- The Guardian
- Issue #2187
FIGHT GENOCIDE, WAR, AND EXPLOITATION
May Day was born in struggle, forged in the fight for the eight-hour day and won through the sacrifice of workers like the Chicago martyrs. It became our Global Day of Class struggle and international solidarity. Exploitation and war are not natural, they are products of a system we can overturn. From the beginning, May Day linked local battles with the worldwide fight against capitalism and imperialism. Today, as crises deepen and wars spread, our unity in struggle is more urgent than ever.
STOP GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE – END THE US-ISRAEL WAR ON IRAN
This May Day is marked by the horror of ongoing genocide in Palestine and a full scale US–Israel war on Iran as well as the occupation of Lebanon. In Gaza, the Israeli state, backed by US imperialism, has carried out systematic destruction: tens of thousands killed, homes, hospitals and universities levelled, famine deliberately created. Yet the Palestinian people continue to resist with extraordinary courage, demanding liberation from occupation and apartheid.
Now Washington and Tel Aviv have opened a new front: a direct war on Iran.
Massive joint air and missile strikes have hit Iranian cities and infrastructure, killing thousands of people, and pushing the region to the brink of even greater catastrophe.
This war is not about “democracy” or “security”; it is part of a long imperialist project to dominate the Middle East, control energy routes and crush any state or movement that refuses to submit.
Australia is not neutral. Through AUKUS, US bases, intelligence sharing, and diplomatic cover for Israel, our ruling class has tied us to US war plans and made workers here complicit in aggression abroad.
On May Day we raise clear demands:
- End all Australian military, diplomatic and economic support for the US–Israel war on Iran and the genocide in Palestine and occupation of Lebanon
- Break with AUKUS and close bases and facilities that serve US wars
- Redirect war spending to housing, health, education and climate action
- Mobilise against the wars ruining your lives
The struggle for Palestinian freedom and against war on Iran is inseparable from the wider fight against imperialism.
AUTOMATION, AI – TECHNOLOGY IN WORKERSí HANDS
From ports and warehouses to offices and hospitals, automation and artificial intelligence are transforming work. Under capitalism, these technologies are introduced to cut jobs, intensify exploitation and weaken unions. Automated terminals and warehouses slash staffing, fragment the workforce and erode hard won conditions. AI systems are used to monitor workers, speed up workloads and strip away human control.
Yet these tools could help liberate us if they were under workers’ and community control. Automation and AI could reduce drudgery, shorten the working week with no loss of pay, and expand access to vital services and culture. The problem is not technology itself, but who owns and directs it.
This May Day we demand:
- No automation without agreement, job guarantees and retraining on full pay
- Union oversight of new technologies and workplace data
- Public ownership and democratic control of key digital infrastructure
- Change the Fair Work Act so any introduction of Automation or AI gives full bargaining rights to workers including industrial action
The fight over automation and AI is a fight over the future of work – and over whether workers or capital will shape that future.
SOLIDARITY WITH SOCIALIST CUBA
In a world torn by war, inequality and climate chaos, socialist Cuba stands as a powerful example of resistance and hope. Despite decades of illegal blockade and constant attempts at destabilisation by US imperialism, the Cuban people have built a society prioritising health, education, culture and solidarity. Cuban doctors have been sent around the world in times of crisis, sharing what they have even when resources at home are scarce.
Cuba shows it is possible to organise society on different foundations: cooperation instead of competition, planning instead of chaos, people’s needs instead of private profit.
That is why it is attacked. On May Day we say:
- End the US blockade of Cuba
- Defend Cuba’s right to choose its own socialist path
- Learn from Cuba’s achievements in health, education and grassroots democracy
- Solidarity with Cuba is part of defending and extending socialist advances everywhere.
DEFEND AND EXTEND THE RIGHT TO STRIKE
Here in Australia, the right to strike is still shackled by anti-union, anti-worker laws. Most industrial action is deemed “unlawful,” even when workers are defending jobs, safety or living standards. Workers and unions face fines, court orders and employer retaliation simply for exercising their power to withhold labour – the main source of power workers have under capitalism.
Without a real right to strike, unionism is hollowed out and “collective bargaining” becomes begging for crumbs from the bosses’ table. To resist job cuts, fight automation on our terms and oppose war, workers need strong unions and unrestricted rights to organise and act.
This May Day we demand:
- Repeal of all anti-strike and anti-union laws
- A full, unrestricted right to strike, including solidarity and political strikes
- Strong, democratic unions rooted in workplaces and communities
MAY DAY: ORGANISE FOR SOCIALISM
May Day is not a ritual. It is a call to organise. This system offers only permanent crisis: genocidal wars, climate breakdown, obscene inequality and the threat of fascism. The alternative is socialism – a society based on public ownership, workers’ power, peace and internationalism.
Let this May Day renew our commitment to:
- Fight genocide in Palestine and oppose the US–Israel war on Iran
- Take back control over technology and defend jobs
- Stand with Cuba and all peoples resisting imperialism
- Rebuild militant unions and win back the right to strike
The ruling class has the wealth and the weapons, but the working class makes everything run. When we organise, we can bring this system to a halt – and build a new one in its place.
Workers of all countries, unite! May Day 2026 – for peace, socialism and workers’ power.
