Press Release: Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement - Support for McDonalds workers

In New Zealand in 1905 the first May Day workers gatherings were reported in the 
newspapers. There were two events, one in Wellington and one in Christchurch. The 
Wellington meeting was held in a packed His Majesty's Theatre, and was organised by the 
New Zealand Socialist Party, whose acting Chairman, W. Wolstenholm declared the meeting as 
a recognition that the workers interests were the same the world over. ---- The main 
speaker of the day was the anarchist Philip Josephs who gave a full history of May Day and 
it's meaning, and presented a motion that ---- "We, the workers of Wellington, New 
Zealand, send fraternal greeting to the workers of every land, and affirm the principles 
of international solidarity; we affirm our determination to strive for the economic 
emancipation of our class, and are of opinion that no reform, political or economic, can 
be of lasting benefit to the workers of this country, that would not be of equal benefit 
to the proletariat of all nations."
In Christchurch, J. Cook, stated that "The [so called] ideal place for the worker was not 
at all perfect, and would not be perfect until the worker was the ruler and had the fruits 
of what they produced."

These are sentiments that reverberate today and across the world May Day is still a day 
when workers across the world take to the streets to display solidarity and demand better 
conditions. In this spirit the Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement express their support 
with the McDonalds' workers who are asking New Zealanders to stay away from McDonalds this 
May Day in support of the workers struggle against zero hour contracts.


http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1504/S00272/support-for-mcdonalds-workers.htm