Happy International Workers’ Day.
On this May Day, we recognize the work of the people. Labour by definition is human work, specifically productive, physical, or mental effort, often in the context of employment or organized movements. Labour, by definition, does not capture the unseen or unmonetized care work that predominantly women carry – such as care for dependents, cooking, cleaning, and mental, emotional, and gestational labour. Today, we recognize work that is waged or formalized, but we also recognize the daily, essential labour that sustains life.
Women’s work tells a powerful story. The work of women in water movements today, is in the face of inequality, climate change, privatization, and scarcity. Resistance is labour. Knowledge sharing is a form of care work that rests on the basis of our water justice network as we know it today. So how come this labour is too often overlooked?
Water is essential to human life, yet the labour surrounding access to, knowledge of, and protection from predatory corporate entities that seek to profit off water – is so often overlooked as “labour” by definition. We must shift this narrative. Care work, or essential work that is unmonetized, extends into water movements and can be seen throughout the Blue Communities project and water justice networks. Our Blue Communities are not compensated for their efforts, but recognized for the time, care, and assurance of water as a common good. The outreach and information spread around Blue Communities is done by those who believe in its potential for change. Time spent in collective organizing, international/regional/local meetings, supporting networks, and ensuring water is clean and safe – is labour. The time, hours, and energy that go into collective organizing are emotional, charged, and sustain our future. The labour around, it is the most essential labour we know.
As BPP member Meera Karunananthan once stated, communities are the best stewards of water, and the struggle for water justice is a struggle for democracy.
This May Day, we reinforce one simple truth: recognizing the labour around water and its collective organizing is necessary for building just, equitable and sustainable futures.