On May Day, UNI Europa set out on the Road to Belfast

In spite of pouring rain, thousands of workers and trade unionists came out on the streets of Belfast for the annual May Day March, one of the biggest in recent years. In 2024, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) had themed the March around the celebration of essential workers and a demand to end the cost-of-living crisis.

UNI Europa joined the March with a delegation from Brussels. Regional Secretary Oliver Roethig spoke at the opening, bringing a simple message from Brussels to Belfast: workers deserve real say and more pay – and collective bargaining is how they win it. In the past months, employers’ have made enormous profits that have fuelled inflation while squeezing workers’ real-terms wages. United, the trade union movement can win real say and more pay for workers through collective bargaining. Belfast is a symbol of its unity. The movement is the biggest civil society organisation on the island of Ireland, bringing together over 800,000 working people north and south of the border.

In this spirit, Oliver Roethig announced that UNI Europa will return to Belfast from 25-27 March 2025 for the 6th UNI Europa Conference with the slogan “Forward through Collective Bargaining – Real Say, More Pay”. During these days, over 800 delegates from 50 countries will be in Belfast to take on current societal challenges, tackle the most pressing issues facing workers, elect leadership and draw up an action plan for the coming four years. May Day was the beginning of UNI Europa’s Road to Belfast, which will include events, collective actions, reports and other activities between now and March 2025.

UNI Europa Regional Secretary Oliver Roethig said: “At a time of record profits for employers and the rise of the far right, it couldn’t be more important for our European trade union movement to come together in Belfast. United, we will move forward through collective bargaining to win real say and more pay for workers.”