As the world marks Labour Day, DiEM25 stands in solidarity with workers everywhere – those in factories and offices, on farms and shop floors, behind screens and on picket lines. May 1 is not only a moment to reflect on past victories but to demand a fairer, more democratic future for work across Europe and beyond.

Work as we know it is changing – quickly. Yet the structures that govern it are stuck in a bygone era. Gig platforms erode basic protections, wages stagnate despite rising productivity, and corporate power continues to outpace democratic control. This is why we believe the time has come for a transformation in how we understand and organise work.

At the heart of our vision is a simple, powerful idea: democracy shouldn’t end at the workplace door. Just as every citizen has a vote in political life, so too should every worker have a say in the decisions that affect their labour. We advocate for the gradual introduction of workplace democracy – a more inclusive approach where workers participate in shaping the direction of their companies. Not through top-down mandates, but by empowering employees to collectively govern the spaces where they spend much of their lives.

To make this shift possible, cooperatives must be at the forefront of economic renewal. From agriculture to tourism, and even in banking and high-tech industries, cooperatives show that businesses can be both efficient and equitable. We support policies that promote the cooperative model, expanding its reach into sectors traditionally dominated by extractive corporate structures.

But democratic work is also about protecting and advancing workers’ rights. That’s why we call for stronger European-level labour protections and the creation of new rights to match today’s realities – including protections for platform workers, digital nomads, and those in precarious employment.

Finally, we propose the development of labour exchanges – public institutions where workers can organise, access opportunities, and collectively bargain. These exchanges would serve as hubs of solidarity and coordination, enabling workers to build power together in a fragmented economy.

This Labour Day, we reaffirm our belief that work can be more than survival – it must be dignified, democratic, and just. 

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