International Newsletter
Number 8
January 6th 2003
Weekly information dossier published by the
International Liaison Committee -ILC,
Please contact :
International Liaison Committee -ILC, c/o Parti des travailleurs - 87,
rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis,
7510 Paris France
phone : (33 1) 48 01 88 28 fax : (33 1) 48 01 88 36
e-mai l - eit.ilc@wanadoo.fr
**********
Contents:
- Presentation
- Answers to the Appeal for an International Emergency Conference
Against War - from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Romania
- Claude Ameganvi's Trial
- Regionalisation in Italy
- Caribbean Conference, towards the conference against FTAA
- Calendar and Publications
**********
Presentation:
On December 27th, in a special edition, we published the call for an
emergency International Conference against war and exploitation:
"No to war, no to the massacre that is being prepared",
convoked at the initiative of the International Liaison Committee of
Workers and Peoples, which will be held in Paris on the 23rd and 24th of
January.
We are publishing the first contributions for the preparation of this
conference, documents from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Romania.
In Dacca, the Democratic Workers Party has organized "in conditions
marked by the application of what is in fact martial law," a
meeting against the war that Bush wants to organize against the Iraqi
people.
This conference calls on the unions, political parties, popular
organizations, peasant organizations, women, intellectuals, and youth
organizations in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, to unite against
this unjust war."
In Romania, on December 19th, unionists, elected officials and labor
activists and have adopted a statement in which they declare themselves
(like 71% of Romanians) opposed to the participation of Romania in the
aggression against Iraq, at a time when NATO wants to integrate Romania
into its ranks.
We invite all of our correspondents to send us position statements in
support of the international conference and the initiatives they have
taken against the war in Iraq.
**********
Answers to the Appeal for an International Emergency Conference Against
War
Bangladesh
In Dacca, the country's capital, on December 27th, the Democratic
Workers Party organized a meeting against the war which Bush is trying
to start against the Iraqi people.
In conditions marked by the application of what is in fact martial law,
and in spite of the pressure and the intimidation attempts of the
powerful police forces, more than five hundred activities met to hear
leaders of the party explain the motives behind the act of barbarism
that is being prepared, and to call on the workers and the people to
unite in order to defeat it.
The president of the party, brother Tafazzul Hussein, reminded them that
"the question of mass arms of destruction was nothing more than a
pretext, when in reality what is at stake is oil. Imperialism wants to
divide Iraq in three parts, and to send the Palestinian population to
one of those parts. The workers and the people will not remain passive
in the face of this monstrosity."
At the end of the meeting, a resolution was adopted. Some extracts
follow: "The aim of this meeting is to help build the united
resistance of the democratic people of Bangladesh against the war (...).
The war that is being prepared threatens the independence, the unity,
and the existence of all nations. It is part of a conspiracy against the
workers and the peoples of the world.
This meeting, having been informed of the call from the ILC for an
emergency International Conference against the war, and an international
meeting, wholeheartedly supports this initiative. Nothing is safe from
the consequences of war. In particular, it will create a dangerous
instability in our subcontinent.
This meeting calls on all unions, political parties, popular
organizations, peasant organizations, women, intellectuals, and youth
organizations of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to unite against
this unjust war.
For us, this meeting is a departure point.
We direct ourselves to all of the people of Asia: only the action of the
workers and the people can bring about the defeat of imperialism.
...India, Pakistan
During this meeting in Dacca messages of solidarity were read. Among
them, we underscore that of the Liaison Committee of Independent Unions
of Bombay (India).
On his own behalf, N. Vasudevan greeted the meeting, which he stated is
" part of an array of protests that, on a global scale, oppose the
imperialist hegemony of the United States (Š) in spite of its
democratic proclamations, US imperialism has a long history of support
of dictatorial regimes, as long as they serve its interests. The people
of Bangladesh experienced this in 1971. Today, India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh, will, sooner or later, be victims of American imperialisms
if it achieves its aims."
The All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF) also sent a message to
this meeting in which it announced that it wants to prepare, in the
coming days, nine demonstrations against the war and in which it
explained:
"We have circulated the call for the emergency international
conference to be held in Paris on January 23rd and 24th. We will gather
signatures of support before the conference is held, because we support
this call entirely. We want to hold meetings, inviting other union
organizations in Lahore and in other cities in Pakistan, to affirm our
opposition to a war against the innocent people of Iraq".
Romania
"Romanian unionists, elected officials and labor activists oppose
the aggressive politics of the United States in the world"
In November, in the framework of its summit in Prague, NATO decided to
invite other countries to join the alliance, including Romania. Our
Romanian brothers and sisters sent us an article published in the
bulletin Tribuna Soziala, the newspaper of the Association for the
Emancipation of Workers, an organization that has waged struggle for
over ten years in the framework of the ILC. In the article it says:
"Responding to the aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration of
those who govern us, NATO has decided to receive Romania into its ranks.
The media circus that has surrounded this event has done everything
possible to convince us that "this act is in response to the
unequivocal will of the Romanian people to enter the civilized world
again" and that "in this way, new paths are open for us
towards prosperity." In pro-NATO flood created by the print and
audio-visual press, there have infiltrated, however, subversive drops to
show to us in effect what the Romanians have understood: that NATO will
bring better retirements, well paid jobs, reductions in the cost of
living, etc.
The obsession of the political class for unanimity around such questions,
which are more than debatable, such as the adhesion to NATO, has
materialized into a gigantic manipulation. And the surveys after the
"Prague moment" have shown the chaos that the mass media has
cultivated in the collective conscience of Romanians (1).
(Š) For example, according to a survey published by the Transylvania
Metro Media Institute in October of 2002, 17% of Romanians were aware
that NATO puts world peace in danger. (Š) When it comes to more
concrete issues, we see that 51% of Romanians are not in agreement with
the construction of NATO military bases in Romanian territory. And,
nonetheless, information that has not yet been verified state that the
Power of Bucharest has already given its approval to at least one base,
somewhere in Dobroudja. Further on, we see that 48% of Romanian do not
want to see a single NATO soldier set foot on national territory, while
only 41% are favorable to the presence of alliance soldiers in Romania.
And, with respect to the utility of NATO, only 42% of Romanians are
certain that NATO would help if another country attacked them.
When the survey deals with the military interventions of NATO in the
world, in theory 36% of our compatriots would not want Romanians to
participate in NATO missions. Concretely, a fact that seems very
significant to us; 71% of Romanians think our country should not
participate in an eventual war of the United States against Iraq.
As a consequence of the discussions which this article has raised in the
Romanian labor movement, a meeting was held and the following communiqué
was published:
"The participants in the meeting of December 29, 2002, in Targu
Jiu, have taken note of the recent evolutions in what the media calls
"the Iraqi question" and of the fact that 71% of Romanians say
that they are opposed to the participation of Romania in an eventual
aggression of the United States against Iraq. The indications made by
the government, in its offensive towards NATO, demonstrate that they
intend to integrate our country into the American plans for intervention
in Iraq.
In this framework, we, activists of diverse origins, from different
organizations, reaffirm our opposition to any type of involvement of
Romania in an eventual war.
Furthermore, we propose to mount the bases of a broad campaign against
the aggressive politics of the United States in the world, against the
danger that NATO represents for world peace, a campaign that would
gather all of the forces that are in favor of PEACE.
Targu Jiu, December 29, 2002
First signatories:
Iulian Dumitru BUDURAN, Secretary-General of the National Labor
Federation; Ion Coiculescu, President of the National Labor Federation,
member of the Romanian Labor Party; Constantin DOBROIU, President of the
Rovinari affiliate of the "Miron Cozma" League of Workers;
Constantin CRETAN, President of the "Miron Cozma" League of
Workers; member of the Council of the Gorj department; Marian
TUDOR, President of the Association for the Emancipation of Workers
(AEM), ex-member of the City Council of the city of Craiova; Stefan
CHIFIRIUC, Vice-President of AEM; Ilie ROTARU, President of the
organization of the Dolj department of the Romanian Socialist
Labor Party, ex-member of the City Council of the city of Craiova; Ioan
DINA, Secretary-General of the "Lignitul" Rovinari Miners
Union; Gheorghe Dudãu, member of the Council of the Gorj
Department, President of the organization of the Gorj Department of the
Socialist Labor Party; Ion BURCIU, Vice-President of the
"Lignitul" Rovinari Miners Union; Robert TRICÃ - MAVRODIN,
member of AEM; Florin CONSTANTIN editor of the Social Tribune Bulletin.
(1) The surveys say that a broad majority of Romanians support the
demand from Bucharest to enter NATO.
********************
Togo
Claude Ameganvi is condemned to 6 months in prison for a crime he did
not commit.
It is unjust that an innocent rot in prison.
Free Claude Ameganvi !
AN OFFICIAL NOTICE FROM THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE IMMEDIATE AND
UNCONDITIONAL LIBERATION OF CLAUDE AMEGANVI, DJAOURA-TIGUENA, TAKANA
BADJESSA AND THE JAILED JOURNALISTS.
On November 21st of 2002, the appeal trial for Claude Amengavi was held.
Just as in the trial of November 14th of 2002, before a great multitude,
the Lawyers Collective demonstrated patiently, meticulously and
brilliantly the nonexistence of the slightest fact or slightest proof
able to sustain the accusations that weigh over Claude Amengavi.
And further, more clearly than in the first trial, the main
"position witness", Julien Ayi, has reaffirmed clearly and
without the slightest hesitation that his testimony was a fabrication
prepared by the police.
Again, and incontestably, it has been demonstrated that Claude Amengavi
is totally innocent.
The most elementary duties of justice, democracy and law, demand the
pure and simple liberation of Amengavi, as his lawyers have demanded, as
have demanded all those men and women who, throughout the world, have
mobilized so that justice prevails in this case.
The anticipated verdict was to be pronounced in eight days, this was not
satisfied in date nor time: in effect, the 28th of November of 2002, the
lawyers, the families and the public that was present were notified by
the Court, contrary to what had been forecast, of the postponement of
the announcement of the verdict for Monday, December 2, at 8 am.
At 8 a.m. on the morning of Monday, December 2, the verdict was given
without being made public.
Lawyers, friends, supporters and all those that support Claude Amengavi,
massively present in the room of the Palace of Justice and in the
environs, were witness to an inconceivable ballet: the president of the
Court of Appeals, after locking himself in his office for half an hour,
went out precipitously and left the Palace of Justice, not to return
until two hours later.
Obviously, in some location agreements were made.
Therefore, the verdict was not pronounced until 1:30.
The Court of Appeals confirmed the verdict of the first trial: pure and
simple abandonment of the charges of disturbances of the public order,
refusal to follow the public ministry which, again, had required 36
months for this pseudo-crime. But, now with the charge of "offense
to the Head of State", the Court of Appeals decided to sentence him
to the maximum sentence allowed by the law: 6 months of prison and a
fine of 100,000 Francs.
The National Committee for the immediate and unconditional liberation of
Claude Amengavi, Djaoura Tiguena, Takana Badjessa and the jailed
journalists, indicates that of the 54, and later 42 months, required by
the public ministry, Claude Amengavi is condemned to 6 months.
The Committee also notes that the Court of Appeals, leaving the crime of
disturbance of the public order, nevertheless decided to extend the
pronounced sentence from 4 to 6 months.
The Committee makes an official record of the fact that a citizen,
Claude Amengavi, whose innocence has been more than demonstrated, is
condemned to 6 months of hard time for a crime that he did not commit.
What guides the Committee, in accordance with what it has always said,
is the respect for democracy, justice and the law.
After these two trials, the Committee is itself forced to declare:
democracy, justice, the law are not respected.
6 months of prison for Claude Amengavi, is a negation of justice.
Immediate liberation for Claude Amengavi!
The Committee sees itself, on the other hand, forced to ask: what do the
coming days reserve for us? Are things going to remain this way?
In any case, the Committee informs that, in relation to the Lawyers
Collective, to all those that in Togo and everywhere in the world have
taken positions and continue mobilizing massively so that justice be
served, will continue following, down to the smallest details, the
evolution of this situation.
Claude Ameganvi is innocent!
Free Claude Ameganvi!
It is unjust that an innocent rot in prison!
Lome, December 13, 2002
For the National Committee, the Members of the Coordination Body:
Emmanuel BUAK4 (CDPA-BT); Mensanvi BOGLA (CPP);
Kofi-Kuma HODOUTO (Le Front ADDI - CAR - CDPA - UDS-TOGO );
Narcisse N'KADJAOU (Workers Party)
Brim Hamadou DIABACTE (UFC)
Koko François GAYIBOR (Association for the Defense of Human Rights)
Télévi Norbert GBIKPI-BENISAN (Union Organizations);
Gahoun HEGBOR (Collective of Defense Lawyers)
**********
Regionalization in Italy:
Interview with Lorenzo Varaldo, correspondent of the International
Liaison Committee in Italy, December 15th, 2002.
There is a legislative project on regionalization. Can you explain the
content of this law and what its effects are?
Lorenzo: A reform has already been adopted by the preceding center left
government, a constitutional reform that modified articles of the
Constitution and that granted all power to the regions. In many
dominions, the regions have powers that they did not have previously: in
schools, professional training, health and public services. The
subsidiary principle exists, and in those dominions the state plays as
big a role as the regions.
That reform was adopted by the preceding governments. At the present
time it has begun to be applied. Nevertheless, the decrees of
application of the reform have not been promulgated. There is a
declaration for its application that has been signed by the right wing
government, but not by the center left deputies.
At the same time, there is a new constitutional reform project that
would grant the regions all powers over the schools, health care, the
police and public services.
It is about total regionalization. Many speak of the disappearance of
the state. It is about the division of the state into twenty small
Italies.
What is the position of the labor movement, of the labor organizations,
in relation to the regionalization process?
Lorenzo: in the labor movement a movement of resistance and struggle for
the unity of Italy, for the defense of national collective bargaining
contracts is being articulated. This is true in particular in the
problem with Fiat, where there is a united movement of the south and the
north. When the layoffs at Fiat were announced, it created a movement
that expressed with complete clarity that it is not possible to divide
the country, to pit the workers of the south against those of the north,
that it is not possible to tradeoff layoffs between the south and the
north and that it is necessary to defend all jobs.
In the banner that was discovered in numerous demonstrations, it says:
"The Republic is based on the work and the unity of the
workers".
And then there is the fight for the defense of the national public
education system against the application of the regional reforms and for
the defense of health care. For example, in the area of health, the
government is advancing considerably with the regionalization of the
field and is now trying to close many hospitals and has eliminated many
beds in the hospitals where the regionalization is being applied. But
there is also resistance here. In the south there were very large
demonstrations against the closing of hospitals. In the north, in many
small cities there have been very important demonstrations. The union
leaders have announced their opposition to the most extreme
regionalization projects, but they also say that it is necessary to
apply the law adopted by means of the vote of the center left.
What is the position of the Social Forum of Florence with respect to
regionalization? Has this problem been discussed?
Lorenzo: The Social Forum of Florence has not taken a position against
the dismissals at Fiat, nor in defense of national public education, nor
in defense of national collective bargaining contracts, nor against the
regionalization project. At the same time, the Forum says that the
national framework is no longer adequate, that European institutions are
needed, that it is necessary to supercede the nations and to have
European conquests and rights. They are speaking about rights in general
without speaking of the defense of the rights conquered within the
national frameworks. In Florence, in several of the seminars, many
people pronounced themselves in favor of the reform of the European
institutions, for a convention that corresponds in the facts to
regionalization. In the resulting call of the Forum, it says itself:
"we direct this to all the people of all the regions of Europe.
This framework is not a framework of the defense of the sovereignty and
the unity of the nations".
In Italy is there a relation between regionalization and the European
Union?
L: Yes, that relation is direct. I participated in a conference in Rome
about the reform of education. In that meeting, a person in charge of
the ministry of Education intervened openly to explain the reasons for
the reforms. I participated in the debate, to which she had been invited
and I explained that all the reforms are in practice the application of
the European directives and that there is a direct relation between the
reforms, the European directives, the regionalization, the destruction
of national programs, the elimination of diplomas, etc.
You participated in the Manifesto of the 500 in defense of public
education, what action and what position does the Manifesto take on
these events, Fiat, the dismantling of the schools, etc.?
Lorenzo: There are many proposals on education, particularly there is a
call to trade union organizations to hold a major national demonstration
for unity, for the withdrawal of educational reform and in general for
the defense of public education and for the withdrawal of the
regionalization project. This call already has the signatures of 100
union delegates from all of the unions.
Yesterday, the Manifesto of the 500 held a meeting in Florence and
decided to send delegations to the union organizations to propose a
national demonstration.
In addition, the Manifesto of the 500 announced that it is against the
layoffs at Fiat and established the relationship between struggle
against the layoffs, the struggle for the defense of national contracts
and the struggle against education reform, as the latter anticipates the
destruction of national diplomas, and therefore, the destruction of the
contracts. It is about "lifelong learning".
In addition, in the resolution that we adopted yesterday in Florence,
regionalization in general is rejected and it says that the intent is to
play one region against another in order to reduce labor costs.
Manifesto of the 500, for the withdrawal of the reform of programs in
defense of public education
Motion approved during the closing ceremony of the assembly of Turin
(November 14th, 2002), in support of the struggle of the workers of
Fiat, for the repeal of all of the layoffs and the provisions for the
complementary accounts.
The assembly of professors and family members of students, called for by
the Manifesto of the 500, met today, November 14th of 2002, in Turin, at
a time when the laborers and functionaries of the Fiat group have been
in movement for several weeks against the layoffs and the complementary
accounts announced by the company.
While the Manifesto of the 500 is principally occupied with the problem
of the defense of public education, all those present at the assembly
were in agreement in declaring themselves against what is being prepared
at Fiat. The situation in this company unites the entire population,
especially thousands and thousands of families, because this crisis
threatens the existence of more than 50,000 employees.
At a time of such gravity for our city and in general, for the entire
country, we unconditionally support the mobilization that is in action
and demand the repeal of all of the layoffs and all of the measures
announced around the complementary accounts.
No return to work is possible if they continue to layoff, impoverish,
and destabilize the workers.
Our mobilization for the defense of public education is closely related
to the defense of the employees, first and foremost those in industry:
in effect, the Moratti "reform" includes arrangements for the
increase of flexibility, for exploitation of youth and for
destabilization, with the objective of abolishing national contracts.
This is also the meaning behind the attack against diplomas and the
programs of exploitation of youth through the alternation of
school-work, apprenticeships and lifelong education, with which they
intend to make youth work practically for free in jobs without regular
contracts.
**********
Caribbean Conference:
The 12th and 13th of December a conference was held in Guadalupe that
gathered delegates from several labor organizations (see list below), of
Martinique, Guadalupe, Guyana, as well as from Mexico, Cuba, of the
Workers Party of France. The Brazilian delegates were rejected at the US
border.
We reprinting the declaration and several motions decided in the
conference. The initiators of the conference, referring to the current
struggles of resistance, declared: "We are launching a call to all
our Caribbean brothers to coordinate these struggles of
resistance".
We, participants in the "Caribbean Conference against deregulation,
for the defense and re-conquest of labor rights, for trade union
independence, against the FTAA and the agreements of free trade that are
ruining the economies of the small countries already underdeveloped
because of more than three centuries of colonization, for the right of
the people of the Caribbean to govern themselves", we have analyzed
the effects on our countries of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA, which will be transformed into the FTAA) and the European Union
Treaty of Amsterdam.
We have verified that those agreements are part of the global strategy
of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank.
That strategy is presented by its promoters in the United States, and
the wealthy countries of Europe, representatives of major international
capital, as a generator of more jobs, more economic wealth and better
living conditions. According to them, these policies do not represent
any danger to the rights of the workers and the people. Not one of these
promises has been fulfilled.
More jobs?
In the United States, according to the declarations of George Bush, 385
thousand jobs were lost since NAFTA took effect in 1994.
Economic development?
Argentina, presented as one of the best disciples of the IMF in the 90s,
undergoes the deluge of its economy, its middle-class almost disappears,
and hunger spreads. The banana production in the Caribbean is condemned
to death by the European Union, at the benefit of North American
businesses.
A better general situation?
Dominican, whose successive governments have faithfully followed the
directions of the IMF and the World Bank, is almost in bankruptcy.
It does not put the rights of the workers and the people in danger?
We have seen the proliferation of "free zones", zones in which
labor rights do not exist. The French government tries to transform its
American colonies (Martinique, Guadalupe and Guyana) into vast
"free zones" with the objective of destroying social conquests
and in order to apply adjustments in name of the regional
competitiveness.
Therefore, the social security systems and the systems of retirement by
distribution are in danger, and, in addition, the restoration of
contingent private pension funds has been announced.
Has the European Union by chance not imposed the reduction of the
minimum age required to work, and fixed it at thirteen years of age? Did
it not reestablish night work for women in companies and did it not
reduce maternity rights?
Companies and public services are given over to the North American and
European multinationals, which results in an increasing threat to the
national sovereignty of our countries.
They seek to destabilize democratically chosen governments which attempt
to preserve national interests, to force them to back down, as is
happening in the case of the Chavez government in Venezuela. In the face
of a the criminal offensive, the workers and the people resist and they
are mobilized.
In Brazil, after the historical election of Lula, the congress voted
against the ratification of the FTAA, a vote that serves as a point of
support for the other peoples of the region.
In Mexico a committee against the FTAA has formed.
In the Caribbean, the workers fight shoulder to shoulder for the defense
of their social conquests. This is, for example, the case in Guadalupe
where most of the workers fight grouped in the general Union of Workers
of Guadalupe (UGTG).
In the United States, the labor movement increasingly rejects the
military, economic and social policy of its government against the
peoples of the world.
The peoples promoting the Caribbean Conference, victims of slavery and
colonization, declare ourselves in solidarity with all of the present
and future struggles of resistance, against the plans of globalization
that attempt to drag the workers and the peoples of our region into
slavery again.
We call on our Caribbean brothers to coordinate our struggles of
resistance. We propose to positively respond to all the proposals for
fighting the FTAA and other agreements of free trade, and in particular
to be present at the Continental Conference against the FTAA that will
take place in July of 2003 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Organization Resolution:
Delegates of the following countries and organizations participated in
the Caribbean Conference in Morne á l'Eau, on the 12th and 13th of
December:
Union Federation of Martinique Workers (CSTM);
Martinique Front for Justice and Against Repression (FMJCR);
Worker and Peasant Alliance (AOP), of Martinique;
Dominican Union (DTU), Dominican;
National Union of Workers (NWU), Dominican;
Movement for a Workers Party of Guadalupe (MPTPG);
General Union of Workers of Guadalupe (UGTG);
NONM, Guadalupe;
Union of Workers of Guyana (UTG);
Movement for an Independent, Democratic Workers Party (MPIDT) Mexico;
Revolutionary Social Democratic Party (PSRD) Cuba;
Also present were seven delegates from the International Liaison
Committee of Workers and People and three delegates from the Workers
Party of France. The delegate from Brazil was denied entrance at the
border with the argument that his permanent visa for France is not valid
to enter Guadalupe.
Motion of solidarity
We, the organizers, guests and participants in the 1st Caribbean
Conference
We affirm that in our countries of the Caribbean, the workers are
repressed and jailed for their union activities, in spite of and with
scorn for, the international union rights defined in agreements 87 and
98 of the International Labor Organization (ILO); We denounce the
repressive practices that characterize international Capitalism,
imperialism and the colonialism. We reaffirm our irrevocable will to do
everything possible so that labor rights and union rights are respected.
We demand the immediate and unconditional freedom of the our brothers
and sisters: Gabriel Bourguignon, of Guadalupe, member of the General
Union of the Workers of Guadalupe (UGTG), of the five Mexican unionists,
members of section 7 of SNTE (Chiapas) and of Claude Ameganvi, Togolese
unionist and member of the International Liaison Committee (ILC). Morne-á-l'Eau,
Guadalupe, 13th of December of 2002.
Motion on Cuba
Motion of solidarity with the Cuban people
Directed to the president of the United States
The participants in the Caribbean Conference, meeting on the 12th and
13th of December of 2002 in Guadalupe:
We denounce the deadly embargo imposed on the Cuban workers and people
by North American imperialism more than 30 years ago; We affirm that
with that embargo they seek to destroy the conquests of the Cuban
revolution for the benefit of major global capital and its organizations
(the IMF, WTO, World Bank...); We demand the immediate termination of
the embargo against the Cuban people.
Motion against the war:
The participants in the conference of the Caribbean, meeting on the 12th
and 13th of December of 2002 on the island of Guadalupe.
We consider that the determination of George Bush, president of the
United States, to invade Iraq has as its objective: to control the
petroleum of that country by means of the death of hundreds of thousands
of men, women and children. This war, according to the logic of North
American imperialism, must continue in Iran and the other countries of
the region, with the active support of other imperialistic governments,
primarily the British government.
We emphatically denounce the aggression against the Iraqi people and the
peoples of the world. Aggression that means the extension of the
exploitation of the workers.
We have decided, based on the logic of the movement against the war
throughout the world, and in particular that of the workers and
well-known personalities in the United States:
To direct protest messages to the government of the United States and
all its embassies in the world.
To direct messages to our respective governments to denounce the
warmongering intentions of the United States.
To support any proposal of similar intent.
Starting today the Caribbean Conference directs this petition to the
government of the United States.
Motions and resolutions of the conference:
Against the FTAA
Motion against the war
Organization resolution
Motion against deregulation
Resolution on trade union independence
Against the local conferences of the French state
Motion of solidarity with the Cuban people
For the liberation of Gabriel Bourguignon
Motion of international solidarity
To receive all of the motions and contributions, direct requests to:
Free Tribune of the Caribbean (16 pages)
Provisional address: MPTPG Local, 4 rue de l'Assainissement n° 25, 97
190 Pointe-à-Pitre Guadeloupe
Tel - fax 00 33 05 90 88 70 07
e-mail : kristela@wanadoo.fr
**********
ILC International Calendar:
February, 2003: International Railroad Workers Conference Against
Railway Privatization (Paris-France).
March 8, 2003: International Women's Day Against the War and Defense
June, 2003: International Trade Union Conference In Defense of the
Conventions of the ILO.
June, 2003: International Conference In Defense of Public Education.
July 2003: Western Hemisphere Conference Against the FTAA (Sao Paulo -
Brazil).
**********
Publications of the International Liaison Committee for Workers and
Peoples
Report Book from the International Conference in Berlin
Price: 10 euros
(180 pages)
With orders of 5 or more, 6 euros each
Bulletin # 11 from the ILC Women's Commission
Report from the delegation received at the ILO in Geneva and the
response from Mr. Manuel Simon, Director of the ACTRAV, with respect to
the conventions of the ILO which protect women.
price: 1 euro.
Memoranda, report on the International Women's Conference in Berlin
price:5 euros
With orders of 5 or more, 3 euros each
Information Bulletin published with the support of the Continuations
Committee of Berlin, a report on the 9th Meeting organized by the ILC,
on June 16 of 2002 in Geneva "in defense of the conventions of the
ILO and of the independence of trade union organizations"
price: 2 euros.
With orders of 5 or more, 1 euro each
Subscription to the Intern@tional Newsletter
10 issues: 10 euros, 20 issues: 20 euros, 30 issues: 30 euros,
etc...Including the support for the international distribution of this
bulletin
The first two bulletins of the European Workers Alliance (EWA), Report
on the conference held in Geneva on June 15, 2002 and the preparation of
the conference called for by the WEA in Fall of 2003
price: 1,50 euros.
With orders of 5 or more, 1 euro each
Bulletin from the energy sector, with contributions from throughout the
world on the fight against privatization
price: 1 euro.
Preparatory Bulletin for the International Conference in Defense of
Public Education
price: 1,5 euros.
With orders of 5 or more, 1 euro each
Railroad Workers Bulletin
Preparatory bulletin for a new international conference against
privatization and for the re-nationalization of the railroads,
price: 1 euro.
These publications can be ordered from: International Liaison Committee
of Workers and Peoples
C/o Parti des travailleurs 87, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010 Paris
Tél: (33 1) 48 01 88 28/
E mail
Make checks payable to CMO
Back to Home Back
to ILC Newsletter Index
|
Open World Conference of Workers