CUPE Ontario has marked Human Rights Day 2023, the day that marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
This declaration lays out for people the world over the fundamental rights and freedoms to which every human being is entitled, regardless of their nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, or language. It has helped to set an international standard of human rights and this year’s theme celebrates “Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.”
Embracing these rights is part of our fight as trade unionist to preserve the principles of Human Rights Day; tragically, those principles are under daily assault. The struggles that we tackle in the labour movement – including systemic racism, discrimination, suppression of 2SLGBTQI+ rights, trans hate, misogyny, climate change, and the rise of the far right – are also, at a central level, a fight for our human rights.
As we’ve heard many times but can’t hear too often, workers’ rights are human rights and human rights are workers’ rights. We know that human rights include economic justice, freedom from exploitation, and a share of the prosperity we help to create, which are also central to CUPE Ontario’s work as a union.
Given the state of the world today, a statement celebrating the international declaration of human rights must include a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel-Palestine. It is impossible to clearly recognize human rights without denouncing colonialism and violations of international law. We must also recognize and commit to the fight of anti-Palestinian racism that is on the rise with islamophobia and antisemitism.
Celebrating International Human Rights additionally requires us to clearly say that war, no matter where it is unfolding, inherently negatively impacts the human rights of those living in any war zone. A call for peace around the globe is essential to supporting human rights.
As trade unionists, we must recognize that governments at all levels in Canada fail to respect the human rights of workers when ordinary people must struggle to provide for their basic needs in the face of increased precarity, poverty wages and homelessness. We must commit ourselves to recognizing that housing, food security, access to safety are all essential rights as well.
Our focus on human rights must be part of a year-round commitment to confront inequalities through collective action, including our bargaining, our political activism and our internal and external organizing. We urge CUPE Ontario members to use our union’s own materials learn more about the link between human rights and Palestine solidarity, the Anti-Racism Organizational Action Plan, fighting sexual violence and harassment We Believe You, and the anti-white supremacy campaign, Recognize and Resist White Supremacy.
In honour of Human Rights Day, we know we’ve made progress, but we still have much work to do. Let us recommit to building the solidarity and collective power that delivers the freedom, equality and justice that workers deserve to ensure human rights for all.
