Women workers stage a silent protest while practicing social distancing to mark Labor Day on May 1, 2020 in Quezon City, Philippines. Millions of workers and daily wage earners living in poverty in the Philippines suffer the brunt of work stoppage during the government imposed Enhanced Community Quarantine in a bid to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
On This May Day, The Corporate-Dominated World Faces Not One, But Three Pandemics
All three pandemics have their roots in an economic model based on profits, greed and extractivism, which has accelerated ecological destruction, aggravated loss of livelihoods, increased economic inequality, and polarised and divided society into the 1% and 99%.
On this May Day, the world is witnessing 3 pandemics simultaneously. The first is the Coronavirus Pandemic. The second is the Hunger Pandemic. The third is Pandemic of Destruction of Livelihoods.
Thus far, he coronavirus pandemic has infected 3.19 million and killed 228,000. The World Food Programme has warned the world community of the looming "hunger pandemic," which has the potential to engulf over a quarter of a billion people whose lives and livelihoods will be plunged into immediate danger.
According to the world food programme more than a million people who are on the verge of starvation, and 300,000 could starve to death every single day for the next three months.
There is also a pandemic of loss of livelihoods. According to the ILO "as a result of the economic crisis created by the pandemic, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers (representing the most vulnerable in the labour market), out of a worldwide total of two billion and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living. This is due to lockdown measures and/or because they work in the hardest-hit sectors." As pointed out by Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General: "For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. [...] As the pandemic and the jobs crisis evolve, the need to protect the most vulnerable becomes even more urgent."
All three pandemics have their roots in an economic model based on profits, greed and extractivism, which has accelerated ecological destruction, aggravated loss of livelihoods, increased economic inequality, and polarised and divided society into the 1% and 99%. On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity. Let us address all three crisis through democratic participation and solidarity. Through compassion let us ensure no one goes hungry. Through solidarity and democracy let us participate in shaping future economies to ensure no hands are without work , no person is without a voice.
"On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity."
The multiple crises are a wake up call that the economy run by the 1% is not working for people and nature. The 1% is talking of 99% being "useless people" in their idea of the future based on digital agriculture and farming without farmers, automated factories and production without workers. We have an obligation to create economies that do not destroy nature, do not destroy livelihoods and the rights of workers, economies that do not destroy our health by spreading disease and pandemics , do not destroy livelihoods and the freedom, dignity and right to work , and do not create hunger. Let us create #ZeroHunger economies by protecting livelihoods of small farmers who provide 80% of the food. Let us shift to Poison Free organic farming to protect human health and biodiversity. Let us create local circular solidarity economies that support livelihoods of hawkers and small retailers, create community while reducing the ecological footprint.
Post Covid-19, let us regenerate the economy with the consciousness all lives are equal and that we are part of the Earth. Let us acnkowledge and embrace that we are ecological, biological beings; that working is our right and is at the heart of being human; and that care for the Earth and each other is the most important work.
There are no disposable or useless people. We are One Humanity on One Planet. Autonomy--meaning dignity, work, freedom, and democracy--are our birth-right.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
On this May Day, the world is witnessing 3 pandemics simultaneously. The first is the Coronavirus Pandemic. The second is the Hunger Pandemic. The third is Pandemic of Destruction of Livelihoods.
Thus far, he coronavirus pandemic has infected 3.19 million and killed 228,000. The World Food Programme has warned the world community of the looming "hunger pandemic," which has the potential to engulf over a quarter of a billion people whose lives and livelihoods will be plunged into immediate danger.
According to the world food programme more than a million people who are on the verge of starvation, and 300,000 could starve to death every single day for the next three months.
There is also a pandemic of loss of livelihoods. According to the ILO "as a result of the economic crisis created by the pandemic, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers (representing the most vulnerable in the labour market), out of a worldwide total of two billion and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living. This is due to lockdown measures and/or because they work in the hardest-hit sectors." As pointed out by Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General: "For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. [...] As the pandemic and the jobs crisis evolve, the need to protect the most vulnerable becomes even more urgent."
All three pandemics have their roots in an economic model based on profits, greed and extractivism, which has accelerated ecological destruction, aggravated loss of livelihoods, increased economic inequality, and polarised and divided society into the 1% and 99%. On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity. Let us address all three crisis through democratic participation and solidarity. Through compassion let us ensure no one goes hungry. Through solidarity and democracy let us participate in shaping future economies to ensure no hands are without work , no person is without a voice.
"On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity."
The multiple crises are a wake up call that the economy run by the 1% is not working for people and nature. The 1% is talking of 99% being "useless people" in their idea of the future based on digital agriculture and farming without farmers, automated factories and production without workers. We have an obligation to create economies that do not destroy nature, do not destroy livelihoods and the rights of workers, economies that do not destroy our health by spreading disease and pandemics , do not destroy livelihoods and the freedom, dignity and right to work , and do not create hunger. Let us create #ZeroHunger economies by protecting livelihoods of small farmers who provide 80% of the food. Let us shift to Poison Free organic farming to protect human health and biodiversity. Let us create local circular solidarity economies that support livelihoods of hawkers and small retailers, create community while reducing the ecological footprint.
Post Covid-19, let us regenerate the economy with the consciousness all lives are equal and that we are part of the Earth. Let us acnkowledge and embrace that we are ecological, biological beings; that working is our right and is at the heart of being human; and that care for the Earth and each other is the most important work.
There are no disposable or useless people. We are One Humanity on One Planet. Autonomy--meaning dignity, work, freedom, and democracy--are our birth-right.
On this May Day, the world is witnessing 3 pandemics simultaneously. The first is the Coronavirus Pandemic. The second is the Hunger Pandemic. The third is Pandemic of Destruction of Livelihoods.
Thus far, he coronavirus pandemic has infected 3.19 million and killed 228,000. The World Food Programme has warned the world community of the looming "hunger pandemic," which has the potential to engulf over a quarter of a billion people whose lives and livelihoods will be plunged into immediate danger.
According to the world food programme more than a million people who are on the verge of starvation, and 300,000 could starve to death every single day for the next three months.
There is also a pandemic of loss of livelihoods. According to the ILO "as a result of the economic crisis created by the pandemic, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers (representing the most vulnerable in the labour market), out of a worldwide total of two billion and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living. This is due to lockdown measures and/or because they work in the hardest-hit sectors." As pointed out by Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General: "For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. [...] As the pandemic and the jobs crisis evolve, the need to protect the most vulnerable becomes even more urgent."
All three pandemics have their roots in an economic model based on profits, greed and extractivism, which has accelerated ecological destruction, aggravated loss of livelihoods, increased economic inequality, and polarised and divided society into the 1% and 99%. On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity. Let us address all three crisis through democratic participation and solidarity. Through compassion let us ensure no one goes hungry. Through solidarity and democracy let us participate in shaping future economies to ensure no hands are without work , no person is without a voice.
"On this May Day in times of the Corona Crisis let us imagine and create new economies based on Earth Democracy and economic democracy to protect the earth and humanity."
The multiple crises are a wake up call that the economy run by the 1% is not working for people and nature. The 1% is talking of 99% being "useless people" in their idea of the future based on digital agriculture and farming without farmers, automated factories and production without workers. We have an obligation to create economies that do not destroy nature, do not destroy livelihoods and the rights of workers, economies that do not destroy our health by spreading disease and pandemics , do not destroy livelihoods and the freedom, dignity and right to work , and do not create hunger. Let us create #ZeroHunger economies by protecting livelihoods of small farmers who provide 80% of the food. Let us shift to Poison Free organic farming to protect human health and biodiversity. Let us create local circular solidarity economies that support livelihoods of hawkers and small retailers, create community while reducing the ecological footprint.
Post Covid-19, let us regenerate the economy with the consciousness all lives are equal and that we are part of the Earth. Let us acnkowledge and embrace that we are ecological, biological beings; that working is our right and is at the heart of being human; and that care for the Earth and each other is the most important work.
There are no disposable or useless people. We are One Humanity on One Planet. Autonomy--meaning dignity, work, freedom, and democracy--are our birth-right.