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Labour Day recap, contribute to big picture strategy, and more | June 2026

In this month’s update: what happened on Labour Day, upcoming events and news about tech unionizing around the world. Also: what’s your vision for the future? You can help shape the Techwerkers long-term strategy ✨
Tech workers at May Day 2026
Table of Contents

Spotlight #

Labour Day 2026 #

A worker-controlled tech paradise with good music, spicy snacks, and working conditions that bring flourishing while sharing all profits. Are we there yet? Eeerrrm … maybe in 2026 not quite. All the more important to celebrate working people on May Day! This year Techwerkers joined a big parade in Amsterdam with flags, flyers, a worker sound system, and of course all the necessary casual banter. Power to everyone who joined!

Make it louder still next year? ♡

Call for input: Future perspectives #

What would your dream future for (tech) workers in the Netherlands be? A 15-hour work week? Worker co-ops? Fully automated luxury queer space communism? Strategic change requires a vision. Techwerkers has been germinating for a bit now as a community for people in tech in the Netherlands. A bunch of workers feel it’s time to step up and formulate more clearly what real material changes we want to see. You’re needed in all this!

Share your vision

Anthropic’s revenue is projected to compose 100% of global GDP by 2028.
Anthropic’s revenue will compose 100% of global GDP by 2028. Can’t argue with facts.

Upcoming events #

Join one of the upcoming events to meet up with other tech workers:

Do you know of an event that fellow tech workers might be interested in? Add it to the calendar!

Organize bourgeoisie safaris with busses through high class neighbourhoods to cultivate class hatred
Ready for a safari tour through Wassenaar?

On the radar #

Some of the news items that tech workers have been following in the past month:

  • In a new advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice in Den Haag confirms that workers’ right to strike is protected under the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention of 1948. This means that in collective negotiations with your boss, you have the protected right to withhold your labour as a pressure mechanism.
  • Labour unions FNV, CNV and VCP confirmed that workers across sectors are planning nationwide strikes if the Dutch government proceeds with cuts to social security, including to unemployment benefits (WW), disability benefits (WIA), and state pension (AOW). Industrial action is due to kick off on 24 June with a strike by public transport workers.
  • Using the pressure tactic of an 18-day strike, the Samsung Electronics Labor Union negotiated an agreement to share the company’s operating profits with its workers and guarantee annual raises for the coming 10 years.
Samsung workers
Samsung workers won their share of the company’s profits

“I mostly wish you lots of love, courage, wisdom and meaningful resistance in the tough times ahead, both politically and ecologically, and also in terms of fake news, surveillance and AI. Know that you never have to give (or tolerate) more than you personally want to or can bear. You’re always allowed to set your own limits, and live by those – or die for them.”

Karin Spaink
Karin Spaink in 1991 (pic by Gon Buurman)

Articles of note #

Tech workers discussed the following articles during recent book club meetups:

The Fetishism of AI #

Monthly Review, May 2026

John Bellamy Foster argues that under ‘computational capitalism’ (hey, another flavour of capitalism!), such a large portion of the global economy is enmeshed with the AI and data centre hype, such that when—not if—the bubble bursts, it’ll drag the rest of the economy with it into a global recession; all the while it doesn’t even create anything of material value.

At the 20th Collective Study Session of the CCP Central Committee Politburo, Xi Jinping Stresses: Persist in Being Self-Reliant, Be Strongly Oriented Toward Applications, and Push the Orderly Development of Artificial Intelligence #

Xinhua News Agency, April 2025

The study session concluded that AI technology can be a public good that enriches humanity, as long is it’s used for discovery in science and technology, paired with stimulating education at all levels, and takes place within an internationally agreed set of (global) governance frameworks, standards, and norms.

That’s it for now!

Is there something you’d like to share, like a cool book, inspiring video, or cute anti-capitalist cat meme? Yes please! Send it to hey@techwerkers.nl, or drop a message on Mastodon, LinkedIn, Bluesky, or Instagram.