Mr. President,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For yet another year, ILC’s 114th Session takes place during a period full of challenges and problems for the working class and humanity as a whole.
Geopolitical turmoil and wars are intensifying, constantly putting world peace at risk. On the altar of imperialist interests and the effort to control of global wealth, every principle of international law is being sacrificed, while billions are spent on armaments, with serious consequences for workers, peoples, and the global economy.
For workers, the need to return to the principles of international law in order to end wars, is a matter of survival and perspective, inextricably linked to our struggles for work with dignity, rights, and security.
The dominant feeling among workers today, regardless of country or origin, is one of injustice.
Global wealth is increasing but it is distributed unequally, with the few accumulating most of it, and the many being forced to survive on the leftovers. Workers witness technological progress decisively affecting the economy and work, while worrying about the implications on their lives, especially on the basic human right of work.
It is especially important that this year’s report of the ILC’s General Assembly, deals with artificial intelligence and the way it is transforming both the economy and society.
For workers, as was the case in the past, the question is not saying yes or no to technological and scientific progress. The issue is who controls this progress, as well as how it is used. A regulatory framework is needed, which will ensure transparency and democratic, social control over artificial intelligence.
It is imperative to have adequate participation of workers and their representatives in the processes of integration of AI in economic activity. What is crucial for us is for AI to be used in such a way so that the physical and mental strain of workers can be reduced, the safety and health of workers can be enhanced, and working time can be freed up so that workers can have more free time.
So, instead of losing jobs to AI, let’s discuss how we can use it to promote the necessary and mature demand of the labor movement for a reduction of the working week to 35 hours, without a reduction in wages.
Mr President,
Dear Colleagues,
ILC’s annual session confirms every year that the problems of workers are common. In Cyprus, just like elsewhere, workers are facing great social and economic inequalities as a result of political choices that favor the few, the promotion of policies that lead to deregulation and the suppression of workers’ rights.
We fight for decent wages that reflect the cost of living, for an increase to the number of workers covered by collective agreements, and for a practical implementation of the principle of equality for health and safety at work. For decent, adequate pensions for all. For measures on behalf of the government to support workers and vulnerable households, to address energy costs, the housing crisis and high prices.
In recent years, the ILC has emphasized what has been called a “renewed social contract.” It is clear to us that progress and prosperity for the many, can only come through an intensification of the collective struggle of workers against a system that produces and reproduces injustice, that appropriates the labor of the many, plunders the world’s wealth, strains the natural environment, and endangers peace on a daily basis.
