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Intern@tional Information n° 64February 3rd, 2004 ContentIntroduction Statement by J. Sweeney, AFL-CIO chairman concerning labour rights in Iraq. USLAW appeal following J. Sweeney’s statement. United States. Report on the European liaison bureau January 24th Paris meeting. Interview of G. Pestoni, union secretary and MP for Tessin about the “tax package” Switzerland. Workers’ Party rally January 24th Paris. France. Answers to the questionnaire of the European Liaison bureau. Spain The FGTB, the CES and European institutions. Excerpts from the book by G. Debunne “When shall we have social Europe?” Belgium. Bulletin of the International Revolutionary Youth; extracts. Press conference of Louisa Hanoune about the dismissal of the Kabylian MP’s. Algeria Subscription
IntroductionThe campaign to build up an international delegation to ILO (International Labour Organisation) headquarters in Geneva next March 15th 2004 to ask that the situation of labour rights in Iraq be inquired into, has been given a further impulse. The American union coalition US Labor Against The War (USLAW) rejoices over the stand taken by John Sweeney, chairman of American Trade Union AFL-CIO. He made a statement about the right of Iraqi workers to have all the rights acknowledged by ILO conventions duly recognised. Us Labor Against The War adds that a large number of American workers are also denied the benefit of ILO conventions; its conclusion: “American and Iraqi workers would greatly benefit from mutual support”. On February 24th 2004, USLAW, together with other American organisations will take part in a day of action whose purpose is, among others, to shed light on the profits that American multinationals pocket in Iraq. Concerning a different matter, this issue features the questionnaire and articles published in “Informacion Obrera” (Spain) as part of the campaign launched by the International Liaison Committee on what implementing the Maastricht Treaty and European directives have wrought in every country and every sector. Finally, you can read excerpts of the press conference by Louisa Hanoune, spokesperson of the Algerian Workers’ Party, about the dismissal of Kabylian MP’s. Support the ILC’s struggle. Apply for subscription to International Information
Irak : “American and Iraqi workers would greatly benefit from mutual support”. MilestonesJune 14th 2003 during a meeting in Geneva, an appeal was launched “against occupation, for labour rights in Iraq” by:
June 15th 2003: the 12th encounter for the defence of ILO conventions supports this initiative. July: the report written by USLAW on American multinationals that operate in Iraq is translated into Arabic and French. October 3rd to 10th 2003: an independent delegation travels to Iraq representing the campaign “against occupation, for labour rights in Iraq”. The delegation meets trade unions that are striving to organise and publishes an international report to attract the attention of the world’s labour movement. October
24th- 25th- 26th 2003: the national
yearly meeting for peace, convened in Chicago United States, by USLAW,
decides to campaign the American Congress asking the congressmen to
listen to a report on violations of trade union rights in Iraq. November
17th 2003: An appeal is launched to set up an international
delegation to ILO headquarters asking that the ILO inquire into the
situation of labour rights in occupied Iraq. January
15th 2004: a request is addressed to Mr Juan Somavia, general
manager of the International Labour Organisation for an interview to
take place on March 15th. ------------------------ Statement by AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeneyon A New Labor Code for Iraq January 22, 2004 Over the past year, the AFL-CIO has consistently emphasized the need for a multilateral approach for the reconstruction of Iraq and its transition to democratic self-rule. We are heartened by discussions over the last few days between the United Nations, the CPA and the Iraqi Governing Council regarding the possible return of the UN to Iraq. The success of a multilateral approach depends on the involvement of Iraqi men and women of all religions, ethnic groups and regions in rebuilding their nation according to the rule of law. The rebuilding of Iraq and the introduction of democratic self-rule will only succeed if the Iraqi people themselves have a major role and responsibility in the reconstruction process rather than being alienated from it. This is especially true with regard to Iraq's workers, most of whom are currently unemployed, and who fear that their economic well-being is out of their control and in the hands of outsiders. A concerted effort to make Iraqi workers active partners in the reconstruction process, particularly during this period of political transition, is key to its success. The fact that the labor laws imposed by Saddam Hussein in 1987 are still the "law of the land" undermines the effort to enfranchise Iraqi workers by denying them any organized voice through which to participate. This archaic law is in fundamental violation of the most important ILO conventions on freedom of association and the right to organize and bargain collectively by, among other things, prohibiting trade union representation in the public sector. Since most of the labor force is defined to be in the public sector, this law effectively denies fundamental rights to the overwhelming majority of Iraqi workers. The 1987 law also denies Iraqi workers the right to create and join organizations of their own choosing. This law must be replaced. While the Iraqi people themselves must draft their own constitution and laws, it is critical that the drafting of a new labor code consistent with international labor standards begins now. We were pleased to learn that the Iraq Minister of Labor and the ILO have signed a cooperative agreement for the ILO to assist the Ministry in drafting a new labor law, bringing immense experience, expertise and stature. This initiative is consistent with the multilateral approach essential for reconstruction and political transition to succeed. In the meantime, the AFL-CIO calls on the CPA and the Iraqi Governing Council to allow Iraqi workers to associate together and participate collectively in rebuilding the economy. Training and other kinds of support from the international trade union movement should be encouraged, especially through the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). Such initial steps would go a long way toward the development of a modern industrial relations system in Iraq that would address worker grievances and promote respect for workers' rights. -------------------- AFL-CIO President John Sweeney Calls for Respect for Labor Rights in IraqIntroduction by USLAWUS Labor Against the War welcomes this statement by John Sweeney regarding the right of Iraqi workers to the full range of labor rights recognized by and enshrined in internationally recognized conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). These rights which President Sweeney so correctly points to for Iraqi workers are also rights to which workers in the U.S. are entitled. Yet, sadly, as the AFL-CIO reminded the nation on Human Rights Day last December 10th, these are rights which many American workers do not enjoy or enjoy on paper but not in reality. For example, the terms of the 1987 decree through which Saddam Hussein forbade Iraqi workers employed by public enterprises from forming, joining or bargaining through unions of their choice (affecting the vast majority of all workers) have been effectively imposed on tens of thousands of workers in the U.S. in states which have yet to grant bargaining rights to their public employees. And while the National Labor Relations Act nominally assures workers in the private sector the right to organize and bargain, a combination of ruthless anti-union employers, employer-biased court decisions, pro-employer NLRB rulings, non-existent enforcement and absence of any effective penalties has rendered those paper rights meaningless. American and Iraqi workers have a common interest in supporting one another. We face the same corporate adversaries and deserve the same labor rights! That's why USLAW launched a Campaign for Labor Rights in Iraq and the US.
EUROPE : For peace, democracy and labour rights. For the free and democratic union of Europe’s free countries. Milestones
------------------------- Report on the meeting of the European Liaison bureau January 24th 2004 Paris The European Liaison bureau met on January 24th 2004; delegates from Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine and former Yugoslavia attended. To introduce the meeting, Andreu Camps reviewed the specific forms which the campaign against the draft European Constitution had taken in each country. He also brought attention to how the failure of the December 12th and 13th intergovernmental Conference to agree on the draft Constitution had been assessed. Especially, he quoted an article published in “Forbes”, the American capital’s newspaper, that expressed the true meaning of the “total war” waged by the Bush government: “France and Germany have emerged as the big bullies, the lawless thugs that terrorize the European street – as, of course, they have done in the past.” Further, “In the meantime, the U.S. should keep a tight grip on NATO’s plans and strategies, ensuring that no sensitive information passes into channels to which the French military have access. The U.S. should also increase its intelligence efforts in Paris and Berlin.” He asked that the campaign launched since the European Encounter “for the repeal of the Maastricht Treaty, against European directives, regionalisation” be continued; he asked that the balance sheet of a 12 year implementation of the Maastricht Treaty be drawn everywhere as a common task, using the questionnaire published in N° 58-59 p. 3; he also proposed a new European Encounter be decided on. All the delegates spoke, on how the Maastricht treaty bore on their respective country – whether their country was or was not a member of the European Union – and on the dismantling of rights and of nations themselves through “regionalisation”, “constitutional revisions”; they also spoke of the initiatives taken in each country. Last week we published:
This week, we are publishing a few documents that were presented during the meeting of the European Liaison bureau.
In next issues, we are going to publish contributions and documents offered by delegates from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Ukraine. The decisions of the Liaison Bureau:
-------------------------- Switzerland - Tessin Canton: very serious onslaught on the budget policy as well as on social benefits. Graziano Pestoni, union secretary and Tessin deputy is interviewed.For some ten years, as everywhere in Switzerland, public and semi-public service workers in the Tessin canton have been faced with a regular slam-down on their working conditions. During that period, much has been lost, but union resistance and mobilisation have contained the damage. Especially, the total privatisation of public services has been prevented. However, the 2004 budget presented by the government has taken this onslaught a step further and has shown a change of nature. This time, it is not only workers themselves that are targeted but the state itself, because the social and healthcare services are hit, as well as education and environment; for instance, the draft provided for the sale of lands and forests owned by the Canton as well as the end of the forestry service, which would have been seriously detrimental to environment. The official explanation was that economising was needed. Indeed, taxes have been cut during these last five years causing a yearly 250 million francs loss (to be compared with a 300 million deficit). Those who profited were the moneyed sections of the population: thus a 4- person family with a yearly income of 50 000 Francs gets a 1 042 Franc rebate, but the same family with a 250 000 income enjoys a 18 800 Francs rebate! When did people mobilise most strongly? On September 12, the staff in nearly all Tessin schools went on strike. On December 3rd, People took to the streets in Bellinzona against the budget, an unprecedented demonstration. On the one hand, it was the largest ever demonstration: over 15 000 people, the previous high being 5 000 marchers. On the other hand, the demo; was officially called by 22 organisations and unions reaching to all social layers (parents’ associations, students, managers of social institutions, associations of the social and healthcare sectors..) they had convened a Committee for the defence of social gains, of education, of public services and jobs. The demonstration brought results. Already, before the discussion in parliament, the competent parliamentary commission had given up a number of reactionary measures. But also, the associations that were members of the Committee decided to continue struggling together, which topped up the effect of the stands taken by the public service union. Given those factors, one can feel a little sanguine about the May 16th referendum on taxes. Though, once again, workers will get a few crumbs and, at the same time the public budget, therefore at society as a whole will be badly hit. For instance, a 4- people family with a 90 000 Francs income will get a yearly 155 Francs rebate. The total loss for the Confederation, the cantons and the municipalities will amount to 4 billion Francs! What connection with the tax package? The Tessin Parliament refused to support the referendum vote of the cantons against the tax cuts programmed by the Confederation that will have to be voted on next May 16th. In other words, the government is emptying the coffers and using that as a policy the better to force budget cuts that cause serious social worsening of the situation for a large proportion of the population. ------------------------------------- A document published in “Journal” the monthly newspaper of the “Union of Committees for a labour policy” (UCPO) N°266 January 16th 2004.
France : the January 24th 2004 Paris Palais des Sports Workers’ Party Rally: a success. Several thousand workers and young people attended the rally. It was chaired by Daniel Gluckstein, national secretary of the Workers’ Part; ILC activists from France, Germany, and Spain as well as unionists from various countries took the floor. We are publishing here some excerpts from their interventions. The national secretary of the Workers’ Party brought attention to the campaign launched by the WP against the draft “European Constitution” and to the fact that last December 13th and 14th, the leaders of the European Union were incapable of coming to an agreement to adopt the draft. “Those who decided to bring the draft down are headquartered in Washington”. He was quoting the “Forbes” magazine, the American capital’s magazine that, in its last issue, publishes an article under the title “End of French-Dominated Europe in Sight?” Klaus Schüller, member of the SPD (German Social-Democratic Party) and trade union executive in Thuringe: “Chancellor Schröder’s policy makes people poorer. It is a tragic trick of history that such policy should be implemented by a social-democratic government. Thousands of workers are compelled to travel hundreds of kilometres from their homes in search of jobs. 150 Euros a month pay packages! Such is the prosperity they are promising with European Union enlargement”. Rafael Aguilera, trade unionist, member of the Spanish UGT: “In Spain, just among countryside workers, two million jobs have been lost within a few years. Is that the progress promised by the European Union? They have been undermining our Labour Code for twenty years; now, their target is our collective bargaining system. Workers across Europe must find the ways to unite.” Nicole Delépine, a paediatrician and cancer-specialist gave a graphic account of the current situation prevailing in the healthcare system, wrecked by governments obeying the orders issued by Maastricht. Se concluded: “But, we were able to muster 1 500 people to demonstrate in front of the Health Ministry in order to rescue my small paediatric-cancer-ward, in the same way, we can bring millions to rescue the Social Security system”. Constantin Cretan, Romanian mining trade unionist, called the participants to “give a further impetus to the campaign, in every country, for the release of Miron Cozma, the mining unionist” sentenced to ten years in jail last December 12th by the Bucharest Court of appeal. Jean-Charles Marquiset, trade unionist spoke about the “shared diagnosis” served to the government by the High Authority on health service reform: “How can the trade unions that claim they stand up for workers’ rights bow to offer such “shared diagnosis”? Under cover of those high-flying words, we are being sold the same stale old corporatism”. Gérard Schivardi, Mayor of Mailhac, in Aude department: “We are pressed for making ourselves the decision to cut down social budgets in our departments. We refuse, we have a single option, either we resist or we are no longer there. That is why today, over two thousand local representatives across France, have joined our committee for the defence of municipalities” A trade unionist spoke on behalf of the UGTG (General Union of Guadeloupe’s Workers) where 95 000 people live below the official poverty line: “Those who, in social forums or elsewhere are claiming that capitalism can become more humane are misled and misleading”. Sarah poke on behalf of Revolutionary Youth groups: “European harmonisation means an end to national diplomas. Money for education, healthcare, public services, no money for their dirty wars!” Vitaly Kulik, organiser of the Kiev (Ukraine) Conference in defence of the Labour Law and to reclaim rights and guarantees: In Ukraine, what with the enlargement of the European Union, “we already know which factories are slated for closure and today, the country has to buy wheat from abroad whereas it used to be a wheat belt. We uphold the Labour Law. Doing that, we are certainly not defending the old bureaucracy, but we stand up for the October 1917 gains. To defend and reclaim the October 1917 gains: united we are strong.” Marie-Claude Schidlower representing the Workers’ Party working women committee, was reporting on a delegation to the health ministry in defence of maternity clinics, and on how the Minister’s delegate answered: “Those are European norms. We cannot meet the needs.” Alan Benjamin, American trade union activist, campaigning against the war in Iraq recalled the speech on the State of the Union delivered by American President George W Bush: “In his speech, George Bush waged war on workers and people across the whole world and first of all on the American working class”. Daniel Gluckstein ended the meeting saying: “We call on you to join the worker’s Party so the day when the 36 000 mayors march for their maternity clinics, their post offices, their schools, comes soon; so that the whole population of this country following its organisations and its local representatives marches and reclaims its dues, wrenched by democracy and by the Republic.” SpainPresentationThough the intervention of the United States direct agents – especially Aznar and the Polish President – has stalled the December 12th and 13th European Summit, and though the draft European Constitution is provisionally put aside, the onslaught on labour rights, social gains, on peoples’ sovereignty, pushed by the European Union is going on. In the same way, the resistance movement must not cave in. Policy is always matter-of-fact. The treaty that constituted the European Union was signed in the Dutch town of Maastricht in 1992; later on, it was complemented by the Amsterdam Treaty. We have to go down into details as to the implementation of those treaties and how they have impinged on each economic sector, each industrial production and service branch. The International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples, supported by “Informations Ouvrières”, wrote a questionnaire on what the implementation of that policy has brought about in each country and in each sector. It aims at “collecting facts and proofs across Europe on the balance sheet and the consequences of a 12 year implementation of the European directives since the Maastricht Treaty was signed” We are using “Informacion Obrera” as a lever to take up the challenge. We are about to give an “X-ray picture” of the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in our country. In the coming issues of “Informacion Obrera”, we are going to develop little by little the consequences of the treaty in each sector of production. The readers of “Informacion Obrera” can ask the editor for the questionnaire. We ask them to send testimonies, and answers. We ask them to help us, especially trade unionists because they know better than anyone how the policies of Maastricht Europe bears on their work-sector. Published in “Informacion Obrera” N° 140 together with the next article (January 09th 04) A first answer to the questionnaire on a 12 year- implementation of the European Union Treaty How has the Maastricht Treaty been translated in the Spanish State? 18 years ago to the day: on January 1st 1986 under Felipe Gonzalez, Spain joined the European Economic Community. A few hushed down criticisms were murmured. We were promised pies in the sky, huge returns, new markets for agriculture, fishing and low cost Spanish industrial products. Facts have come sorely short of these promises. The common market has actually caused the dismantlement of huge chunks of our economy and a full size onslaught on social and democratic gains. To prepare the country to join the Common Market Felipe Gonzalez’ government had started a through industrial overhaul from 1982 to 1985. To sum up, during these years, we witnessed: The dismantlement of whole sectors of steel industry, closure of blast furnaces one after the other. The first ones to go were those on the Mediterranean, in Sagunto, after the workers of that firm bitterly fought and tried to unite with other workers of the metal industry sector and with the whole working class; but they clashed with the organisation leaders who refused to join them. Then the furnaces in Biscay and the Astury were closed down. The factories producing specific steel: Echevarria, Olarra… Those names recall huge labour fights and restructuring. In the same package as steel industry came, iron mines and many coalmines were closed down. The dismantlement of shipbuilding industry. Shipyards were closed down in every region despite worker’s bitter resistance in the Basque Cantabre, Galicia, Asturian, and Cadiz countries. During the agony of the tearing apart process, trade union as well as political leaders kept saying that lay-offs and closures had to be negotiated because joining the Common Market had to be achieved. If one failed to join “Europe”, one would remain in the shade. Once we had joined the European Community, we had to go through the “adjustment” period of several years; we had to open up our borders; which brought about further restructuring in one sector after the other. Let us just note that the important agricultural workforce underwent a trimming process that brought it down from 2 million to 900 000 within five years. It has to be noted that when we joined the EEC, word went around that Spanish agriculture could take the place of all the other European agricultures, that is why the negotiations for joining the EEC provided for innumerable concessions. Poland and all the Eastern European countries will have to face the same processes; but it will be worse for them on account of the global economic situation and also what they have had to go through for 12 years. So, going on what they have experienced, what comrades will be able to bring will be a valuable introduction to the answer to the questionnaire on 12 years of Maastricht implementation. The Maastricht and Amsterdam treatiesActually, the Spanish economy had already undergone a ten-year long dismantling process when the Maastricht treaty was signed in 1992. The treaty ruled that the “convergence criteria” had to be met. It was their way to force the “single European currency”, later to be coined the Euro, on the country. The criteria meant that inflation had to be brought down to 2% and the deficit to 3% of the GDP and the debt to 60% of the same GDP. At the same moment, the European Central Bank was instituted to have primacy over all the national institutions, and also over all the European Community’s institutions; its task was to subject all the European economies to the discipline of financial markets. A volley of brutal measures came hitting European countries with gale force. During the following 5 or 6 years, tough structural adjustment plans were enforced to join the euro and meet the “criteria”. The Amsterdam treaty established the “stability pact”; it was called the “stability and growth pact” just to enable the Jospin French government to pass it off without changing its content; The pact pushed the former “convergence criteria” deeper and made them permanent. The euro was to come into being following the pledge by European states especially to meet the zero deficit rule. Thus the policy of each state towards its budget was made void while the currency policy was transferred to the European Central Bank that was dominated by the New York stock exchange and the dollar. Therefore drastic measures relentlessly followed each other to adopt the euro and to implement the brutal stability pact. In the course of the last twelve years, we have to note: - First, the reform of the common agricultural policy in 1992 and in the following years that first made the agriculture a subsidised sector and that now strike off one subsidy after another. The balance sheet of the reform of the “common organisation of the market” should be drawn in particular for vegetable oil and now for cotton, for tobacco and oil again. Those measures sign the death warrant of some crops, the drastic reduction of others, which means that large tracts of land are turning into deserts. - Second, the successive reforms of the fishing industry have already wreaked havoc in the fishing fleet; American multinationals and a few Spanish corporations have benefited. - Third, every subsidy to public sector enterprise has been written off and that has led to generalised privatisation and the closure of whole sectors: what remains of heavy industry, commodity manufacturing, all the public banks on which a vast part of economy used to rely; its various branches (Banco de Credito Industrial, Banco de Credito Agricola, Banco de Credito local and so on), transports, (not yet fully privatised) and telecommunications. - Fourth, the directives on markets and financial institutions bring about continued conversion and dismantlement. - Fifth, the dismantlement of the European textile industry heading towards its complete end due in January 2005 when the borders will be flung wide open to production from Asia. To such an extent that the bosses of Spanish textile mills have recently been encouraged to relocate their production on other countries. - At this point, the comrades from the Maghreb (North Africa) should be invited to draw together the balance sheet of the drastic agreements of “free trade” between the EU and each country of the Maghreb and between Spain and each country of the Maghreb that ruin mills in those countries as well as in Spain and cause the same ruin in agriculture, fishing and so on for the best profit of speculators and mafias. - Sixth, the onslaught against public services. - Seventh, the onslaughts against healthcare system. - Eighth, the reforms of labour, especially the implementation of the Maastricht treaty chapter about the community’s job policy and its follow-up in the “social” summit of Luxemburg and in the “Lisbon strategy” on “knowledge society”. The Toledo pact and right after, the pact on pensions are other aspects of the implementation of “social Europe” in our country as defined by the Luxemburg summit. The list could run on. Workers and unionists, comrades in each sector can bring in their experience and integrate it to the experience of workers and unionists across Europe from Russia and Ukraine to Ireland and Portugal.
Belgium : “The FGTB, the ETUC and European institutions” Excerpts from the book by Georges Debunne “A quand l’Europe sociale?” (When shall we have a Social Europe?) About the book by Georges Debunne “A quand l’Europe sociale” (When shall we have Social Europe?) Georges Debunne was a top union leader. He was active in the CGSP and general secretary of the FGTB from 1968 to 1982, then chair of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) from 1982 to 1985. His book was published in November 2003. It sharply criticises present European institutions and the current course of the ETUC. Georges Debunne gives a graphic account of how the European Union proceeds – which naturally materialises at the national level -; those procedures are bound to lay true trade unions waste. He calls for the FGTB to turn the tide, as well as all those trade unions that advocate independence from the powers that be and from the institutions. His writings bring a valuable contribution to the debate that must take place inside the labour movement (especially inside the socialist party). A flop! It makes me sick! (1977) The foreword describes how the FGTB supported the first European treaties: “The harmonisation (of national policies) provided for in the two treaties in one of the main reasons why we were won over to building a new Europe. As long as trade union cannot find satisfactory answers to the harmonisation issue, they will be faced with the same query about the motivations that drove them to supporting the treaties.” (A. Gailly 1964). Marie-Paule Conan collected the texts written by G. Debunne. She quotes: “A flop” about the failure of the European counter-power he yearned for when he threw his forces into the ETUC. “Sick” over the attitude of his European socialist friends who did not bother to change tack of the pro-capitalist course followed by the EU during the “pink” tide when they were steering 11 governments of the Union out of 15. “At the beginning, when I went along with him in those many situations, I thought that he was overstating this admission failure, which was rather pathetic. Then I gradually came to understand the nature of this expectations.” The ETUC, a conveyor belt of capitalist interests? Debunne thinks that up to 1985, the ETUC obstinately endeavoured to mobilise and secure some breakthrough especially in European collective agreements. He feels that the directive on information and consultation of workers is positive. For the rest, he deems that nothing was obtained; “everything that really mattered was always delayed”. He is very critical about the ETUC’s course after 1985, “Have time and disappointment changed the minds and ruined the determination of those trade unions regrouped within the European Trade Union Confederation? I feel that those who joined later leant on this direct commitment of the six first countries’ trade unions and altered it.” “The ETUC cannot act as a conveyor belt of capitalist interests”. The Commission’s method. Debunne then goes into a few aspects of how the European Institutions work; he gives an example: retirement pension systems. When he chaired the FERPAS (European Federation of pensioners and elderly people), Debunne promoted investigations, devised demands, discussed with the Commission. “The European Commission has always argued that it was impossible to make laws favouring the elderly because that is not a European, but State competence (.) I myself approached the French President of the Republic and all the prime Ministers asking them to commit themselves to add further rights and rules for the improvement of elderly people’s life conditions to the Amsterdam Treaty. The answer in the Amsterdam treaty was to introduce a non-discriminatory clause to article 13 as to the age question. Then, I was downright livid when I saw that the European Commission put the non discrimination principle to use in order to push back retirement age as it had “become discriminatory” faced with the demand for “freedom to work”(.) Despite the opposition of our over ten million paying member-strong organisation, the European Commission created that platform (European platform for the elderly) with other associations, far less representative but much more obedient”. That is the way of “governance”. European policy concerning jobs G. Debunne denounces the action of the European Union: “The chapter on employment that was inserted into the Amsterdam treaty was hailed as a victory by the ETUC. I do not see eye to eye with them”. “The recommendations of the Commission concerning the GOPE (broad guidelines of the economic policy) in member states” adopted at the Cardiff summit, state that “wage raises must be compatible with price stability”, “wage raises have to preserve the profitability of extension investment”. “Wages should extend downwards” and “emulating wages should be avoided” (that is just the reverse of progressive convergence, explains Debunne). That was constantly approved of by the ETUC. Debunne says that he felt very lonesome when he denounced those facts. He speaks of the projects of harmonisation upwards that were discussed with the ETUC. “But the European Commission dropped those principles that we negotiated. With hindsight, I realise that workers’ representatives were mobilised on the preparation of a non-binding instrument whereas, on the sly, behind the smoke screen of diplomacy, highly binding criteria were being contrived towards the stability pact brought about by the single currency. (.) Since currency devaluation is rendered impossible, it is social devaluation that is promoted. Social dumping is not banned. The social model is constantly redrawn. It is considered as a hurdle in the path of competitiveness and job creation. The European states social model under a cloud. G. Debunne considers that enlargement to 25, as it is conceived now, is highly risky for labour. “Let us imagine that market and single currency gather momentum and develop through competitiveness based on “social dumping” between twenty-five or more states, the resulting social climate would eventually imperil “United Europe”; that policy would cause such discrepancies that it would also challenge the solidarity between workers members of the ETUC. Labour interests would certainly be flouted as well as the model of democratic society, and peaceful relations between nations would certainly not stand the strain in such conditions.” A last chapter levels harsh criticism at the draft “European Constitution”.
Luc Bertrand (“La Tribune des Travailleurs” n° 112) “La Tribune des travailleurs”, the newspaper of the defence movement of workers members of the ILC.
The International, Bulletin of the RYI, published in French, English and Spanish AGAINST BARBARISM : REVOLUTION !Are we right when we say that capitalism is collapsing?In some countries in Africa, despite being the richest continent in natural resources, life expectancy has dropped to the age of 40. In the countries of the ex-USSR life expectancy is 10 years lower ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In fact, even the richest countries are experiencing the same crises. In the United States more than 40 million citizens have no health insurance. In France 8 million people – out of a population of 60 million – are living below the poverty level. We must also remember the 250 million children in the world who are forced to work, the mil-lions of victims of the wars provoked and maintained by the imperialist powers who are forcing their “protectorate” on the world. The occupation of Iraq is only the most recent latest example. Can we accept this inhumane system ? Can we try to improve it, to give it a more human face? Or, is it necessary to organize in order to overthrow it? Let’s open discussion and we invite all our readers, all the groups of youth who want to change this world, to join with us in our struggle. The editorial board
LETTER TO THE STUDENTS OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENTThe Continental Conference of Workers Against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which gathered in Sao Paulo on December 12,13 and 14, with hundreds of delegates from over a dozen countries, presents this letter to the youth and students of the Americas. “We discussed and affirmed that the FTAA will call into question all the gains of the working class of the continent. It is not at all about the integration of the people of our countries, but an agreement that seeks to favor the policies of the American multinationals– the same ones that supported the war against the Iraqi people. Our schools and universities are in danger in our countries. On one side, they suffer from the lack of resources and a weakening that is a function of the politics of “structural adjustment” of the IMF. On the other side, the growth of private education is fed by unacceptable subsidies of public money. For the major capitalists, education becomes an increasingly more profitable business. It is not for nothing that many of those capitalists and government representatives seek to bring education into the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to facilitate the domination of capital over education. It is important to point out that the FTAA, even if ratified, will mean a serious attack on the already bad employment conditions for the youth of our countries. We need to defend our current and future jobs, as well as those of our relations. Therefore, we are asking you to begin continue this discussion in the schools and universities of your countries. We also propose the creation of mobilization committees against the FTAA. The same fight unites youth from the north to the south of the Americas, the struggle for our future, for education and employment, and for a world without war and exploitation. We propose to all of you, a continental day of action against the FTAA, bringing together workers, students and their organizations, to be held on March 20, 2004. We say loudly and clearly: NO to the FTAA, NO to any FTAA! We believe in all sincerity that we can win this battle. In our conference we heard very powerful examples of struggle, such as that of the Bolivian workers who revolted against taking of their gas by the multinationals, such as the Uruguayans and Mexicans in the struggle to defend their oil and national sovereignty, and such as the workers and students of the USA who gathered hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in their country against the FTAA. No to the FTAA! São Paulo, Decembre, 14, 2003”
Algeria : All it would take would be a strong and wise decision to halt the “disintegrating process that the nation is currently undergoing” ]Just after the passing of an agreement on removing the representatives of Kabylia, Louisa Hanoune, spokesperson of Algeria’s Workers’ Party held a press conference on January 27th. We are publishing quotes from the Algerian newspapers The press conference of Louisa Hanoune, spokesperson of Algeria’s Workers’ Party was held after and agreement was passed between the Algerian government and the Aârchs (a corporatist and regionalist movement) to remove Kabylian MP’s with the excuse that a large section of the population abstained because of the terror that this movement had contributed to. The Algerian newspapers reported: (“El Watan”, January 28th 2004) “A dangerous agreement”, “That is serious. The violence that preyed on Algeria, is nothing compared with what happened last Thursday night. The agreement passed between the government and the Aârchs takes us very close to the brink as it carves into the nation” said Louisa Hanoune during a press conference that was held yesterday at the Workers’ Party’s headquarters. Louisa Hanoune strongly objected to the words “unsuitable representatives”; she brought arguments against this political measure stating that “Workers’ Party MP’s are not “unsuitable”. They come from Kabylia, they are proud of their heritage, but, first and foremost, they are Algerian and do not specifically represent Kabylia only”. According to the leader of the Workers’ Party, all it would take, would be a strong a wise decision of political leaders to halt “the disintegrating process that the nation is currently undergoing”. “It takes us very close to the brink”; the Workers’ Party’s spokesperson hotly criticises the decision take by the government to remove Kabylian MP’s in the framework of discussion with the Aârch movement. (“Le Jeune Indépendant” January 28th, 2004) During a press conference held in Algiers yesterday, Ms Louisa Hanoune was deeply indignant over the initiative that “takes Algeria dangerously close to the brink”. She explains that this press conference was organised to “sound the alarm and say stop in the face of what is jeopardising the nation”. The Workers’ Party Number One harshly castigates the government. She is convinced that this decision was not actually made in Algeria. “This so-called solution was dictated by people from abroad. Our state cannot possibly jeopardise Algeria in such a way”, she said. Indeed, Louis Hanoune considers that “removing” the Kabylian MP’s opens the way to “ethnic conflicts, as those MP’s are essentially representatives of the nation”. Besides, she judges that the word “unsuitable” used by the government is offensive. She says, “those representatives of the people can in no way be held responsible for the situation prevailing during the 2002 local elections”. “If one goes into who is representative and who is not, it is all the country’s assemblies that will have to be removed including the Algerian National Parliament since they have been elected thanks to rigged elections”. Ms Hanoune feels that immediate action must be taken to “save the Republic from the threat of disintegration, compounded with communalism”. Meanwhile, she refrained from giving more details on what political suggestion she made to solve this crisis. When she spoke of her recent interview with the President of the Republic, the Worker’s Party spokesperson owns that she approached the Kabylian issue and that she asked him to meet his commitment taken during his March 12th 2002 speech. “I did not mention the issue of removing MP’s as I “would never have imagined such absurd measure could have been decided,” she said. About the coming presidential election, Ms Hanoune considers that it is “offensive” to talk about that event when “Algeria is going through such turmoil”
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Open World Conference of Workers