As International Labour Day arrives in Palestine this year, it carries heightened significance. The working class has long stood at the vanguard of both national liberation and social struggle in Palestinian society. This International Labour Day in Palestine represents not just a celebration but a moment of solidarity amid genocide.
Workers on the frontlines
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) marked International Labour Day in Palestine with a powerful statement addressed to workers worldwide. “On International Workers’ Day—a day on which the world stands in tribute to the heroes of the working class, the makers of life,” the statement reads, “this occasion in Palestine becomes a moment of loyalty to the toiling martyrs.”
Palestinian workers have suffered immensely since October 2023. In Gaza, Israel’s bombardment has systematically destroyed economic infrastructure. Thousands of workers have been killed and unemployment now exceeds 80%. The International Labour Day in Palestine thus arrives amid extraordinary hardship.
In the West Bank, workers face constant danger at military checkpoints. Many are forced to seek employment in Israeli settlements due to the engineered collapse of the Palestinian economy. Those working inside Israel face discrimination and denial of union rights.
“The Palestinian working class has long formed the vanguard of national and social struggle,” notes the PFLP statement, “standing firm in the face of occupation and genocide despite official neglect.”
A day of resistance, not just commemoration
For the Palestinian left, International Labour Day represents an opportunity to emphasise the class dimensions of the liberation struggle. The PFLP statement makes clear that resistance and labour rights are inseparable in the Palestinian context.
“Victory for the Palestinian worker, and the defence of their life, dignity, and rights, is not only a national and moral duty but also a fundamental gateway to comprehensive national and social liberation,” the organisation affirms.
The PFLP’s International Labour Day message goes beyond rhetoric. It presents specific proposals, including:
- A national economic resilience plan
- Rebuilding the Palestinian labour movement on democratic foundations
- Formation of emergency labour committees in Gaza and the West Bank
- Establishment of an international fund to support Palestinian workers
- Laws establishing a fair minimum wage
These practical measures reflect the urgent needs of Palestinian workers amid the current crisis. International Labour Day in Palestine thus serves as both a commemoration and a call to action.
Apart from these, the PFLP released a video of its iconic founder, George Habash.
“No need to panic, no need to fear, no need to worry. The field unity on the ground has truly proven itself. All the hardworking Palestinians, regardless of their factional affiliations, are one front against the occupation and its projects,” Mr Habash was saying in the clip.
Workers as targets
Palestinian prisoners’ rights groups used International Labour Day in Palestine to highlight Israel’s targeting of workers. A joint statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, and Addameer detailed how labour has become a battleground.
“Since the beginning of the ongoing genocide, the occupation has escalated its targeting of workers and their persecution through arrests,” the groups noted. “The issue of Palestinian workers has become one of the most prominent and pressing matters.”
Thousands of Gazan workers were arrested after October 7th while employed inside Israel. They were detained in harsh conditions and subjected to torture. Several died in custody, while others remain disappeared.
The statement also highlights the ongoing arrests of West Bank workers entering Israel without permits. These detentions are accompanied by “various forms of assault and detention in harsh and difficult conditions.”
The prisoners’ organisations call for an international investigation into these abuses. They demand an end to “the escalating and unprecedented crimes against prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.”
International Labour Day in Palestine: PFLP calls for global solidarity
The PFLP’s International Labour Day statement emphasises the importance of international solidarity. It calls on “the global trade union movement, in all its spectrums and orientations, to stand firmly with the workers of Palestine.”
Many unions worldwide have already taken action through boycotts, strikes and political pressure. The PFLP encourages more such initiatives, arguing that labour movements “have proven capable of disrupting the machinery of aggression.”
The statement specifically calls for boycotting the Histadrut, Israel’s main trade union federation, describing it as “a key arm of the occupation.” It also advocates strengthening alliances with global unions to “build an international front to isolate and boycott the zionist entity at all levels.”
This internationalist approach reflects the historic connections between labour movements and anti-colonial struggles. International Labour Day in Palestine thus connects to global traditions of working-class solidarity.
Beyond May Day
The PFLP concludes its International Labour Day statement with a pledge to continue the struggle “until the homeland is free, human dignity is restored, and a society of justice and equality is built.”
This vision extends beyond the immediate fight against occupation to encompass broader social transformation. The organisation’s slogan—”Free people of the world, unite… against barbarism!”—echoes the classic Marxist call for working-class unity.
For Palestinians, International Labour Day represents not just an annual commemoration but also part of an ongoing struggle. As the PFLP salutes “the workers of Palestine… the messengers of the earth, the shield of the revolution, the hammer of change, and the builders of tomorrow,” it frames labour as central to liberation.
The message is clear: International Labour Day in Palestine cannot be separated from the fight against occupation and genocide. In the PFLP’s words, “Any discourse on Workers’ Day that does not begin with confronting the genocide against our people and standing with the working class in the fields of daily struggle is an empty discourse.”
As Palestinian workers continue to resist amid extraordinary adversity, International Labour Day serves as a reminder of the class dimension of their struggle. Their fight is not just for national liberation but for the dignity of labour itself.