ILC International Newsletter No. 132
May 17, 2005
Weekly dossier published under the responsibility of the
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
Introduction:
This edition deals in large part with would be the results from the
"Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe." Thus, as
explained by a correspondent in an interview, local production in
Martinique would be pushed towards bankruptcy and the economy ruined by
the prohibition of breaking with the principles of "free
trade."
In the Czech Republic, a letter from a correspondent from the "Praci
cest" group explains how the "provisions relating to the
restructuring of the Czech iron and steel industry" contained in
the constitutional treaty would further aggravate the social crisis and
lead to thousands of lay-offs.
In France, Gérad Schivardi, mayor of Mailhac and initiator of the
Committee in Defense of the Communes, and Daniel Gluckstein, secretary
of the Workers Party, addressed 300 signatories at the Place de la
Republique, in the name of the National Committee Against the
Constitution. In this article, they recall that the "Sovereignty of
the nation is one, indivisible, and inalienable" (Constitution of
the September 3, 1791) and propose that on "Saturday May 21, we
will make the voice of the no vote be heard at the commemoration at the
Fédérés wall; we will connect our struggle for democracy with the
struggle in defense of the Communes."
In Germany, a correspondent from the SPD, affirms that "I will vote
and I will call on others to vote SPD against Schröder, because the
party doesn't belong to him" and relays a letter from a doctor who
is resisting the rise in health costs imposed by the European Union.
While the referendum vote in France is being closely followed throughout
France, it was in Sweden that the following sign "We are rooting
for the victory of the 'No' Vote in the May 29 referendum" was
posted up along the long road leading to Stockholm.
The American youth are refusing to join the army. They do not want to be
sent to Iraq to make war.
Finally, we will remind the readers that the ILC's international
conference will take place in Geneva on June 12, to fight for "The
Defense of the ILO Conventions and the Independence of Labor
Organizations," at the time of the annual ILO session. To prepare
this conference, the Women's Commission of the ILC in Spain has sent us
their bulletin, from which we are publishing one article.
Send us your contributions, we will publish them!
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Summary :
p. 1 : Introduction
p. 2 - Czech Republic : The European Constitution demands
restructuralizations. Correspondent from Ostrava
p. 3 - Martinique : On the vote on the European Constitution. Interview
p. 4- France : Letter to the 300 signatories at the Place de la
Republique, inviting them to a protest on May 21
p.5 - Germany : On the policies of Schröder, by a correspondent from
the SPD
p. 6 - Sweden : o Supporting the French movement against the
constitution
o the Swedish unions defend collective bargaining contracts
p. 7 - Spain: Contribution from Spanish working women for the Conference
in Defense of the ILO Conventions and the Independence of Labor
Organizations in Geneva on June 12, 2005
p. 8 - o Iraq : Young Americans refuse to join the army
o Subscriptions
Contact :
ILC International Newsletter
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples,
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<?/color>Martinique
May 22, 1848: Our Ancestors Broke Out of the Chains of Slavery
"Martinique must not cease to be herself"
Interview with an activist from Martinique who initiated a call to vote
no on the European "Constitution"
You launched a call from labor activists in Martinique against the
European "Constitution." Can you explain the particular
reasons why?
The adoption of the European Constitution treaty would signify, even
more so than at the present moment, the negation of the nation of
Martinique and its transformation into a European region susceptible to
the whims of the European Council and Commission, "without harming
the integrity and the coherence of the juridical order of the Union,
including the domestic market and common policies." (Article
III-424) It would mean the negation of the right for our people to
determine our own destiny.
Let us note that the revision of the French Constitution, in order to
adapt to the European Union, within the framework of
"regionalization," has transformed us from "peoples"
to "populations" belonging to the French people, making the
concept of origin unconstitutional.
Consequently, we have already lost many conquests won through militant
struggles based on the recognition of our national reality: national
unions, local collective bargaining agreements, local vacations days,
and other conquests.
As if all that wasn't bad enough, the February 23, 2005 law stipulates
that "the education programs recognize, in particular, the positive
role of the overseas French presence," in other words, " the
"positive role" of French colonialism.
You also have expressed fears of military interventions.
I would add to all of that the fact that Article I-41 of the
European Constitution treaty recommends a fuller integration into the
framework of NATO, which is controlled by the US. The Americas and the
Caribbean in general are threatened with military interventions from
Europe and the United States (look at Haiti); Cuba and Venezuela, in
particular, are under a direct military threat for breaking the rules of
liberal globalization.
What would be the social and economic consequences for Martinique?
The prohibition of disobeying the principles of "free
trade" and of "free circulation of people, services,
merchandise and capital" (Article III-130) would mean, pure and
simply, the bankruptcy of production in Martinique and the destruction
of our social conquests.
This is confirmed by the recent rise in the rate of business
bankruptcies. Some companies "revive" under different names,
and either begin to pay lower labor costs or move their business to
places where labor costs are "more competitive" (St. Domingo,
for example). The production of bananas in Martinique, for example,
would not survive.
****
""Martinique must not cease to be herself"
"There is only one thing that Martinique does not have the right to
do: cease to be herself. Every contract in which Martinique would cease
to be Martinique, in which Martinique would renounce her personality,
would be a null and void contract, a contract that, legally, would be no
more valid than a contract in which a man would decide to renounce his
individuality in order to become the slave of another."
(Aimé Césaire : extract of his speech on the 10th anniversary of the
PPM, March 22, 1968)
**********
Czech Republic
"Your vote in the referendum will have an effect on not only on
your future, but also on the future of the workers of all of
Europe."
Dear Friends---
A debate is developing in our Parliament over the way to ratify the
"European Constitution." The politicians are discussing
whether the ratifications should take the form of a referendum or only a
vote by Parliament.
That said, I am not sure whether the more democratic version -the
referendum- will take place. I think that their decision will be very
much influenced by the results of the referendum that will take place in
France on May 29.
The workers of the Czech republic are themselves confronted with the
same problems and have the same wishes and desires as you. They want to
live in peace, work for a decent salary, and raise their children
securely. I do not know whether we will be able to express our views on
the "Constitution," but, nevertheless, each citizen feels
affected because this European Constitution includes Protocol Number 9,
in which a list is made of Czech companies that must reduce, or
completely stop, producing. This means new lay-offs! Each one of the
disadvantaged companies (e.g., NOVÁ HUT, VÍTKOVICE STEEL, VÁLCOVNY
PLECHU) is already in a weakened state because of the restructuring of
the mining industry. In 1990, there were 90,000 miners working in these
industries; today there are not more than 20,000. Presently,
unemployment has reached 17.29% in the "Moravoslezsko" region.
If, as a result of the European directives, even more workers are laid
off, there will be very serious repercussions on the area's economy.
I urge you thus to vote wisely, with an understanding of the
consequences that your vote could have for millions of European workers.
With Friendly Greetings from "Praci cest"
Yveta Cumpelíková, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Provisions relating to the restructuraling of Czech Industry
Extracts of Protocol #9, from the "Treaty Establishing a
Constitution for Europe"
Second part:
Provisions relating to protocols from the decision to join on April 16
2003 (...)
Title II- Provisions relating to the restructuralization of the Czech
iron and steel industry
Article 42
1. Notwithstanding articles 111-167 and 111-168 of the Constitution, the
State aid given by the Czech Republic for the restructuring of the
determined sectors of the Czech industry between 1997 and 2003 is
considered compatible with the internal market, so long as: (...) d) no
State aid for restructuring should be put towards the Czech iron and
steel industry after May 1 2004. (...)
7. The reduction of the capacity of the Czech Republic to produce
finished products for the period of 1997-2006 is 590,000 tons. The
reduction of the capacity is measured only on the basis of a permanent
closure of production stations, by the physical destruction to a degree
preventing their re-opening. The bankruptcy of a metal or steel business
is not sufficient to be counted as a reduction of capacity. (...)
9. The business plan related to the recipient company Novŕ Hut' is
being implemented. In particular:
a) the Vysoké Pece Ostrava (VPO) factory should be incorporated into
the organizational framework of Novŕ Hut' with the help of the
acquisition of all of the property rights in this factory. A deadline
must be set for this fusion, specifying who will be in charge of its
realization;
b) the restructuring efforts are concentrated on the following points:
i) Novŕ Hut' must evolve and orient towards commercialization rather
than production, and the running of the business should be improved by
becoming more efficient and more transparent in relation to costs; (...)
c) Employment should be restructured. Production levels comparable to
those obtained by iron and steel groups of the Union will be reached by
December 31, 2006, based on the consolidated data of the recipient
businesses; (...)
10. The business plan for Vitkovice Steel is being implemented. In
particular:
a) the two rolling mills must be permanently closed by December 31, 2006
at the latest. In case of the sale of the business to a strategic
investment, it is appropriate to subordinate the sale contract to this
closing;
b) the restructuring efforts are concentrated around the following
points:
i) augmenting direct sales and insisting on the advantage of reducing
costs, which is essential to make the running of the business as
efficient as possible
11. The business plan for Vŕlcovny Plechu Frydek Mistek (VPFM) is being
implemented. In particular:
a) the high rolling mills #1 and #2 must be definitively closed by the
end of 2004;
b) the restructuring efforts should be concentrated around the following
points: (...)
ii) giving a priority to the implementation of the key identified
elements that contribute to the improvement of benefits (including the
restructuring of employment, the reduction of expenses, the improvement
of output, the reorientation of distribution.)
12. All later modifications of the global restructuring plans as well as
specific plans must be agreed on by the Commission and the Council.
13. The implementation of the restructurings must be fully transparent
and based on the healthy principals of the market economy.
14. The Commission and the Council are closely following the
implementation of the restructurings and the implementation of the
conditions expressed in the present title in order that the guidelines
concerning state-aid and capacity reduction conform to paragraphs 15
through 18. To this end, the Commission will present a report. ()
17. The Czech Republic is fully cooperating with the Commission to
implement all of these arrangements, particularly :
a) the Czech Republic must submit to the Commission semi-annual reports
concerning the restructuring of beneficiary companies ;
b) the first report must be sent to the Commission by March 15, 2004,
and the last, by March 15 2007, unless the Commission decides otherwise
;
c) the reports must contain all of the information required concerning
the restructuralization process and the reduction in the use of the
companies capacities
d) the Czech Republic has the obligation to the beneficiary companies to
divulge all pertinent information that could, in other circumstances, be
considered confidential. In its reports to the Council, the Commission
will make sure to not divulge the confidential information concerning
specific companies. ()
19. If the Commission establishes, on the basis of the reports mentioned
in paragraph 17, that there are substantial variations concerning the
financial data on the basis of which the evaluation of viability was
carried out, it can oblige the Czech Republic to take the necessary
steps to reinforce the restructuring of the beneficiary companies.
20. If it arises from the follow-up that:
a) the conditions accompanying the transitional provisions appearing in
this title were not met, or that
b) commitments entered into within the framework of the prolongation of
the period during which the Czech Republic can in exceptional
circumstances grant state-aid for the reorganization of its iron and
steel industry under the European agreement establishing an association
between the European Communities and their member states, on the one
hand, and the Czech Republic, on the other hand, were not filled, or
that
c) the Czech Republic, in the current period of reorganization, granted
additional state-aid; or that the transitional provisions appearing in
the present title are not applied.
The Commission will take the necessary steps against any company that
distributes aid in violation of the guidelines established in this text.
**********
France
Why we are protesting on May 21, at the Fédérés wall
A letter to the 300 elected official signatories of the "Oath of
the Place de la République "
Gérard Schivardi, mayor of Mailhac, General Adviser of the Aude,
initiator of the committee of defense of the communes
Daniel Gluckstein, secretary national of the Party of the travailleurs
January 22, 2005, a national demonstration brought together in Paris 15,
000 demonstrators (see the report in issue number 115 from January 25).
The "Oath of the Place of the Republic" was adopted there on
the proposal of the speakers of the meeting (from France and other
European countries). This call, since then, has been signed by thousands
of workers and, in particular, by 300 elected officials.
Madame, sir,
Dear colleague,
"As you undoubtedly know, the National Committee Against the
European Constitution invites you to protest with us on May 21 at the Fédérés
wall. Why have we launched this call? Because the European
"Constitution " calls into question the bases of political
democracy in our country and raises the question of the defense of the
Republic, one, indivisible and secular ; this is inseparable from the
defense of the sovereignty of the nation guaranteed by the Constitutions
of our country, which state,
"The principle of sovereignty lies primarily in the nation; no
body, no individual can exert authority which does not emanate from
it."(Article 3 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, August 26,
1789)
"Sovereignty is one, indivisible, inalienable and imprescriptible,
it belongs to the nation." (Constitution of September 3,
1791)."
"The Republic (is) indivisible, democratic and social, sovereignty
belongs to the people, which exerts it through representatives or by way
of referendum."(Constitution of 1946)
In contradiction with these principles, the so-called European
Constitution prohibits " the member States to legislate and to
juridically adopt constraining acts," leaving them only a
subsidiary role : "to only intervene in the case that the EU has
not already done so or has decided to not do so. "
This violation of the sovereignty of the nations has only one goal: to
subordinate the economy in all of the European Convention countries to
the European Central Bank, "independent in the exercise of its
capacities" (Article 1-30-3).
We representatives of the people in our communes and our cantons choose
to defend the equality in rights of our fellow-citizens, thus we cannot
let them threaten political democracy, we cannot let the European
"Constitution" prohibit us from fulfilling the mandate which
the people entrusted to us. For this reason, on Saturday May 21, we will
make them hear the voice of the "No" vote at the commemoration
at the Fédérés wall. We will connect our struggle for the democracy
to that of the Commune, in which, as the great socialist republican Jean
Jaurčs stated, "the heroic effort of those who fought for a
democratic and social Republic (...) attested that the hour of the
Republic, the government of oneself, had finally come." The Commune
restored political democracy in the continuity of the great French
revolution, it elected the government of the people by people.
It took immediate measures to fight misery, opened the un-used workshops
to give work to the unemployed, lowered the weekly work day, prohibited
night-work, used empty houses for homeless people, opened free public
schools and opened public hospitals. It is necessary to note that a
government which would like to make similar decisions tomorrow, a
government which would oppose, for example, closing-down companies,
prohibit the delocalizations, reopen the public schools, hospitals,
maternities, and post offices, and build houses with rent control it
is necessary to note that this government would run up against the
dictates of the European "Constitution", which would prohibit
the implementation of such measures.
Thus it is political democracy that is being threatened.
Isn't is necessary to reestablish the prerogatives of the 36,000
communes and listen to their elected representatives instead of closing
down public services? Isn't it necessary to reestablish social rights
and free and open negotiations with workers unions ?
Democracy remains, more than ever, a new idea and we think like Jaurčs
that "only the full sovereignty of the people, giving a free
expression to all tendencies and ideas (),can help all the forces
progress together. "
That is why all efforts must be taken to defeat the "Constitution
" on May 29. This growing movement is raising the question of a
rupture with all of the policies implemented since 1992 that have
loyally applied the Maastrich treaty. It is a movement that is putting
on the order of the day the reconquest of political democracy and
national sovereignty.
In this struggle, the elected representatives, as they have always done,
will accept their responsibilities.
Be assured, brothers and sisters, of our best Republican sentiments,
Paris, May 15, 2005
Gérard Schivardi, Daniel Gluckstein
***********
Germany
"I will vote SPD against Schröder, because the party doesn't
belong to him "
The European "Constitution "
The European "Constitution" was adopted, with a
quasi-unanimity, May 12, in the Bundestag. Indeed, in addition to the 23
CDU-CSU deputies who voted against, only two members of Parliament from
the SPD abstained: Hermann Scheer and the former president of the
federal Republic, Von Weisszäcjer. But, behind the messages of
congratulations and encouragement with regard to France, nothing could
prevent the expression of an unquestionable reserve. The Barber
(France-May 13) noted that "the quasi-unanimity of the German
political world poorly hides a climate of increasingly perceptible
disaffection in the population", in which "the opening of the
Union to the countries of Eastern Europe, with the more or less
clandestine arrival of a cheap labor, cannot but raise questions in a
country traumatized by the figure of five million unemployed." A
day before, the elections to the regional Parliament of
Rhineland-of-North-Westphalia had results that will undoubtedly shock
all Germany.
Dear comrades, I do not think that the result of the vote which has just
taken place to the Bundestag will greatly affect the situation in your
country. I am sure that the French workers will not let themselves be
impressed by these results, which do not at all express the real
political situation in our country.
Schröder, yet again, has, in the Bundestag, dared to call for a block
in favor of the European Constitution "out of respect and
consideration for the elder generation of Germans who witnessed and were
victimized by Nazism. " What a shame !
Schröder continues to falsify our history, as if he did not know from
where Nazism came and the essential role it played. As if he does not
know that it was the instrument of big capital to break the working
class and its organizations, and to involve all the capitalists with
anti-Semitism and massacres.
As if he was not aware of the roles of the social democrat and Stalinist
leaders of the time, who, by turning their backs on the policy of the
united front of organized labor to defend itself, delivered the working
class, the masses and the people to the Nazis.
Let us return to the present. What is the policy of Schröder? Who
dictates this policy? For whose benefit? What are the results? I will
take only one example ; I did not invent it, I read it in Süddeutsche
Zeitung (May 6). Under the title "The Congress of Doctors
Launches an Alarm About a Medical System that Excludes More and More
Patients", the article outlines the debates of the congress.
"H. J Schäfer is a general practitioner in Berlin Moabit, and many
of his patients benefit from social assistance, whether unemployed or
immigrants. H. J Schäfer has not seen some of his patients for months.
He sees them only when they are really in bad condition; when their
diabetes is getting worse, or when an infection transforms itself into a
pulmonary infection. At the beginning of the implementation of the
medical reform and the fixed-price payments, the visits dropped by 20 %.
With the reform, the poor and unemployed, recipients of the social
assistance, SDF, must pay 1 % of their income for medical care. It is
not much; however, for those who must keep track of each cent, the price
to see the doctor is too high.
'If somebody has to shell out 70 or 80 euros, that is a lot of
money," declares H. J Schäfer. He looks after more serious
patients, and his patients wait longer. These patients need antibiotics,
which are expensive, or a bed at the hospital. Berlin is a kind of
thermometer of the effects of the reform. Where there are many the poor,
the doctors have less work. In Moabit or Neuköln, for example, where
12.9 % of the population live off social assistance, the frequency of
the visits in the doctor dropped by 16.8 % in the first quarter of the
year 2004. These figures were presented by R. Henke, the president of
the Committee for the Advance of Health Care to the conference.
"Disease and poverty" was one of the principal topics of the
108th Congress.
With a rare unanimity, the congress of the doctors demanded a whole
range of measures against the increasing threat of disease and poverty:
for example, a social net of protection should be created for the poor,
for psychiatric services. The doctors should be able to visit the poor
without them being called beforehand. And for all, it is necessary to
remove the fixed price and the payment of the part not refunded for the
homeless. For young people under the age of 18 years, as well as
inhabitants of elderly homes, "poverty degrades, it deprives the
young people of any future," complained the doctors. The Berlin
doctor Charlotte Lutz sent an emergency call to all of the political
leaders: immigrants without papers must be able to receive, in the event
of an emergency, medical care without being reported to the immigration
authorities. Many immigrants avoid medical treatment, even in the case
of medical emergencies, for fear of being deported. 'The doctors treat
them for free ; medical ethics and human dignity require them to do so.'
However, giving free treatments can have serious repercussions. Doctors
can be charged with abetting illegal immigrants. "
This is the situation in Berlin, the capital of re-unified Germany, the
capital of the main economic power of Europe. And Schröder-who
scrupulously applies the European directives from Brussels- dares to
talk to us about a future of peace and confidence !
The demands of finance capital are clear : lower labor costs to
unimaginable proportions, and, through that destroy the nation, and the
social and democratic conquests that are linked to it.
Getting rid of Schröder has become the most urgent demand. I repeat
this on the day before the elections in Rhenany-North Westphalia, where
I live and where I will vote SPD against Schröder, because the party
doesn't belong to him, because I will not let him give the victory to
the CDU.
I will do this without second thoughts because, at the same time, I am
organizing to regroup all of those who want to struggle to get rid of
Schröder-this is the only means to move towards a real Europe of the
peoples.
F.H.
**********
Sweden
"We're rooting for a victory of the "No" on May 29 "
In Sweden, the media is paying a lot of attention to the French
referendum. All of the partisans of the "No" in Sweden are
wishing you a victory !
On the site of the initiators of the campaign for a referendum in
Sweden, you will find the following:
We're rooting for a victory of the "No " on May 29.
This sign was placed alongside the E4 highway between Norrköping and
Stockholm ; it is the most used road in Sweden. The sign was made by a
peasant member of our organization, Hĺkan Thornell.
On May 22, all of partisans of the "No " presented to the
Social-Democrat minister, Jens Orback, more than 120, 000 signatures
demanding a referendum. But the government, the heads of the
Social-Democrats and the four conservative parties refused to listen to
the demands of this large section of the populace. They said that the
Constitution was only a re-writing of the existing treaties and that the
Constitution would not change the nature of the EU. This lie has been
unmasked by the French people. With a "Yes " vote, the
policies of neo-liberalism would be constitutionalized. The conquests
would be seriously threatened.
The situation inside the Social-Democratic party has caused the
partisans of a referendum to initiate an internal campaign for
signatures. We found in the statutes of the Party an article that states
that if 5% of the members (6 800 signatures) wish it, the party is
required to conduct an internal referendum-the campaign, which began on
May 2nd, is deepening the conflict inside the party.
Jan Erik Gustaffson, unionist.
Sweden, May 11, 2005
Swedish unions must make use of the right to the recognition of Swiss
collective bargaining agreements.
Introduction
The union of building workers (BWU), supported by several other unions
belonging to the Swedish Labor Congress (LO) lead a struggle against the
Laval un Partneri company that is employing Lettish workers who are paid
five times less than the collective bargaining agreement stipulates !
The union has organized a boycott of the Laval un Partneri business and
demands that the agreements be implemented.
Some initial victories were won, for example, when the Vaxholm
municipality was forced to cancel its contract. The Swedish Tribunal is
challenging this in the European courts.
The decision of the court is a defeat for the union, which considers
that the European legislation does not allow for any actions that would
oppose the Ť social dumping, ť as any such action would constitution
an obstacle to the free circulation of capital, the touchstone of the
European Union.
The representative of the company, Anders Elmer, expressed his
satisfaction with the decision of the tribunal, even if the company was
forced to leave Sweden and its market.
Erland Olausson, the secretary of collective bargaining of the Swedish
Union Federation (LO) considers that it is excluded that the European
court can decide which kind of conflict is or is not authorized in
Sweden. He specifies :
"It would be extremely serious if the European law prohibits us
from ending a discriminatory system through the use of actions whose
validity are recognized in Sweden. For me, a system is discriminatory if
the wage levels depend on whether the workers have origins in Vaxholm or
in Riga, Latvia. From a union perspective, LO approved the decision for
Sweden to join the EU. But if it threatens the Swedish model of the
labor market, the price will have been too high. We would have to
completely rethink our position concerning membership in the EU. "
The Swedish Minister of Labor, Hans Karlsson, moreover, stated that the
Swedish unions must make use of their rights concerning Swedish
collective bargaining agreements.
**********
GENEVA : CONFERENCE OF THE ILC
IN DEFENSE OF THE ILO CONVENTIONS
At the Annual Session of the ILO in Geneva
On June 12, 2005, there will take place a conference of the ILC "In
Defense of the ILO Conventions and Trade Union Independence "
We have already published the invitation to this conference and a first
contribution (See issue number 129.) We are now publishing a preparatory
text, a text sent in by the Working Women Commission of Spain, which is
planning to send a delegate to this conference.
We ask our correspondents to send us their contributions !
**********
Spain
The Working Women Commission of Spain, has sent us the first issue of
their bulletin, from April 2005. We are publishing their article about
the labor reforms
"Our unions are meant to defend our interests. And it is in our
interest to conserve all that we have won through past struggles. "
The Working Women's Commission of Spain deemed it necessary to re-launch
the work of the Commission. A few years ago, the Commission organized
important actions in defense of the ILO conventions which were being
threatened, specifically Convention 103 which regulates maternity leave
and Convention 137 which outlaws child labor.
Today, the labor reform proposed by the Zapatero government would mean a
major retreat for women ; the government plans to implement a series of
"specific measures " such as part-time contracts, which is a
way to reinforce labor precarity in a legal framework .
Wednesday April 13, the Working Women Commission of Spain held a meeting
to determine the axis of action to follow, with the goal of becoming a
point of support for the defense of the rights of women in our country.
The Commission will meet every 15 days and we think that the best way to
publicize our work is through the publication of a bulletin. The next
issue aims to be ready by May 1st, international workers day, which will
be a great place to distribute the issue.
Our immediate goal is to prepare for the ILC Conference "In Defense
of the ILO Conventions" in Geneva, where we hope to send at least
one delegate to represent our Commission.
LABOR REFORM
We are facing today a new labor reform which represents a grave threat
to women. We say this based on our experience of the past four reforms
(1984, 1994, 1997 and 2001) and based on the frankness of the objectives
of the reform by its proponents.
"The objectives of the new reform, established in the co-signed
declaration of the President, José María Cuevas (CEOE), José María
Fidalgo (Workers Commissions) and Cándido Méndez (UGT), are the
reduction of temporary work, whose rate has never been fallen below 30%
for the last ten years, and the creation of new jobs, through the
improvement of production processes and competitivity. In order to
accomplish this, all aspects of the labor market are open to
negotiation. () Positive discrimination supporting the use of young
people and of women, company flexibility and the stability of the
workers will be encouraged. "
In other words, flexibility and more flexibility. More and more
precarity, with corporate exemptions being the sole formula to develop
the employment of women.
At the moment where the negotiations of the fifth reform are beginning,
the employment situation of women is the following : unemployment
plagues 15.3% of women, while for men the unemployment rate is 8%.
Women's wages are 35% less than men's. Precarity and temp-work are
spreading day after day, which particularly affects women, in addition
to young people and immigrants. Amongst all contracts for temp-work in
2004, 80% were for women. Officially, this precarity is sometimes passed
off as an advance for the equality of women, the idea being that reduced
work days allow for what they call "the conciliation of family life
and work. " Nevertheless, these reduced work days, with
corresponding wage cuts, are imposed by bosses and in no way are the
preference of most women.
The goals of the bosses are clear : higher productivity and lower wages.
The government does not hesitate to support these goals, in some cases
even going farther than the bosses themselves .
In this context, our principal preoccupation is the position that our
organizations are taking. It is not at all comforting to see them ready
to ready to sit down to negotiate. These reforms aim to do away with all
that has been won, to destroy collective bargaining, to spread part-time
work -is there any space to negotiate? We don't think so. And we are
convinced that the labor movement won't accept this new attack.
As women workers we know that every retreat weighs particularly heavily
on the least protected sectors : young people, immigrants, and women.
This assertion is based on facts, on the data concerning unemployment
and precarity.
As women workers, we must pay a great deal of attention to this process,
and in particular to the role that our organizations are playing. With
this bulletin, we will follow this process and we call on you to
collaborate with on us in this work.
Our unions are meant to defend our interests. And it is in our interest
to conserve all that we have won through past struggles. "
**********
Iraq
The U.S military is in a major crisis. As the occupation of Iraq drags
on, the military is desperately looking for new enlistments, but many
young people are simply not signing up.
According to government figures, the Army missed its recruitment quota
by 13% in 2004. The Associated Press writes with alarm that the Army
"may be entering a prolonged recruiting slump at a time when it is
trying to expand its ranks." Similar drops in recruitment have hit
the Marines and the Reserves.
As of April 2005, the Army National Guard is 24% below its projected
recruitment target - despite hiring 1,200 new recruiters in September,
doubling the financial bonuses for three-year enlistments, and ending
its policy of only enlisting youth who have high-school diplomas.
A troubling new development for the Army is the dramatic drop in
enlistments from young Blacks. The Washington Post notes that the
percentage of new African-American army recruits "has slipped
dramatically over the past five years." In 2000, Blacks made up
23.5% of army recruits but that number has now fallen to less than 14%,
a 40% decrease.
The unpopularity of the occupation was cited as the primary reason for
the drop in enlistment among Black youth. The military newspaper Stars
and Stripes notes that the Defense Department's own survey showed
that "administration policies and the Iraq war have lowered the
propensity of Black youth to enlist, particularly in the Army and Marine
Corps, the ground forces taking most of the casualties."
The Defense Science Board, a Department of Defense advisory group,
concluded in a 2004 study that the U.S. military could not maintain its
current "peacekeeping" commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan
without either a significant increase in the size of the armed forces or
a change of its "missions objectives."
If the current recruitment woes continue, the U.S. government has only
two options available: conscription (i.e., a draft) or the withdrawal of
U.S. troops from Iraq. Yet sentiment against a draft is extremely high
in the U.S. - so much so that both Kerry and Bush publicly promised
during the election that, if elected, they would not impose one. Indeed,
the administration has learned the lessons of the Vietnam anti-war
movement and is clearly very wary of sparking another widespread youth
revolt.
In this context, the rapid rise in recent months of a nationwide
"counter-recruitment" movement could prove to be the turning
point for the antiwar movement. Hardly a week has gone by in 2005
without one or several protests aimed at kicking the military and its
recruiters off the schools.
The successful actions, for example, in Chicago, Seattle, New York,
Santa Cruz [see accompanying report] and Honolulu have shown the nation
and the world that a vital antiwar movement still exists in the United
States. Moreover, by reducing the number of recruits, these actions are
materially interfering with the military's ability to sustain its
imperialist ventures.
The main legal obstacles facing the counter-recruitment movement have
been the 1997 Solomon Amendment laws, which state that the federal
government can withhold funds from campuses if they try to ban
recruiters from campus. Fortunately, on November 29, 2004 the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against the Solomon Amendments,
declaring that they violated free speech rights. The Justice Department
announced that it would appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court.
-- Correspondent
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