Photo: The Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) at the May Day march in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. The t-shirt says: “Workers of the world united in defence of life and dignity.”
On May Day 2026, Peace Brigades International-Canada remembers that union activists continue to face attacks and threats on their lives
Union leader killed in Sinaloa, Mexico
The day before May Day, Homar Salas Gastélum, the elected leader of the Union of Workers at the Service of the City of Culiacán (STASAC), was shot dead at his home in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico.
Journalist Rosario Castagnet comments: “The event does not occur in isolation. In Sinaloa, one of the historical epicenters of drug trafficking in Mexico, violence is articulated with political and economic disputes that exceed the criminal. The unions, in this scheme, function as key spaces of power, since they manage employment, resources and relations with the State. Salas’ death is part of this crossroads between local politics, informal economy and territorial control.”
El Pais also notes: “In one of his last publications, Salas had made a call for Workers’ Day on May 1 with the members of the union to march through Culiacán.”
Video still: The Cerezo Committee and the Labor human rights schools of the Committee Cerezo Mexico (OLEP) march on May Day in Mexico City. The banner says: “Dignified work, just salary/fair pay, security.”
Violence against trade unionists in Colombia
On May 1, El Colombiano reported: “Between 1971 and 2020, more than 20,0000 acts of violence against trade unionists have been recorded in Colombia. The figures were revealed by the Ombudsman’s Office within the framework of Labor Day. Among the types of violence identified are gender-based aggressions, threats against their families, sexual violence, as well as the delegitimization of their leadership and participation in union spaces.”
PBI-Colombia accompanied the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) at the May Day rally in Bogota and is accompanying the Association for Social Research and Action (Nomadesc) as it marks the 5th anniversary of the national strike and social uprising that began on April 28, 2021.
By the time the strike ended on July 15, 2021, there were estimated to be 74 deaths, 111 cases of missing persons, and numerous reports of police brutality. It was also reported that 7 trade unionists were killed that year.
Journalist killed in Guatemala
On April 26, journalist Carlos Humberto Cal Ical was killed in an armed incident in the department of Alta Verapaz.
The International Federation of Journalists (FIP) and the Association of Journalists of Guatemala (APG) condemned this murder.
On May Day, PBI-Guatemala shared on social media a message from the Break the Fear Network Guatemala. That network said: “Behind every news there is effort, vocation and commitment to society. Because reporting isn’t just a job… is a public service that enables people to make decisions, demand rights and build democracy. Journalism is also dignified work. Reporting is not a crime.”
And in their International Workers’ Day message, the National Union of Rural Workers (CNTC), which is accompanied by PBI-Honduras, stated: “For us, the farmers, work is not just a daily routine; it is the sacred bond with the land and the tireless struggle for our sovereignty.”
Among the proposals made on May Day by the Confederation of Workers of Honduras (CTH), the General Central of Workers (CGT) and the United Confederation of Workers of Honduras (CUTH), the main labour federations, was the demand for justice in cases of territorial and environmental conflict linked to extractive projects.
The CNTC is affiliated with the Unified Confederation of Honduran Workers (CUTH) which is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), along with 150+ labour organizations including the Canadian Labour Congress.
Further reading: PBI-Canada observes vígil for the Toboso 19 outside the Embassy of the Philippines, May Day call to shut down CANSEC in Ottawa (May 2, 2026).
Photo: CREDHOS photo of the Workers’ Trade Union (USO) marching on May Day in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. Between 1986 and 2019, the Truth Commission documented 865 victimizing acts against USO members, including homicides, threats, and exiles. USO is the Canadian union Unifor’s partner union in Colombia.
