Message of the WFTU general secretary, George Mavrikos, on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1916
World Federation of Trade Unions Athens, 21 April 2015
To all the people of Ireland,
To our brothers and sisters who continue to fight for the national, social and labour rights of the Irish people against imperialism and capitalist barbarity, I convey to you a militant salute from the 92 million members of the World Federation of Trade Unions.
The WFTU pays tribute to the 100 years of the Easter Rising, started by the heroic Irish Citizen Army led by the socialist and patriot James Connolly.
The WFTU honours the struggles of the workers and ordinary people in Ireland for a democratic, independent, prosperous and peaceful land, free from the economic and military foothold of the British government, the European Union, and NATO, free from exploitation and imperialism.
We join our voices with the Irish people to defend “the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies,” in a country that would “pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation . . . cherishing all the children of the nation equally.”
A hundred years later the struggle in Ireland continues in order to realise the vision of 1916, and that struggle has the full support of the World Federation of Trade Unions and the worldwide class-oriented trade union movement.
Yours fraternally,
George Mavrikos,
General Secretary