado por negligรชncia. Exigimos justiรงa, indenizaรงรฃo justa e tratamento mรฉdico adequado pelo ocorrido nas instalaรงรตes da fรกbrica do Pretty Group, em Jamgora, Ashulia, onde pelo menos 7 pessoas perderam a vida e muitas ficaram feridas devido ao transporte ilegal e altamente arriscado de cilindros de gรกs. Centro Sindical dos Trabalhadores do Vestuรกrio
Abaixo, รฉ publicada a traduรงรฃo do comunicado de imprensa do GWTUC. O original, em bengali, pode ser acessado na publicaรงรฃo original.
TRABALHADORES DO MUNDO, UNI-VOS!
Sede do Centro Sindical dos Trabalhadores do Vestuรกrio (GWTUC): Mukti Bhaban (4ยบ andar), 2 Comrade Moni Singh Road, Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000.
NOTA DE IMPRENSA 21 de setembro de 2026
GWTUC PROTESTA CONTRA EXPLOSรO EM FรBRICA DE CONFECรรES DO PRETTY GROUP, EM ASHULIA
Esta perda de vidas nรฃo รฉ um acidente, รฉ um homicรญdio laboral provocado por negligรชncia.
Exigimos julgamento, indenizaรงรฃo justa e tratamento mรฉdico adequado
O Centro Sindical dos Trabalhadores do Vestuรกrio (GWTUC) expressa profunda indignaรงรฃo e protesto diante da morte de 8 pessoas, atรฉ o momento, e dos ferimentos sofridos por muitas outras em uma explosรฃo e incรชndio causados pelo transporte ilegal e altamente arriscado de cilindros de gรกs nas instalaรงรตes da fรกbrica do Pretty Group, em Jamgora, Ashulia.
Nรฃo hรก qualquer possibilidade de fugir da responsabilidade classificando este episรณdio simplesmente como um โacidenteโ. Essas mortes ocorreram em razรฃo da ausรชncia de medidas adequadas para garantir a seguranรงa no local de trabalho e da falta de providรชncias efetivas para impedir o transporte inseguro e ilegal de cilindros de gรกs e outras operaรงรตes de risco. Trata-se de um homicรญdio laboral provocado por negligรชncia, e os responsรกveis devem responder por isso.
Hoje, ร s 17h, o GWTUC realizou um ato de protesto nas รกreas de Purana Paltan e do National Press Club. Apรณs a manifestaรงรฃo, foi realizada uma reuniรฃo de protesto, presidida pelo advogado Montu Ghosh, presidente do GWTUC, e conduzida pelo secretรกrio-geral Sadekur Rahman Shamim. Tambรฉm falaram na reuniรฃo lideranรงas centrais, entre elas a vice-presidente Joly Talukder, o dirigente central Dulal Saha e Azizul Islam. Durante a manifestaรงรฃo, a direรงรฃo do GWTUC afirmou que a vida dos trabalhadores vale mais do que qualquer lucro institucional.
Repetidamente, observa-se que fรกbricas e setores industriais violam normas de seguranรงa, transportam ilegalmente substรขncias inflamรกveis e perigosas, e os trabalhadores acabam pagando com suas vidas pela negligรชncia das autoridades.
As autoridades responsรกveis devem responder sobre quais medidas adotaram em relaรงรฃo ร seguranรงa, como esse transporte de alto risco foi autorizado e quem รฉ responsรกvel pelas falhas de seguranรงa. Os proprietรกrios, o estabelecimento envolvido e os รณrgรฃos estatais responsรกveis nรฃo podem escapar da responsabilizaรงรฃo por essa grave negligรชncia ou irresponsabilidade.
O GWTUC exige a formaรงรฃo imediata de uma comissรฃo de investigaรงรฃo independente e aceitรกvel, capaz de revelar as verdadeiras causas do ocorrido e identificar os responsรกveis.
Os trabalhadores nรฃo aceitarรฃo qualquer tentativa de atrasar a investigaรงรฃo ou proteger os culpados. O relatรณrio da investigaรงรฃo deve ser tornado pรบblico, e medidas punitivas exemplares devem ser adotadas contra as pessoas, estabelecimentos e autoridades responsรกveis.
Ao mesmo tempo, as normas de seguranรงa devem ser rigorosamente aplicadas, e inspeรงรตes regulares devem ser asseguradas quanto ao transporte e ร utilizaรงรฃo de todos os tipos de substรขncias perigosas e inflamรกveis, incluindo cilindros de gรกs, nos setores industriais.
O GWTUC exige indenizaรงรฃo justa e adequada para as famรญlias de cada trabalhador morto, de acordo com as convenรงรตes da OIT, bem como seguranรงa financeira de longo prazo diante da perda dos membros responsรกveis pela geraรงรฃo de renda e medidas de reabilitaรงรฃo para as famรญlias afetadas.
Alรฉm disso, deve ser assegurado, ร s custas do governo, o tratamento mรฉdico da mais alta qualidade para os trabalhadores feridos, bem como o pagamento das despesas mรฉdicas e de indenizaรงรตes relativas ร perda da capacidade laboral e aos danos futuros ร subsistรชncia.
Em nenhuma circunstรขncia o รดnus do tratamento ou da indenizaรงรฃo dos trabalhadores pode ser transferido para suas famรญlias.
O GWTUC enfatiza que a seguranรงa dos trabalhadores รฉ um direito, nรฃo uma caridade. Devido ร falta de seguranรงa nos locais de trabalho, mortes catastrรณficas de trabalhadores continuam acontecendo umas apรณs as outras.
Para cada vida perdida, deve haver responsabilizaรงรฃo, julgamento e indenizaรงรฃo justa. O Estado e os proprietรกrios nรฃo podem se eximir de sua responsabilidade por nรฃo adotarem medidas para proteger a vida dos trabalhadores e, depois de uma tragรฉdia, demonstrarem negligรชncia ao simplesmente oferecer alguma compensaรงรฃo.
No futuro, para impedir que tais homicรญdios voltem a acontecer, devem ser formados comitรชs de seguranรงa efetivos com a participaรงรฃo dos trabalhadores, e as normas de seguranรงa devem ser implementadas. O GWTUC expressa suas profundas condolรชncias ร s famรญlias das pessoas mortas e sua solidariedade aos trabalhadores feridos, exigindo julgamento imediato, indenizaรงรฃo justa e tratamento mรฉdico adequado. Qualquer negligรชncia, falha ou tentativa de fugir da responsabilidade em relaรงรฃo ร vida dos trabalhadores nรฃo serรก tolerada.
A luta unificada dos trabalhadores continuarรก para garantir a responsabilizaรงรฃo dos culpados e a seguranรงa dos trabalhadores.
Remetente: Lutfar Rahman Akash, Secretรกrio de Organizaรงรฃo
The Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center (TWTUC) shares this report:
Today is May 20th. On this very day in 1921, one of the most barbaric and brutal massacres in the history of the subcontinent took place at the Meghna Ghat in Chandpur. Falling victim to the cruelty of the British colonial rulers, thousands of innocent tea plantation workers lost their lives on that day.
Around the 19th century, the British rulers cleared the hilly terrains of Assam and Sylhet to establish the tea industry. To meet the labor shortage in these plantations, poor and indigenous people from regions like Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Madras in India were lured with the fictional promise of “Gaach hilayega, paisa milega” (shake the tree and money will fall). In reality, however, their lives became confined within the four walls of the tea gardens. They were given ‘tea tokens’ as nominal wages, which were entirely useless outside the plantations. Consequently, these workers were forced into a life of virtual slavery.
In 1921, after 70 long years of exploitation and torture, the daily wages of the workers were slashed to a mere 3 paisa under the pretext of a global recession. Faced with this ultimate humiliation and inspired by the passionate call of the ongoing Non-Cooperation Movement, around 30,000 tea workers simultaneously declared a rebellion. Their slogan was “Mulluk Chalo” (Let’s return to our homeland). Even though the British administration and plantation owners conspired to halt all train and steamer services, the workers set off on foot. Over the course of a long week, thousands of starving workersโincluding women, children, and the elderlyโcrossed hundreds of miles to reach the Meghna Ghat in Chandpur.
On May 19th, as the workers were boarding a ship, a sudden armed assault was launched upon them, and the ship’s gangplank was removed, causing many to drown in the river. Later, during the deep state of night on May 20th, while the exhausted workers lay asleep on the platforms of the Chandpur railway station, Gurkha soldiersโacting on the orders of the British administrationโcharged at them with unsheathed bayonets and firearms. In this indiscriminately executed genocide, the bodies of thousands of slain workers were dumped and floated away into the Meghna River. The rest were forcibly driven back into the slavery of the tea plantations.
Although there had been an indirect call from the major political parties of the time behind this movement, the only fierce protest against this atrocity was forged by the workers’ union of the ‘Assam Bengal Railway’. For the offense of staging a continuous two-and-a-half-month strike under the leadership of Deshapriya Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, nearly 5,000 railway employees were terminated from their jobs. Today, more than a century has passed. The history of the Meghna’s waters being stained with the blood of tea workers remains unwritten in our textbooks. We bear the legacy of the sacrifices made by these heroic workers who have been ignored by the pages of history. We shall fight the battle for our rights forever.
Program organized by the Tea Workers Trade Union Centre (เฆเฆพ-เฆถเงเฆฐเฆฎเฆฟเฆ เฆเงเฆฐเงเฆก เฆเฆเฆจเฆฟเงเฆจ เฆเงเฆจเงเฆฆเงเฆฐ):
1. List of Tea Gardens (by District)
The poster lists various tea gardens across three major districts in the Sylhet division:
Moulvibazar District (เฆฎเงเฆฒเฆญเงเฆฌเฆพเฆเฆพเฆฐ)
This year the labour union Sindikasi Yogyakarta (Indonesia) endorsed a call on the Global May Day platform for the first time. They joined the Yogyakarta May Day rally and shared the following report with the GMD mailing list:
Dear comrades, we from SINDIKASI Yogyakarta gladly sending our report that including our public statement and demands, actions report, and the documentation. The statement and demands can be accessed through the PDF file I attached here.
Quick report: SINDIKASI Yogyakarta becoming part of biggest labor demonstration in the City. We realize that this situation not really ideal since this big movement is coopted by the Labor Party and “yellow” unionists. But here is our only option. What we can do is intervention by creating space for marginalize workers such as women, queer, and youth workers in Yogyakarta to join the protest safely without any intimidation. We also doing the speech to spread the situation of creative sector’ workers and the marginalize workers to more wide audience. We printing more than hundred of our statement & demands text, cute and propaganda poster, etc. The protest was widely joined by more than 300 people and SINDIKASI is leading our 50-60 members and supporters during the protest.
We created a safe space, fun session, singing and dancing, speech and screaming out our demands, medical assistance, etc. We are proud to say that we succesfully intervened the protest and organized a safe space for marginalized workers in Yogyakarta May Day 2026. All documentation and photos can be seen through the a post in our Instagram with this link.
In rage and solidarity, SINDIKASI Yogyakarta
Text of the attached pdf. as shared with the email:
STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL WORKERSโ DAY 2026 YOGYAKARTA MEDIA AND CREATIVE INDUSTRY WORKERS UNION FOR DEMOCRACY (SINDIKASI YOGYAKARTA)
โFlexible Work, Increasingly Unlivable Lives: It Is Time for Yogyakartaโs Creative Workers to Organize!โ
International Workersโ Day 2026 arrives amid a deepening political and economic crisis. The collapse of the formal sector has accelerated the expansion of informal labor, especially among young people. In Yogyakarta, this pressure is felt most strongly within the media, arts, and creative industries, sectors often celebrated as the โeconomy of the future,โ yet in reality marked by precarity and exploitation.
Hundreds of thousands of creative workers labor without contracts, receive substandard wages, endure unlimited working hours, and lack social protection. The โflexibilityโ promised as freedom has instead become a mechanism for employers to evade responsibility. Power relations have grown increasingly unequal, while labor violations have become normalized.
The state has not only failed to provide decent work, but has also submitted itself to the interests of capital and the regime of labor flexibility. New and exploitative forms of work such as freelance, project-based, and gig economy labor have emerged without adequate legal protection. As a result, many workers are trapped in conditions of precarity, working without recognition, without certainty, and without guarantees of a dignified life.
Informalization has now become the norm. Workers are forced to bear all occupational risks, from production tools to healthcare coverage without compensation. Wage standards remain unclear, while demands for professionalism continue to rise. Under these conditions, work no longer guarantees survival.
In Yogyakarta, this situation is even more ironic. A city branded as โspecialโ has instead become a place where workers survive on low wages while the cost of living continues to rise. Yogyakarta cannot truly be called special as long as its workers are unable to live decently.
This crisis is also connected to rising unemployment, waves of layoffs, and shrinking access to work. Vulnerable groups, including women, freelance workers, artists, queer workers, persons with disabilities, street workers, and those over the age of 30 face layered barriers and are pushed into informal sectors rife with risk and discrimination.
Amid this situation, state policies remain incapable of responding to reality. Wage standards do not cover freelance workers, social security systems remain exclusionary, and the creative sector has yet to be properly recognized within labor systems. Even platform-based labor practices such as online ride-hailing services demonstrate weak oversight, with platform deductions frequently exceeding established limits.
May Day must not stop at symbolic ceremony. It must become a momentum to strengthen organizing efforts and cross-sector solidarity.
Therefore, SINDIKASI Yogyakarta puts forward the following demands:
Decent wages and price control โ Wage increases based on decent living needs (KHL) standards relevant across generations, accompanied by inflation control and affordable basic necessities.
Recognition of creative and freelance workers within labor systems โ Including wage standards, employment contracts, working hours, social security (BPJS), and holiday allowances (THR).
The creation of a new inclusive labor law โ One that protects all workers without exception, abolishes exploitative practices such as outsourcing, and suppresses mass layoffs.
Universal social protection for all workers โ Including healthcare access, pension guarantees, social assistance, decent housing, and labor protection.
The use of public assets for workersโ welfare โ Including the utilization of Sultan Ground, Pakualaman Ground, and other state/regional assets as decent and affordable housing for the working class.
Protection from discrimination โ For women workers, queer and gender-diverse workers, persons with disabilities, and the abolition of discriminatory age limits in employment.
Improved conditions for platform and gig workers โ Including transparency and limitations on platform fee deductions.
Recognition and protection for journalists, media workers, and CSO workers โ Including guarantees of workplace safety, legal protection, adequate facilities, and decent labor standards.
Protection for informal and street workers โ Including trans women and other vulnerable groups from violence and criminalization.
Worker-oriented economic policies โ Including progressive taxation on conglomerates to fund welfare programs for the working class.
Expanded parental leave rights โ Including three months of leave before childbirth and six months after childbirth for working-class parents, as well as safe, affordable, and adequate childcare facilities.
An end to the exploitation of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) โ Including guarantees for the safety of workers trapped in conflict zones, and the promotion of an active Indonesian diplomacy against war, imperialism, and colonialism, including colonialism within our own land.
May Day is not merely a symbolic occasion. It is a space to build collective power. In the face of an increasingly fragmented world of work, only through organizing and solidarity can workers reclaim control over their labor and their lives.
Long Live the Workers! Long Live Creative Workers! Long Live Solidarity!
The following statement was released by the Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) to commemorate May Day this year.
Statement on the 140th International Workers’ Day
1 May 2026
On this 140th International Workers’ Day, the Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) pledges to strive toward achieving democracy in our country and the formation of workers-led labor unions in the workplaces.
More than 130 years ago, workersโ fight for the right to “8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of leisureโ still remains a struggle for factory workers in Myanmar today. Under various forms of oppression from employers and the state, workers must labor for more than 12 hours a day just to survive. Furthermore, current daily wages are insufficient to cover the costs of living due to skyrocketing commodity prices.
Myanmarโs industrial zones, which remain under military rule, have become primary sites for systemic exploitation and oppression. Employers systematically enforce forced labor, utilize child labor, and crush attempts to organize workplace labor unions. In addition, they divide the workforce through various means, exploiting legal loopholes to form employer-led labor organizations (yellow unions) as a tool for suppression.
The arrest, killing, and targeted discrimination against Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) workers and labor leaders who resisted the military dictatorship continue. Following the enactment of the conscription law in 2024, adult male and female workers have been forced to abandon their workplaces and flee abroad to work in hazardous environments without protection or guarantees. There, they face oppression from host governments and employers, while the military council in Myanmar pressures their families, threatens them, and forcibly collects taxes on their overseas wages. We believe that liberation from these multifaceted forms of oppression is only possible by overthrowing the (military) dictatorship once and for all. The FGWM honors the 140th International Workers’ Day by pledging to strive for labor solidarityโlocally and internationallyโand for the attainment of democracy in our country.
Oppressed people, unite! Rise if oppressed, fight if suppressed! Workers of the world, unite!
Demands for the 140th International Workers’ Day
The Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) hereby demands:
Demands to factory and workshop owners profiting from the labor of workers:
1. To provide a living minimum wage of 20,000 MMK for an 8-hour workday (excluding overtime).
2. To ensure adequate healthcare and implement safety measures within the workplace.
3. To immediately stop forced labor (forced overtime without consent), direct instruction by foreigners, physical abuse, and sexual harassment against women in the workplace.
4. To provide free sanitary pads for female workers in the workplace and to waive production quotas for workers during pregnancy and menstruation.
5. To immediately stop the luring of women with financial incentives for (marriage) to China and all forms of human trafficking.
6. To stop forming “Yellow Unions” that do not represent workers, to stop forcing unions to register with the military puppetโs Ministry of Labor, to stop the disclosure of workers’ personal data to the military council, and to halt the surveillance of labor union activities through CCTV.
Demands to International Brands, who accumulates the most profit from the exploitation of labor at your supplier factories:
7. To take effective responsibility and accountability for workplace violations committed by owners of direct or subcontracted factories manufacturing your purchase orders.
8. To collaborate with employers of your supplier factories to ensure workers receive a living minimum wage of 20,000 MMK for an 8-hour workday (excluding overtime) and to not turn a blind eye to factories violating labor and human rights. We demand you to take accountability through practical action to fulfill these demands.
Demands to International Labor Rights, Human Rights Organizations, and Political Forces:
9. To put effective pressure on the military dictator to stop the forced registration, portaging and conscription of industrial zone workers and the returning migrant workers. Additionally, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all unjustly detained labor leaders.
10. To support the local and migrant workers for their rights to form independent, worker-led unions and workplace safety in accordance with respective labor laws.
11. To support civil servants who joined the CDM and to assist in strengthening the public service unions.
A focal point of Global May Day 2026 is the struggle of tea plantation workers in Bangladesh and their ten point charter. The Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center (TWTUC) supports the call to action and Monisha of TWTUC prepared this message, which can be used to inform about the struggle at May Day rallies worldwide.
You can listen to the audio below and also check out the transcription. A version with a German translation is currently in the making and will be published here by Tuesday (April 28th).
A version with a translation in German was produced by Toni Spark (FAU Hamburg):
DOWNLOAD: English | Deutsch (download mp3 with “right click” and “save as”)
Transcript:
Revolutionary greetings from the tea gardens of Bangladesh to our comrades around the world. We stand with you this May Day.
The pattern of exploitation is the same everywhere in the world. But so is our spirit of resistance. The Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center is currently mobilizing for a ten point charter of rights. We are demanding a minimum daily wage of 600 Taka and an end to the manipulation of weight measurements. We demand the legal ownership of the land our ancestors cultivated for generations and the official recognition of our divers ethnic identities and languages. Our struggle is for basic humanity. We are fighting for functional health care in every garden, for clean drinking water and for the rights of our women workers; including paid maternity leave and an end to violence. We refuse to be treated as relics of the colonial past. We are the backbone of this industry and we demand our share. As you march throughout the world today, remember the tea workers in Bangladesh. Our revolution is bound together. Together let us build a world, free of exploitation.
