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A dossier of weekly information published by the December 11, 2007 Price 0.50 Euros ----- Introduction Belgium: One week before the demonstration called by the Belgian trade unions in defense of the social conquests, we interviewed Philippe Larsimont, the coordinator of the MDT, who participated in the December 8 conference in Brussels organized by the committee for unity, which fights against the break up of Belgium. Portugal: In response to the federations of workers of the public services of the CGTP and UGT confederations, a general strike took place on Friday, November 30. Hungary: A Hungarian trade unionist has written us to let us know about the real situation of the workers and people of Hungary since its entrance into the European Union and the struggles of the workers in defense of workers rights and social property. Romania: More than 70% of the electorate refused to go vote in the European elections; the rejection was even more massive in working-class neighborhoods. Russia: Since November 20, 1,500 of he 2,200 workers at the Ford factory in the Saint-Petersburg region have been on strike. France: The founding congress of the independent working class party is being organized: The Executive Committee held is first meeting on Friday, December 7. United States: The National Organizing Committee of the Reconstruction Party calls for the creation of local organizing committees throughout the United States. Venezuela: The No wins in the constitutional referendum. The revolution is in danger. Pakistan: The news sent to us by our correspondents shed light on the situation. Support the ILC! ------ Table of Contents p. 1 - Introduction ----- Contact Informations internationales ***********************
Since November 20, 1,500 of he 2,200 workers at the Ford factory in the Saint-Petersburg region have been on strike to demand: - A pay raise from 19,000 rubles (about 550 Euros) to 28,000 rubles
(about 800 Euros), beginning on March 1, 2008; The management of the factory that produces 75,000 vehicles per year has called for the end of the strike, as a precondition for negotiations, which up until now it has rejected. It proposes to the workers that they sign a declaration affirming that they are not strikers and in exchange they will receive two-thirds of their salaries. At the same time, the management of Ford affirmed that it would resort to using Ford factories in Germany and Spain to deal with the loss in production in the Vsevolojsk factory, due to the strike. The ILC feels that the satisfaction of the legitimate demands of the Ford workers is in the interest of all workers. It affirms its full solidarity with the Ford strikers and calls on all workers' organization to show their solidarity with the Ford workers and their union in Russia. Paris, December 7, 2007 Daniel Gluckstein, coordinator of the ILC Send your messages to the ILC, which will forward them: ****************************
Record level abstention in the European elections The Romanian electorate was called on Sunday, November 25, to vote for the first time for the European Parliament. The official political forces, formed mostly by the remnants of the former Stalinist bureaucracy, were hoping for a big turnout from the citizens, due to the fact that Romania only joined the European Union in January 1, 2007. The results were not what they hoped for. All the important political forces in Romania, most of whom come from the old circles of power, announced that a "good comprehension of the importance of these elections for Romanians" would result in a turnout of at least 50%, comparable to the last general elections. The Romanians did show they understood! More than 70% of the electorate refused to go vote; the rejection was even more massive in working-class neighborhoods. For example, in the 5th zone of Bucharest, known for its workers, that turnout was less than 17%. The results were particularly marked by end of many illusions in the "European dream." The Social Democratic Party (PSD) saw the worst defeat in its history, falling to a little more than 20% of the votes. The Grand Romania party (whose president Corneliu Vadim Tudor came in second in the 2000 presidential elections), with a populist discourse focused less on attacks on the Hungarian minority and more on the "European experience," presented as being a method for combating corruption in the country, did not receive the 5% needed to send representatives to Strasbourg. The Socialist Alliance Party (PAS), a member of the European Left Party, received only .5% of the votes. This party affirmed that the "PAS sees the European integration of our country as a possibility to achieve in a short while the level of developing countries." In the working class town of Craiova, in the south of the country, one of the candidates on the PAS slate, for his part, underlined in his campaign that he was a candidate for a rupture with the European Union, that he was campaigning against the EU and for the abrogation of all the treaties, from Maastricht to Lisbon, in particular condemning the will of the European Commission to liquidate the tractor factory in Brasov and a car factory in Craiova. Despite the isolation organized by the media and his own party, this candidate obtained several hundred votes. Correspondent **************************
Communiqué by the Workers Party: The founding congress of the independent working class party is being organized: The Executive Committee held is first meeting on Friday, December 7, to implement the resolution adopted by the national convention to prepare the founding congress 1- The date of the founding congress was set for June 13, 14, and 15,
2008 -- Under the responsibility of the committee, four pages titled "Let us open the discussion" will be published in Labor News with its own design. This section will be edited by the committee. In addition to an editorial, interviews and contributions from labor activists or elected representatives of different tendencies will be published with the goal of preparing for the founding congress. To begin with, the Executive Committee proposes that this section be published each month and edited by an editorial committee "expressing the diversity of the permanent committee" composed of Aimé Savy, Yves Lions, Claude Jenet, Christel Keiser, Carine Weber, Nedjib Di Moussa, and Lucien Gauthier. The website of the committee publishes each week news that its receives
from the local committees concerning their activities. For its part,
Labor News will regularly report on different related activities. The price of the card is set at 10 euros. The Executive Committee has adopted a budget and has proposed to the local committees that they have a treasurer. It has asked the local committees to build "a departmental liaison between themselves" and to determine a postal and email address for the department, to which the Executive Committee can send news, documents, and questions. 4. Campaign for the respect of the May 29, 2005 vote, for a referendum to vote No on the Lisbon treaty Taking in account the success of the first public distributions of the appeal launched by the convention, "the executive committee asks the committees to collect more signatures and organizer public meetings and delegations. Each week, the website will publish these updates." A poster supporting this campaign is available (10 cents, contact the committee.) - A talking points guide against the European Union will be published on the website. It will have specific references to directives, particularly the new ones. - It will be proposed to the permanent committee that it organize a delegation to "the European conference on February 1-3, organized by activists from 15 countries in Europe against the Lisbon treaty and for a break with the European Union." - The permanent committee can establish a memorandum concerning the consequences in France of the policies of EU. 5 - Municipal Elections - A "municipal elections" page will be opened in the website, "where the platforms and initiatives of the slates supported by the committees will be published. The policy of the destruction of the communes is being accelerates through he publication of the Lambert report. A document concerning "Grand Paris" will be published to inform everybody of its consequences. The "Letter to the Mayors of France" will be updates to include the news about the Lambert report concerning the fusion of the communes and the privatization of their public services. Several committees have sent us news about their contacts with the activists of the Communist Party and the Socialist Party to constitute united slates against the policies of Maastricht. Other Decisions The mandate is given to the executive committee to make the website The Executive Committee thus calls on the local and departmental committees to send all the press coverage concerning their activities. A page on the website will be opened, which will publish all the information. In this context, we will also take note of all the invitations to the national media who have boycotted our activities. Regular communiqués on recent news will be sent by the executive committee to the local and departmental committees, to be published in the regional press. International Women's Day: March 8 To prepare for March 8, a questionnaire will be sent to the committee in order to establish the precise living, housing, and working conditions of women, who are all faced the European directive restricting women's' rights. Agriculture and Viniculture A document on this theme, the consequences of the PAC and the disappearance of agriculture in the Oise commune will be published. Water-Energy Commission The water-energy commission will be based on a first contribution addressed to the executive committee. The information published above was taken from the website of the permanent
committee for a working class party: *********** EUROPEAN WORKERS CONFERENCE February 2-3, 2008, Paris "No to the new European treaty!" The proposal to have next February a European workers' conference was launched last September by the initiators of the appeal, "No to the new European treaty." The purpose is to bring together, on the basis of an investigation done in each country concerning the policies of the European Union, labor activists of all tendencies who fight in their countries against the offensive to impose on the people a "new" European treaty that takes up and worsens the European "Constitution" that was rejected two years ago by the workers and peoples. The European Workers' Conference will take place in Paris on February 1,2, and 3, 2008. A bulletin is published each month through the form of a special issue of the ILC International Newsletter. The first issue has already appeared. This issue can be received by subscribing to the ILC International Newsletter or writing to entente-europeenne-des-travailleurs@orange.fr **********************
General Strike in the Public Sector In response to the federations of workers of the public services of the CGTP and UGT confederations, a general strike took place on Friday, November 30. In Portugal, there are about 700,000 public sector workers. The strike was implemented by 80% of the workers and 90% of the health care workers. The Portuguese unions demand the beginning of negotiations for wage increases. The public sector workers have lost over 10% of their purchasing power in the last seven years, according to the official statistics. The government decreed a raise of 2.1% in 2008, to keep up with inflation. The second demand of the strike is the rejection of a law adopted by the Assembly of the Republic, which undermines the advancement tracks and prepares the path for the outsourcing of certain services to private enterprises. Third, and without a doubt most important, the unions reject the plan of job cuts in the public sector. The government has called for the immediate cutting of 75,000 jobs, particularly in education and health. This reduction responds to the demand of the European Union, headed by Barroso, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, who called for at least a 3% reduction in the budget deficit, to follow the Maastricht criteria. The united action of the workers' federations in the public sector was met with enthusiasm by all workers, resulting in such a massive strike. Everybody today poses the question: How can the government be forced to retreat on all its counter-reforms? The head of the main federation of teachers, the FENPROF, came to the conclusion that the struggle for the abrogation of the new statute must be organized, which undermines advancement for public education teachers. The activists linked to the ILC in Portugal have organized a conference for unity, for a socialist policy, for the reconquest of the gains of the April 1974 revolution, an initiative already supported by dozens of militants, particularly from the SP and the CP. This conference is linked to the preparation of the European conference of February 2 and 3, and the demand for a referendum to say No to the new European Union treaty. Let us recall that this "new" treaty is supposed to be officially signed on December 13 in Lisbon by the heads of state of the 27 countries of the European Union. Correspondent **************************
"Workers and unions in struggle against the privatization of health care": A letter from a trade unionist A Hungarian trade unionist has written us to let us know about the real situation of the workers and people of Hungary since its entrance into the European Union and the struggles of the workers in defense of workers rights and social property. The situation is catastrophic. Economic conditions are more and more precarious. We've seen the end of free schooling and free health care, the privatization of hospitals, rural devastation, the disappearance of national industry, and the closure of the mines, all for the benefit of the multinational corporations. Beginning next January, they are going to cut the participation of the municipality concerning the pass for the transportation by the Hev for 4,000 pensioners. And more than 10,000 teaching jobs have just been cut. Š On November 21, the Liga and Munkastanacsok union confederations called for a strike against the privatization of health care and for an immediate end to the measures currently underway, for the maintenance of the special pension regimes, and for the maintenance of the secondary railway lines. And seven organizations representing workers' interests rallied to this call. These organizations also called for a demonstration in front of Parliament. There have been work stoppages on the railways, on the VOLAN buses, in the hospitals, in the airports, in the Budapest transport enterprise, against the layoffs in the tramways and the lamentable bus conditions, and also a strike of the teachers. What can we do? I have been in contact with the ILC for a few years and have been able to receive the information about the different directives of the European Union. And the discussion in Caçak strengthened my position concerning the absolutely negative effects of the EU on the country. The modifications of our laws, the submission of our servile governments to these decisions, governments that have abandoned national sovereignty, are more and more clear to everybody. The submission to the multinationals has been shown to everybody. The question is now: Who can put an end to all this? And when will the international rallying take place? ***********************
Demonstration on December 15 on the appeal of the trade unions united in defense of the social conquests An interview with Philippe Larsimont, coordinator of the MDT (Democratic Workers Movement) One week before the demonstration called by the Belgian trade unions in defense of the social conquests, we interviewed Philippe Larsimont, the coordinator of the MDT, who participated in the December 8 conference in Brussels organized by the committee for unity, which fights against the break up of Belgium. ILC: The Committee for Unity organized a conference on December 8. What was at stake? PL: For months, the committee has lead a struggle based around a simple fact: underneath the appearances of a "communitarian" conflict, what is taking place currently in Belgium is a class conflict, a violent offensive of the bosses against the social conquests. In this framework, the committee launched an appeal titled The Hour is Serious, which in less than one month, obtained the signature of more than 350 leaders, delegates and militants of the FGTB. This appeal affirmed that the only solution to this crisis is for the working class organized into its trade unions to intervene, which poses the responsibility of the leadership of the FGTB, which should call a big federal demonstration in defense of the social gains. ILC: And now this demonstration will finally take place? PL: Yes. The FGTB has lead the CSC and this big demonstration will take place on December 15. Its axis is the defense of the purchasing power of the workers, threatened by the rise in the cost of living, but it is also against any regionalization of Social Security. The demonstration of December 15 is not the end, it should only be the beginning of a demonstrations - which can be lead on to different forms, such as a strike - against an unprecedented bosses' offensive. On the same day as the December 8 conference, the political context changed. Yves Leterme determined that the "Orange-Blue" (Christian-Liberal) government was dead and buried. Consequently, various scenarios were put forward, for example a "national union" (or national "disunion" government, in reality) that would involve the SP and without a doubt the SP.A. The purpose of this government would be to push forward a "big state reform." This lead the December 8 conference to launch an open letter to the SP and SP.A leaderships to demand that they fight against, together with the FGTB, any regionalization of Social Security or collective bargaining contracts. This open letter was sent out last Sunday to a large list of trade unionists and on Monday morning the signatures were already coming in. ILC: What is the relationship between this activity and the European Conference that will take place in February in Paris? PL: We have already seen that all the separatist political currents, including the extreme right of Vlaams Belang, only speak about the independence of Flanders in the framework of the European Union. The NV.A, which is linked to the Flemish Christian democrats, even explains that, without the existence of the European Union and the Euro, it would not fight for the independence of Flanders. The separatist currents are in the minority, including in Flanders. But in recent months, we have seen how this current has played a determining role in the political negotiations, because it knows exactly what it wants and does not back down. Only the united force of the organized working class can stop this. We know that the general orientation of the European Union in defense of the "sacred" rule of competition means the undermining of any obstacles to profits. However, it must be noted that what has blocked the negotiations has not been the communitarian platform. That blocked the "Orange-Blue" was rather the demand by the NV.A that the next government implement the partial regionalization of Social Security and the taxes on businesses. Thus, they clarified that this is in reality an offensive by the bosses who are divided on the means how to deal with the workers. I, for my part, am convinced that the demonstration called for December 15 contributed to this block. In the discussion of the December 8 conference, one speaker talked about the European Conference in February and invited all to participate in a meeting in Brussels in mid-January to prepare this conference. Lastly, one of the reasons for the loss in purchasing power is the rise in the price of energy prices, which is the direct result of the European directives. This is one of the major points that led to the decision to call trade union demonstration on December 15. ----- Endnotes 1) The two socialist parties in Belgium ------ The trade unions calls for a united demonstration on December 15 against the division of Social Security. In the midst of a political crisis in Belgium, the three big unions of the country called for a demonstration in Brussels on December 15 in defense of "federal" Social Security. The negotiations between the liberal parties and the Christian-Democrats, Flemish and French-speakers, to create a coalition government have reached an impasse, particularly because the Flemish Christian-Democratic CDV of Yves Leterme and its Flemish nationalist ally, NVA, have called for the complete split up of Social Security. After the big demonstration that gathered 30,000 people in Brussels in defense of the unity of Belgium, called for by the FGTB, this was the first demonstration of a "common union front" in over a year between the FGTB, the Christian CSC, and the liberal CGSLB. There is "no difference" on this point between the three confederations, declared one of the trade union leaders. "In our opinion, a person is a person, whether they are from the north, the south, or the center," she added. The trade unions also called for a "rise in purchasing power" and more "fair budgets." (AFP, November 28) **************************
The campaign for the formation of a Reconstruction Party: The National Oganizing Committee calls for the creation of local organizing committees in all the country
Presentation of N.O.C. Statement by Kali Akuno Comrades, These are critical times that call for clear political vision and bold action. The 2008 U.S. elections are going to determine the course of U.S. imperialism and the course of its neo-liberal agenda in the U.S. itself and across the globe for the next generation. None of the political parties are addressing the critical problems specific to this election or the systemic problems of national oppression, patriarchy, neo-liberalism, and imperialism underlining them that plague us, such as: the neo-liberal reconstruction and Black ethnic cleansing of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast; the resurgence of blatant white supremacist attacks throughout the country (Jena being just one of numerous examples); the mortgage crisis and the deflation of the finance driven economy; the wars of imperialist aggression in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Haiti and the irrational threats of invasion against Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela; and the rapidly escalating crisis of global warming and ecocide. The twin parties of imperialism cannot address these crises without aggravating them further with their neo-liberal agendas and interests. A new party is needed to confront these crises, one rooted in the grassroots struggles and leadership of Black, oppressed, and working class peoples. The Reconstruction Party, an initiative growing out of the Gulf Coast Self-Determination and Reconstruction Movement, has the historic opportunity and obligation to be this instrument. As a partisan participant in the Black Liberation Movement and the Gulf Coast Self-Determination and Reconstruction Movement, I want to encourage all partisans of these and other movements for social justice and radical transformation to join the initiative of building this party and forming a real alternative in the "belly of the beast". In Unity and Struggle, Kali Akuno ---------- Statement of the National Organizing Committee for the Reconstruction Party Dear Sisters and Brothers: It is time for the Gulf Coast Reconstruction Movement to move to its next and logical phase, which is the contest for political power if we are truly to have a just and equitable reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We cannot rely on the failed politicians and parties, namely the Democratic and Republican parties, which were complicit in the lack of preparation, failure to rescue, and refusal to advance the right to return for the hundreds of thousands of our people who continue to be displaced. We call upon our friends and supporters from around the country to support the formation of the Reconstruction Party, which is needed to address the myriad problems of institutional racism, national oppression, class domination, historical poverty and sexism which plagues working people throughout this country. We ask that you join us in forming Local Organizing Committees of the Reconstruction Party across the country with the following goals: 1) to assist us in developing and contributing to the platform of a Reconstruction Party that can really begin to (re)ignite the Black Liberation Movement and the workers' struggle for power; 2) to promote the campaigns of the Reconstruction Movement structured in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast around the right of return, a just and equitable reconstruction, and reparations; 3) to build support for the presidential campaign of Sister Cynthia McKinney, who was a convener of the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, held in New Orleans from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, 2007, and who has issued a public statement urging support for the Reconstruction Party. Sister McKinney stated: "I declare my support for the formation of an independent Reconstruction Party in the United States. ... During my election campaign, I will work with Black and working class activists to help get this Reconstruction Party off the ground through Local Organizing Committees and a National Organizing Committee for the Reconstruction Party. I welcome the formation of these committees for a Reconstruction Party and urge them to get fully behind my 'Power to the People' national electoral coalition for 2008." (4) to promote running Reconstruction Party candidates at the local and state levels once a platform for the Reconstruction Party is approved. We welcome support for this Reconstruction Party organizing campaign. People interested in sending letters of endorsement and financial contributions to help get this effort off the ground, can contact us at <ReconstructionParty@gmail.com> or <kaliakuno@gmail.com> and at Tel. 504-931-7614. Signed/ *****************************
The No wins in the referendum on the constitutional reform: The Venezuelan revolution is in danger The referendum on Sunday, December 2, 2007 in Venezuela, convoked by President Chavez with the goal of reforming the constitution, gave a majority to the No, around which the opponents of Chavez, supported by the U.S. embassy, had mobilized. 4,379,392 voted Yes and 4,504,354 voted No, that is, a difference of 124,962 electors. The abstention rate was 44.11%, much higher than the 25.3% in the presidential election of December 2006, when Chavez won with 63% of the votes. The policy of American imperialism and its defenders to destabilize the Chavez government deepened in recent months. Publicly, the American government, the multinationals in Caracas, particularly those from Spain, the Spanish King, and the international and national media controlled by international Capital led a systematic campaign of denigration against the Chavez government, accusing him of being a dictator and preparing fraud to win the referendum. This heinous propaganda was contradicted by the manner in which the referendum was organized, the transparency of the results, and the total freedom of public expression. We should note that the same forces that cry out "Dictator!" in Venezuela recognized the "legitimacy" of Calderon in Mexico, who was elected thanks to fraud. But the offensive launched to destabilize the government was not only a propaganda campaign. American imperialism, particularly through the vehicle of the Colombian government, organized a shortage of basic goods (a similar campaign to that which prepared the coup against Allende in Chile in 1973). It is not necessary to agree with all the policies of Chavez to note that the Constitution of 1999, defended today by those who rejected it at the time, codifies the public character of PDVSA, the big national oil company, the backbone of the nation. Chavez has gone farther: He obliged the oil multinationals to integrate themselves into mixed-share companies where PDVSA held majority control. And most of all, the government has used a good share of the oil revenues for social services: education, health, infrastructure, etc. According to a recent report of the Economic Commission for Latin American (CEPAL), "poverty in Venezuela has fallen by 31% under the nine years of Chavez and, ironically, 'some still wonder why Chavez remains popular." (Le Monde, December 2, 2007) It is a fact, poverty has dropped in Venezuela, unlike in Brazil under the Lula government, who has submitted to the injunctions of the IMF, unlike in Mexico under the illegitimate Calderon, the loyal ally of Bush, and unlike in the countries of the European Union, where the number of poor doesn't cease to rise because of the implementation of "zero deficit" budgets of the Maastricht treaty. For imperialism and all its defenders, it is unacceptable for a government to dare to nationalize or renationalize and invest billions of dollars to satisfy the needs of the people, to the detriment of the financial markets and speculators. This is unacceptable, thus everything must be done to crush it. Without a doubt, the "victory" of the opposition will be exploited to try to undermine all the gains of the revolution in Venezuela, particularly the nationalization of the oil, the agrarian reform, the renationalization of the privatized enterprises, and the extension of democratic rights for the Venezuelan people. What is at stake is the unity and sovereignty of the Venezuelan nation. Faced with this, we are on the side of the Venezuelan nation and its legitimate government, which are threatened by imperialism and its spokespeople. **************************
The workers and people fight to win back the rights that were stolen from them The commentaries and declarations come one after another, sometimes contradicting themselves, on the subject of Pakistan. The news sent to us by our correspondents shed light on the situation. General Musharraf was elected president by a reduced electoral college (essentially the MPs of his party), after having rid the Supreme Court of the judges hostile to him and having established martial law. Musharraf is no longer general, but is still president. Hundreds of thousands of activists and lawyers remain in prison. President Musharraf announced elections would be held in 2008 and that martial law would remain, for the time being, until December 16. After Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister, exiled to the United States and pressured to return by Washington, it was then Nawaz Sharif who returned to Pakistan. Sharif is not only the great rival of Bhutto, but he was also the prime minister who was kicked out by the Musharraf military coup, which he accused of having tried to assassinate him. These three have opposed each other and now meet and discuss. All different sorts of combinations are being envisioned. But behind the wheeling and dealing, there is the dislocation of the country. Predicting the country's future in 2008, the British The Economist soberly writes: "There will be war."
Bhutto was obliged, on December 2, to say that the country was threatened with "Balkanization," adding that the solution was the continuation of the war, on the condition that it be better led. The maintenance of martial law has not crushed, throughout Pakistan, the will of the working people to preserve and win back their rights. Thus, on November 28, numerous workers' gatherings took place on the call of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF), to, in the words of the APTUF press release, "express their opposition to the undermining of labor and democratic rights," organized under the cover of martial law. Speaking in front of a large gathering of workers in Lahore, the leaders
of the APTUF declared that, "the government promises free and honest
elections, but with the martial law, it has suspended our fundamental
rights, depriving the people of news. Š The workers, the lawyers, and
the journalists fight to win back the rights stolen from them by the
civilian and military authorities and by the political parties led by
the representatives of the landlords and capitalists."
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