No real power without economic empowerment (economic empowerment first)

When workers earn barely enough to survive (approximately 1/3 of a living wage) they are highly dependent on their current job, no matter how poor the working conditions are. The fear of losing the job and the inability to feed their families, pay rent, or cover other basic needs is a powerful trap that is keeping them silent. Additionally, low wages means no savings and/or debt bondage so if they are fired for an organising attempt they have nothing to fall back on. This perpetuate the cycle of exploatation and eliminates any power they might have.
- Lack of financial and time resources for TU organising (low wages means long overtime hours or/and additional jobs)
- Economically vulnerable workers are easier to threaten (threats of job loss, wage cuts, or factory closure/ relocation)
- Race to the bottom (competition among governments and suppliers in low wages countries is making it impossible for one group of workers to demand a higher wage) -> it has to be systemic demand
- The fight for a living wage is not just about income; it's fundamentally about restoring dignity, enabling collective action (unionisation), and rebalancing power within global economic systems.