Check out this link for an interesting article about the worker’s struggle in South Africa:
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Month: February, 2012
CGTP-IN/PORTUGAL INFORMS
GIGANTIC DEMONSTRATION
GREAT CONGRESS OF UNITY AND ASSERTION OF THE NECESSARY STRUGGLE
1- On the past Saturday, 11th Feburary, we held in Lisbon a gigantic demonstration in which more than 300 thousands workers from the entire country participated, under the motto “No to exploitation, inequalities and impoverishmentâ€. This powerful demonstration was a magnificent response of the Portuguese workers to the policies of austerity, economic recession, social and civilisational regression and attack on the Portuguese workers’ rights and gains, which are contained in the measures of the Troika’s aggression and interference programme, aided and abetted by the ultraliberal proposals of the Portuguese government.
Meanwhile, the struggle will be stepped up and already on 29th February, the CGTP-IN will be promoting, in the framework of the European day of action, events in all our country’s regions, under the motto “Against austerity, exploitation and poverty – for jobs, salaries, rights and public servicesâ€.
In March, we already have on our agenda several protest and struggle actions, namely on 8 March (International Women’s Day), 28 March (National Youth Day), with initiatives taking place in companies and enterprises. On 31st March there will be a big national youth demonstration.
2- We recently held the International Trade Union Conference and CGTP-IN’s 12th Congress, from 26 to 28 January 2012.
More than 110 international trade union organisations from all continents replied positively to CGTP-IN’ invitation, by directly attending or sending solidarity messages to these important events. Presence and messages that were a strong expression of internationalist solidarity, giving an extremely important contribution to the success attained by these initiatives.
The International Trade Union Conference, with the motto “the international crisis – impacts on employment and on labour and social rights – trade union responseâ€, was attended by 250 participants (around 90 international delegations and 160 Portuguese trade unionists). There were approximately 40 speeches, with important contributions on the theme and with expressions of solidarity with the struggle of the Portuguese workers and of other countries.
On the 27th and 28th we held CGTP-IN’s 12th Congress, which was a crucial moment of the Portuguese workers’ organisation and struggle, specially because of its fighting, determined and unity spirit.
The congress was attended by 870 delegates from all the country, including from non-affiliated unions.
The congress adopted constitutional amendments, the action programme, a Chart of Demands with immediate claims for the 2012-2016 term of office, as well as several resolutions and an international motion.
The congress carried out a profound renewal of the leadership – 54 new members out of 147 National Council members (the council was elected with around 95% of the cast votes). Having met at the end of the congress first day, the National Council elected a new General Secretary – Arménio Carlos – with more than 80% of the cast votes, as well as the Executive Board and the Secretariat. No alternative lists were presented for any of these bodies or for the position of General Secretary.
Already after the congress, the new executive bodies adopted their internal organisation structure for the next 4-year period (annex 1).
Fraternal trade union greetings,
Augusto Praça
International Secretary
CGTP-IN Executive Board
The new antilabour draft agreement of the IMF, the World Bank and the capitalists being thrown back to the government and the EU by the WFTU General Secretary and Greek Communist, Member of the Parliament, George Mavrikos (Greek Parliament, 12.02.2012, Published in the Guardian, New York Times, Deutsche Welle, El Periodico)
Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greek-mps-bailout-deal
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/02/13/world/europe/13greece3.html
Deutsche Welle: http://www.deutsche-welle.com/dw/article/0,,15738494,00.html
El Periodico: http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/internacional/parlamento-griego-vota-hoy-acuerdo-con-troika-1408961
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El borrador del acuerdo antiobrero del FMI, el Banco Mundial y los capitalistas es lanzada a la cara del gobierno y la UE por el Secretario General de la FSM, Comunista griego Diputado del Parlamento, George Mavrikos (Parlamento Griego 12.02.2012, Publicado en The Guardian, New York Times, Deutsche Welle, El Periodico)
Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greek-mps-bailout-deal
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/02/13/world/europe/13greece3.html
Deutsche Welle: http://www.deutsche-welle.com/dw/article/0,,15738494,00.html
El Periodico: http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/internacional/parlamento-griego-vota-hoy-acuerdo-con-troika-1408961
Athens, February 13th,2012
Dear comrades,
We send you the 2nd Issue of PAME’s magazine, “WORKERS COUNTERATTACKâ€, which is published by the Secretariat of International Relations of PAME in English and next week, we will also have it available in Spanish.
http://issuu.com/pamehellas/docs/counterattack2_english?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
In this Issue you will find information to the heroic struggle of the steelworkers, who are on strike for more the 100 days. To support their struggle, PAME has called a campaign for financial support of the strikers and their families.
Furthermore, the very important meeting of trade unionists from Europe, that took place with the initiative of PAME, in Athens, on December 15th, for the coordination of the class forces in Europe.
Finally, comments on the logic of class collaboration, as expressed by the GSEE in Greece, but also by other organisations internationally, as well as the various activities of PAME in Greece and in international level.
The magazine’s contexts are from December 2011-January 2012.
Next week, we will have also available the magazine in Spanish.
The Secretariat of International Relations
Check out this link to a video of a speech by Sam Webb:
http://cpusa.org/making-change-by-looking-at-the-world-as-it-is-marxist-methodology-10/
Please send in your comments on this speech, positive, negative, indifferent. We will gladly post them. Let’s have a discussion.
Via http://inter.kke.gr/News/news2012/2012-02-10-48ori2
10/2/2012
With a militant strike rally in Athens as well as in dozens of cities, the working men and women, the poor popular strata responded to PAME’s call by participating in the first day of the 48hr general strike, (10-11/2/2012).
PAME’s forces in a decisive move occupied the Ministry of Labour and hung a huge banner on which the following was written: “No to the new massacre of the people- Down with the Government- The Troika must go- Disengagement from the EU.†This occupation highlighted that the government-Troika-plutocracy have a plan to eradicate every labour right, pushing forward savage anti-worker measures in this period, with the pretext of the new loan which the Greek government wants to receive. Amongst other things the new measures provide for
New reductions in the minimum wage of 22% for all the workers and 32% for those who will now be hired in the private sector, and this in conditions when the losses of the workers since 2009 surpass the 45% mark. Abolition of sectorial collective bargaining agreements.
New dramatic reductions in the basic and supplementary pensions.
Mass dismissals of thousands of employees in the public sector and the former state industries, overturning of labour relations, new reductions in salaries in the public sector.
New drastic cuts in social services, in the Health sector and medicines, which are even placing human lives in danger.
New tax raid against the broad popular strata in order to support the tax exemptions of big capital.
The class forces guarded their strike from the crack of dawn in countless factories and other workplaces against this storm of measures.
Occupations of other public buildings and state organizations were carried out by PAME, MAS, PASEVE, PASY, OGE in other cities throughout Greece.
Aleka Papariga, GS of the CC of the KKE, participated in the strike rally of PAME in Athens and made this statement to the mass media: “ Even if the workers give their own flesh to pay off the debt, the savage bankruptcy will not be averted. Consequently, there is one solution: Disengagement from the EU and unilateral cancellation of the debt, This is the solution, anything else will constitute a tragedy for the workers.â€
The central speaker at the strike rally of PAME was G. Sifonios, President of the Trade Union of the workers of “Greek Steelworks†who have already been strike for 103 days. He stated the determination of the steelworkers to respond even more dynamically now as it is becoming clearer to more and more workers that the measures taken by the specific employer at the Steelworks(Elliniki Halivourgia) are today being generalized by the government and Troika with starvation wages for all the workers. The President of the trade union, which is conducting the longest strike of recent years, thanked PAME and the other forces both in Greece and abroad, which have supported the strike struggle. It should be noted that PAME has started a fund raising campaign for the financial support of the strike struggle.
After the rally there was a magnificent march to the Ministry of Labour, which had been occupied. The demonstrators demanded:
Elections now!
Unilateral cancellation of the debt, disengagement from the European Union!
We do not owe anything! We will not pay! The debt is not ours! It must be paid by those who created it, by the plutocracy! This is the truth which was proclaimed by the protesters against the lies of the government of the Black Front (centre-left, centre-right, nationalists) and the slanders unleashed by several international media which present the Greek working people as being lazy.
52 rallies in popular and working class neighbourhoods throughout Attica are scheduled for the second day of the 48-hour strike as well as other multifaceted mobilizations across Greece. In addition, another demonstration is scheduled for the day when the barbaric measures are to be voted on in the Parliament.
The parliamentary group of the KKE stresses in its statement that “it will contribute with all its strength so that the people rise up, so that factories, businesses, popular neighbourhoods become fortresses of struggle. The parliamentary group of the KKE deploys all its forces to impede the murderous anti-people measures . It will ask for a roll call vote on the new memorandum that the government of the Black Front seeks to pass through emergency procedures like a thief in the night. Each member of the Parliament bears a personal responsibility. No member of the Parliament is excused, in the name of discipline, to vote for the massacre of the rights of the peopleâ€, notes the statement of the parliamentary group of the KKE
It should be noted that the provocateur mechanisms performed their well-known mission engaging in a meaningless conflict throwing stones at the riot police. Once again these staged incidents in Syntagma square sought to give the opportunity to the media to conceal the clear message of thousands of workers, who demonstrated and demanded the fall of the government of the Black Front and the departure of the Troika, so as to pave the way for people’s power and the disengagement of the country from the imperialist EU.
e-mail: cpg@int.kke.gr
February is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Henry Winston, former national chairman of the Communist Party USA. On Sunday, February 19, 2pm, the Communist Party will hold a celebration and tribute on Winston’s legacy in New York City. The event, “The Legacy of Henry Winston: Fight against Racism and the Far Right in 2012” will be livestreamed. Speakers will include professor and political activist Angela Davis, CPUSA Exec. Vice Chair Jarvis Tyner and Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism founder Charlene Mitchell. More about this meeting can be found at http://www.cpusa.org/celebrating-the-life-of-henry-winston/
African American history is important. Even more important, and crucial for the future of our country, is the struggle against racism today.
At http://www.peoplesworld.org/i-remember-winnie/
One can find some remarks of Jarvis Tyner at a previous celebration of the life of Henry Winston. Tyner’s remarks are followed by this excerpt from a lecture Henry Winston gave to a seminar of Communist Party organizers in 1971:
Fight racism for unity and progress
By Henry Winston
The giant industrial monopolies, the big banks and insurance companies, the financiers and landowners, all spawn racism and use it as one of their chief class weapons to maintain and defend their regime of exploitation and oppression, of enmity among peoples, of imperialist wars of aggression.
It follows that all democratic and antimonopoly forces, with the working class and Black liberation movement in the van, can effectively defend the interests of the vast majority of people only when they actively further the struggle against racism. This is an essential precondition for the development of a fighting alliance which will unite all democratic and antimonopoly forces in the country.
Marx wrote long ago that “labor in a white skin can never be free so long as labor in the black skin is branded.†This profound observation points up the fact that racism is the consciously employed weapon of the white imperialist oppressors, who use it to create division in the ranks of the working class. And Marx correctly suggests that white workers must take the lead in the struggle against racism. This is the path which can lead to unity of Black and white workers in struggle, which can achieve Black equality and a real improvement in the conditions of all workers.
The conclusion which Communists must draw with respect to this most important question is that it is mere chatter to talk about trade union consciousness developing into class consciousness and advancing to socialist consciousness if there does not exist a conscious, unending struggle against racism.
No worker can be said to be class conscious who does not recognize the
community of interests of all workers as a class. And for white workers this means, first of all, recognition of the community of their interests with those of Black workers and therefore of the need to fight for the rights of Black workers.
If you would like to attend the livestreaming of this broadcast in Northwest Houston, contact PHill1917@comcast.net . Of course, you can access the livestream from your own computer on the party website www.cpusa.org .
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