Cati Llibre
Speaker: Cati Llibre (Vice-president, General Union of Workers (UGT), Catalonia Conference theme: Labour solidarity
Good morning, everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to share this space for collective reflection.
My talk revolves around three key ideas that I believe are fundamental in the current moment: the importance of workers' solidarity, the value of historical memory—especially from the perspective of trade unionism—and finally, the global challenges that threaten democracy and social rights.
- Let me begin with workers' solidarity, a concept often mentioned but one we must understand in all its depth. When we speak of solidarity between workers around the world, we are not talking about a symbolic gesture or good intentions. We are talking about a real, practical and active commitment to the struggles that fellow workers are carrying out—often at great risk to their lives.
This solidarity is especially relevant in contexts of war or repression. When armed conflicts break out, labour rights, freedom of association and the ability to collectively defend dignity come under serious threat. And not just during the conflict—its consequences last for years, eroding fundamental rights and making union activity nearly impossible.
Conflicts endanger livelihoods, rights, and the very survival of working people. They severely restrict the ability to safely exercise the right to associate, protest, and uphold fundamental rights. They make it virtually impossible for unions to operate freely in protecting workers and for working families to access means of survival in the face of the catastrophic consequences of war. These restrictions not only always have a negative impact on democratic institutions and values at the time of the conflict, but often remain long after the fighting ends—causing a profound setback in democratic capacity.
International solidarity has historically played a vital role in establishing and maintaining peace—and must do so again. Peace is a core value of UGT of Catalonia. We defend peace and social justice as the basis for a lasting peace. Universally, we absolutely reject the use of violence to subjugate a people, or as a tool of revenge or reprisal.
Our rejection of war and its atrocities must lead us toward a framework of common security, one that ensures the right of peoples to develop as communities, to exercise the right to self-determination democratically and peacefully, and to defend themselves against attacks on their freedom and democracy. This must be grounded in the principles of the United Nations, addressing the ideological, social, and economic causes of conflicts and demanding accountability from those responsible for initiating or supporting conflicts, war crimes, or acts of terror. This is a fundamental pillar of peace.
Today, freedom and democracy remain under attack across the globe. We are facing a growing wave of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes that do not respect the limits of their power, nor protect the freedoms and rights of working people, minorities, civil society, or unions.
Recent global democracy reports indicate that the average level of democracy a person enjoyed in 2023 fell to levels seen in 1985.
By mid-2024, the world is nearly split between 91 democracies and 88 autocracies. Alarmingly, 71% of the global population—5.7 billion people—live under autocratic regimes, compared to just 48% a decade ago. Only 29% live under democratic systems.
This wave of autocratization is stark: in mid-2024 it is underway in 42 countries, home to 2.8 billion people (35% of the global population), while only 18 countries are becoming more democratic, representing just 400 million people (5% of the global population).
Freedom of expression remains the most attacked component of democracy, followed by fair elections and freedom of association. It's no coincidence that this trend coincides with a deterioration in labour rights. Even in Europe—once a benchmark for social protection—we are seeing serious decline. Attacks on workers’ rights and trade unions are not random—they are targeted attacks on those who uphold democracy, equality, and social justice.
In countries with strong union density and collective bargaining coverage, wealth and power are distributed more fairly. In contrast, authoritarian regimes often mean terrible labour conditions.
International solidarity is not just a moral obligation—it is an act of self-defense. If we allow rights to fall elsewhere, we weaken our own. And in times of war, solidarity becomes even more important, as rights plummet dramatically.
- This brings me to the second point: memory.
At UGT, one of the oldest still-active unions in the world, we know what it means to live solidarity first hand.
During the Spanish Civil War, solidarity had a specific name: the International Brigades.
On July 19, 1936, the People’s Olympiad was set to begin in Barcelona, an alternative for the workers’ movement to the official Berlin Olympics organized by the Nazi regime. More than 6000 athletes from 23 nationalities and 19 disciplines were expected. The organizing committee was based at number 10 Rambla Santa Mònica, in the heart of Barcelona.
But on July 18, the fascist coup erupted. The games could not take place. And many of the athletes, instead of returning home, stayed to fight fascism. These athletes became the seed of the International Brigades. The first member of the brigades to die in combat was Austrian Mechter, who fell on July 19 in Plaça Catalunya.
For three years, thousands of international volunteers fought to defend the Republic and democracy. On October 28, 1938, they were bid farewell in moving ceremonies—especially in Valencia and Barcelona. In Barcelona, they marched along the Diagonal (then Avinguda 14 d’Abril) and held a final event at the headquarters on Rambla Santa Mònica. Today, that room bears the name Sala Brigades Internacionals (International Brigades Hall).
This story reminds us that workers’ solidarity is not only resistance—it is memory, dignity, and identity.
- Finally, I want to talk about the current moment, a moment of transformation and a changing global paradigm.
Following a new electoral cycle in the United States and the continued weakening of bodies like the United Nations or International Law, we are seeing power once again imposed over rules. Diplomacy, multilateralism, and the rules-based international order are increasingly in question.
This forces leftist, ecological, and pacifist movements to rethink how we defend rights and freedoms in the coming years. If international mechanisms are not respected, if power dictates the system—and that power lies with autocracies—then workers will be increasingly unprotected, unions persecuted, and democracies weakened.
Much has been said about workers, but we must not forget to speak about unions, because unions are simply workers organizing to defend their rights. Our structures foster deliberation and collective action, empowering workers to defend their rights and freedoms. It is time for unionists to embrace our role and for us to be supported as key defenders of democracy.
As was mentioned earlier, the army of the Spanish Republic could not defend rights and democracy because it lacked the tools to do so—and this shaped the course of European history. Memory teaches us, and this time it is Ukraine that needs the tools to defend democracy. Failing to provide the means they need—when they are within our reach—will once again change the course of history.
As one brigadista so clearly said: “You are history. You did not only fight for us, but for all humanity.”
Now it is our turn to do the same.
Thank you very much.