Dear Brothers and Sisters,
During EFFAT’s management committee meeting today, we, as the European Trade Unions in the Food Agriculture and Tourism sectors, felt the urgency to send a strong message of solidarity in support of all of our fellow American colleagues who are standing in the front line against Trump’s far-right populism. We stand alongside the entire American working class, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or immigration status.
A dark future is looming ahead for America's largest unions. Trump's populist message and protectionist policies are posing a threat to millions of workers, whose representation should be part of a larger social movement for justice and equality.
As European trade unions, we see similar right-wing movements rising on this side of the Atlantic: Brexit supporters, France’s National Front, the Italian, German and Dutch populist drifts are part of a wider generation of reactionary xenophobes on the continent. Disturbing images inevitably re-emerge in our minds, bringing us back to an era when Fascism and Nazism gained ground by feeding off white working-class anger.
Like never before, this is the time to realign our resources and work shoulder to shoulder to fight for the principle of democracy, social justice and equality that traditionally underlie our trade union movement.
EFFAT Secretary General
Harald Wiedenhofer