A NEW Campaign by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) vows to reveal the secret playbook billionaires use to crush workers’ rights and rig the system as the world watches on the trails of Trump and Musk in the United States.
The ITUC campaign asserts that a shadowy takeover is underway — not by armies, but by billionaires.
The ITUC warns warns that the world’s wealthiest elites are orchestrating a stealth coup against democracy, manipulating politics to entrench their power while workers pay the price.
From crushing unions to dismantling public services, their tactics are fueling inequality and eroding rights — all while their profits soar.
“Billionaires aren’t just getting richer — they’re capturing our democracies. While far-right politicians make headlines, unelected billionaires are the puppet masters pulling the strings. Their playbook is a recipe for disaster: divide workers, crush unions, and silence opposition — all to increase their wealth at our expense.
“We see the results: crumbling public services, stagnant wages, and attacks on our rights, while they enjoy record profits and zero accountability. This isn’t a conspiracy theory, it’s a coordinated attack on democracy,” warns Luc Triangle, the General Secretary of ITUC, as ITUC also released a short May Day video.
Triangle said the campaign sounding the alarm and exposing the Billionaire Coup Playbook undermining democracy worldwide in a new video – “Tax The Rich! Fair taxation, strong public services, quality education”.
While personalities like Trump and Musk dominate headlines, the problem is global: billionaires from Brazil to Germany are using the same playbook to divide workers, silence dissent, and rewrite laws in their favour, ITUC said.
“Who’s your Trump? Who’s your Musk?” the campaign asks, urging citizens to name and shame the oligarchs pulling strings in their countries.
The resistance is growing. On May 8 — the 80th anniversary of fascism’s defeat in WWII — unions and activists will launch a Global Day of Action to fight back.
“It’s time to reclaim democracy from the billionaire class,” says Triangle, as he asks: Will we let them win?
