Young union leaders attending BWI’s Global Activist Network Academy led the 8,000-strong International May Day march in Amsterdam, Netherlands organised by the Dutch union FNV. The action began with a free concert and a rally led by Zamaney Menso, FNV Union Officer and BWI World Board Member before marching through the historic city centre to Dam Square.
“For a long-time we had neglected to celebrate May Day, but now, in the face of fresh attacks on our movement, we are bringing it back, louder and prouder than ever,” said Menso. “Having the solidarity of our international participants here to celebrate with us makes it even more significant.”
FNV has put a lot of efforts into supporting youth activists, and, are hosting the Academy at its Amsterdam headquarters. A uniting theme of the march is supporting FNV’s campaign to keep the pension age at 60 – a key issue for youth which, under current proposals, will see their retirement age be an increase in the coming years.
“For me as a young trade unionist from Sabah [Malaysia], taking part in a large and well-organised action like this has been incredible,” said BWI Asia-Pacific interim youth chair Dayang Rosmawatye Salleh. “We will take this as inspiration for what our own activities could be like in future.”