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Fruits of Labor: Celebrating Workers’ Power

By Jumana Abdel Aziz

Media and Communication Manager at Ahel

We began May with the annual celebration of Labor Day — a moment that always prompts me to reflect on what it truly means to honor workers.

This year, a simple conversation with my eight-year-old daughter gave me pause. When I asked her what celebrating workers on that day meant to her, she responded: “What’s the point of celebrating workers if they still have to work that day?”

Her question made me think about how, in many places, the spirit of Labor Day has been overshadowed by harsh realities. I explained that work isn’t just in the fields and factories, it’s also in offices, schools, and hospitals, where people face pressure, exploitation, and inequality. I encouraged her to think: “What would you do if you were in their place?”

I’m not sure I conveyed it all perfectly, but I know I planted a seed that might help her see this day as part of a broader fight for justice.

Maybe that simple exchange mirrors what I want to reflect on and share with you today:

Labor Day is not just a day to honor those who plant, teach, build, and sustain the lives we live. It’s also a reminder that dignified work is inseparable from justice and respect, whether it’s in the fields or behind a desk.

But then there’s the day after, and the one after that, and the one after and after. What do we celebrate when there’s no international day of, no quotable quotes, or beautiful posts – just quiet, persistent daily work?

Fortunately, our work at Ahel gives me the answer. I celebrate the conviction that work without justice can never be dignified. I celebrate the persistence of labor organizing, even when battered and bruised. It might change form or spread out, but its core stays alive wherever people come together to demand their rights collectively.

I also celebrate the organizing around us that continues to build and grow, step by step, from the ground up, driven by the urgency of everyday life circumstances and belief in what’s right. These efforts, however small, keep organizing alive, moving together, learning together, creating tools to challenge injustice.

I share a few examples that inspire and motivate me:

“Jametna Quatna” (Our Unity, Our Power): Agricultural Workers Building Strength

In one of Jordan’s most marginalized work environments, agricultural workers in the Northern Jordan Valley chose to organize not only to protest, but to build a collective capable of defending their rights and shaping better working conditions.

The campaign began with grassroots meetings and leadership development among the workers themselves, and soon achieved its first collective win: convincing 11 farms to provide essential safety equipment. As part of its journey, the group received organizing support from Ahel, helping deepen its strategy and leadership capacity as it evolved.

This year, the campaign is expanding to nine areas, including four new ones. It aims to activate 750 workers by strengthening their knowledge of labor rights. The demands have also broadened to include access to sanitation facilities and coverage for work-related injuries.

This is organizing grounded in lived experience, steadily building a base of power that protects rights and opens the door to further change.

“Muanath Salem” (Safe Female) – A Collective Voice for Female Journalists in Egypt

In Egypt, where safe spaces in journalism are rare, the “Muanath Salem” initiative emerged as a collective response. Starting from a personal story, it grew into a network that documents violations, advocates for equality, and provides legal and psychological support.

Some of the initiative’s leaders are graduates of Ahel’s Organizing and Leading Collective Action for Change course and its follow-up Coaching Clinic, applying organizing tools in one of the most challenging professional environments.

Recently, they launched a campaign called “Representation Matters” to amplify female journalists’ voices in the Syndicate of Journalists, focusing on fair wages, safety, and representation. The initiative has resonated widely, proving that organizing is not just about rights but also about safeguarding dignity and the profession itself.

Qom Maa Al Mualim “Stand Up with the Teachers” – Building, Growing, and Enduring

We’ve talked about the “Stand Up with the Teachers” campaign before – and with good reason. Since its start in 2015, this campaign, led by a small group of private school teachers in Jordan, has grown to include multiple regions and become a point of reference for others fighting for labor rights.

Adapting its strategy every year, the campaign has built partnerships with supportive school administrations and empowered teachers to lead within their institutions. Recently, they’ve intensified efforts to track grievances, secure fair contracts, and enable teachers to protect their rights.

It is not just a change campaign anymore; it’s an enduring force, not only for private school teachers but for other campaigns that look to it for lessons on persistence and growth.

These stories are just a few among many at Ahel, not the only ones, but ones that remind us of a simple truth: organizing is far from over. As long as people come together, resist, and rebuild, power continues to grow.

Let’s celebrate those who began and endured, those who’ve redefined success in a time when organizing seemed cornered yet remained alive through sheer determination.

A heartfelt salute to all workers in May and throughout the year.

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