International Solidarity One Planet, One Movement

As we reach September month eleven of our Year of Climate Action one truth stands out more clearly than ever: the fight for climate justice knows no borders.

The climate crisis is global and so must be our response. Rising temperatures, droughts, floods, and food shortages are not confined to one country or continent they are part of a system of exploitation that links workers everywhere. The same corporations driving inequality and environmental destruction in Britain are doing the same across the world.

That’s why our answer must be rooted in the oldest and strongest idea of the trade union movement: international solidarity.

One Planet, Shared Struggles

Climate breakdown doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s connected to every issue we face food insecurity, poverty pay, unsafe work, and corporate greed. And while the effects are felt everywhere, they’re not felt equally.

Workers and communities in the Global South those who’ve contributed least to the problem are already paying the highest price. They face rising seas, failed harvests, deadly heat, and displacement, all while multinational companies continue to extract profit and resources.

Meanwhile, global corporations exploit divisions between countries to drive down standards and wages. They tell us workers in different nations are competitors, when in reality we share the same struggle for dignity, fairness, and survival.

The Power of the International Labour Movement

The international labour movement has always known that our strength lies in unity. Whether it’s through the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF), the ITUC, or the countless acts of worker-to-worker solidarity that cross borders every day, trade unions are already leading the way in building a just, global response to the climate crisis.

We’ve seen food and agricultural workers defending their communities from land grabs, unionists in climate-affected regions demanding safe conditions and fair transitions, and global campaigns for corporate accountability growing stronger year by year.

Every strike, every protest, every act of solidarity whether in the UK or abroad is part of a shared movement for justice.

Solidarity in Action: From the Shop Floor to the Global Stage

For BFAWU members, international solidarity isn’t an abstract idea it’s practical and necessary. When we stand up for food justice, safe workplaces, and fair pay here, we’re part of the same fight as workers defending their livelihoods and environments elsewhere.

Climate justice demands that we see ourselves as part of a global class, not just a national workforce. It means supporting campaigns for climate reparations and fair funding, standing with unions organising under threat, and ensuring that the transition to a green economy lifts everyone not just those in the richest nations.

Our solidarity must be both moral and material: sharing resources, amplifying voices, and taking coordinated action to hold multinational employers to account.

One Planet, One Movement

The challenges ahead are immense but so is our collective strength. The climate emergency is not just an environmental issue; it’s a crisis of justice, equality, and power. And that means the solutions will come not from governments or corporations, but from organised workers standing together across borders.

Our movement has done this before from fighting apartheid to defending migrant workers’ rights. We know how to build solidarity that changes the world.

As we continue our Year of Climate Action, let’s reaffirm our commitment to that proud tradition. Let’s stand with workers everywhere fighting for safety, dignity, and justice in a changing world.

Because in the face of a global crisis, our response must be global too.

One planet. One movement. One fight for justice.

And when workers everywhere rise together, there’s nothing we can’t change.