|
ILC INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER NO. 79
A dossier of weekly information published by the International
Liaison Committee for Workers and Peoples (ILC)
May 18, 2004
***********
To contact us:
ILC International Newsletter
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
87, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010 Paris, France
PRESENTATION:
This week we publish two documents of great importance with regard
to the International Campaign Against the Occupation and For Labor
Rights in Iraq:
* A call to trade unionists in Spain and the United States for the
withdrawal of foreign troops, for peace and sovereignty in Iraq, an
appeal launched on an international basis by the coalition of U.S. trade
unions U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), the International
Confederation of Arab Trade Unions and the International Liaison
Committee for Workers and Peoples.
* A united appeal by the Union of Unemployed Workers in Iraq (UUI) and
the Federation of Workers Councils and Trade Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) to
trade unions throughout the world so that they join the campaign for the
defense and rights of workers in Iraq, that they demand the application
of ILO conventions 87 and 98 and that they support the June 13
conference in Geneva.
You will also find in this issue an international Open Letter to the
participants of the Educational Forum in Sao Paulo (April 1 through 4,
2004) that will be distributed to the World Forum on Education (Porto
Alegre, July 29 through 31, 2004). This open letter states its
opposition to "casual and non-formal" education, that is
situated outside of all public regulation, and against " life-long
learning," educational deregulation and for the defense of public
and free education.
Finally, in preparation for the European conference of June 12 in
Geneva, we publish the final declaration of the National Conference for
the Withdrawal of the "Reform" of the Italian Constitution, as
well as excerpts from the monthly newspaper of the Union Circles for a
Labor Policy in Switzerland, on the rejection by the Swiss workers and
peoples on May 16 of the policy of integration to the European Union.
The importance of this rejection will be understood in a few days when
the heads of state meet for their summit on June 17 and 18, 2004. They
have on their agenda the adoption of the Draft European Constitution.
Support the fight of the ILC
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
p. 1: Presentation
p. 2: International Campaign Against the Occupation and For Labor Rights
in Iraq, a united appeal by the trade unionists of Spain and the United
States
p. 3: An appeal by the FWCUI and the UUI to join the campaign for Iraqi
labor rights
p. 4: After the April 14 elections the question remains of a Black
Republic of Azandia
pp. 5, 6: International open letter to the participants of the
International Forum on Education in Porto Alegre, Brazil
p. 7: A report on the April 24 conference for the withdrawal of the
"reform" of the Italian Constitution.
p. 8: The policies of the European Union rejected by the people of
Switzerland during elections of May 16, 2004.
* Subscriptions
**********
International Appeal Promoted Internationally by:
* US Labor Against the War (USLAW)
* the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU)
* the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC)
WITHDRAW ALL FOREIGN OCCUPATION TROOPS FROM IRAQ!
PEACE AND SOVEREIGNTY FOR IRAQ!
We, the undersigned trade unionists and labor activists from around
the world, applaud the decision by the new Spanish government to
withdraw its troops from Iraq. We call on all governments with
occupation forces in Iraq -- especially the U.S. government -- to take
similar action.
Indeed, the situation facing the Iraqi people is alarming: The number of
Iraqi deaths -- particularly civilians, women and children -- increases
by the day, with untold human suffering. The torture of prisoners by the
U.S. occupation forces is heinous and has stirred public outrage the
world over. Hunger is widespread, resulting from the destruction of the
country's infrastructure under the occupation.
Iraq's sovereignty has been trampled upon. There is a complete absence
of democratic rights, including the right of workers to form trade
unions of their choice, as stipulated by the Conventions of the
International Labor Organization (ILO).
As trade unionists and labor activists, we believe that the labor
movement worldwide must speak out in one voice to demand an end to this
horrific situation: The occupation of Iraq must end. The Iraqi people
and nation must be able to regain their rights, freedoms and sovereignty
-- as well as the full control over their resources, wealth, and
economic, social and political destiny.
On April 18, the Spanish government -- which was elected by an important
margin in the election of March 14 -- decided in a free and sovereign
manner to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Newly elected Prime Minister
José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero declared the day following this action
that "the decision to send troops to Iraq and to support the war on
Iraq has led to the destruction of a country and has only generated more
insecurity and instability."
On May 2, Zapatero stated: "The invasion and occupation of Iraq has
been a disaster. This should serve as a message to the international
community so that never again will there be a 'pre-emptive war' that
violates international law."
The working people of Spain, who mobilized by the millions in opposition
to the war and who elected a government with a clear mandate to get out
of Iraq, welcomed with great enthusiasm the decision by the Spanish
premier to make good on his pledge and withdraw all Spanish troops from
that war-torn country.
The working people of Spain do not want war -- not with the Iraqi people
nor with any other people.
People the world over share this same aspiration -- including the North
American people, who have mobilized in huge numbers to express the need
for peace and fraternal relations among peoples.
As trade unionists and labor activists who defend the interests of all
working people, we are particularly concerned that our sons and
daughters, our sisters and brothers, our fellow workers and union
members not be placed in harm's way in wars of aggression and
destruction. We are also mindful that in such wars, it is innocent
civilians who pay the greatest price.
That is why we affirm that nothing is more urgent today than to wage a
united struggle for the withdrawal of all foreign occupation troops from
Iraq. In this sense we embrace the call issued May 3 by U.S. Labor
Against the War (USLAW), which states: "We call for an end now to
the U.S. occupation and for all military, political and economic
authority to be transferred to the people of Iraq."
U.S. trade unionists involved in USLAW's Military Families Task Force
have insisted that their sons and daughters, their sisters and brothers,
should return home alive now -- not in coffins or body bags!
That is why we address ourselves to all our governments to demand an end
to the occupation, for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq --
so that a future of peace and democracy can be opened for the Iraqi
people.
The decision by the Spanish government to remove troops from Iraq was
followed soon after by a similar decision by the governments of Honduras
and the Dominican Republic. In many other countries the discussion about
withdrawing troops is taking place.
Clearly, this sovereign and free decision by the Spanish government is
being supported with great enthusiasm by the workers and peoples around
the world, as well as by their organizations.
We, the undersigned trade unionists and labor activists, issue this
appeal for an end to the occupation of Iraq. The governments with
occupation forces in Iraq must heed the will of the majority of their
people. They must allow the Iraqi people to reclaim their freedom and
their sovereignty.
[Follows Initial Signatories from the United States and Spain]
-----
The International Appeal to "Withdraw All Foreign Occupation
Troops From Iraq!" is being promoted internationally by:
- US Labor Against the War (USLAW)
- the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU)
- the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC)
All three of these organizations came together in Geneva in June 2003 to
launch the International Campaign Against the Occupation and For Labor
Rights in Iraq.
The organizers of this international campaign call on trade unionists
and labor rights activists the world over to (1) endorse this appeal,
(2) make a financial contribution to support the Iraqi Labor
Solidarity Fund launched by US Labor Against the War, which has an
initial goal of raising $10,000 to be divided between the Iraq
Federation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Workers Councils and
Unions in Iraq, and (3) help fund the travel expenses of the Iraqi
trade unionists who will be attending the 11th Annual Trade Union
Meeting in Geneva in Defense of the ILO Conventions.
* Financial contributions from the United States should be made payable
to USLAW Iraqi Labor Solidarity Fund and should be sent to USLAW, 1718 M
St. NW #153, Washington, DC 20036. You can also make a contribution to
this fund on the internet at the secure website of USLAW at https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=1822
* Financial contributions from all other countries should be sent to the
ILC to help defray the travel and lodging expenses of the Iraqi trade
union delegation to the June 11th meeting in Geneva in defense of the
ILO conventions. Checks should be made payable to "CMO" and
mailed to Entente, 87 rue du Faubourg St. Denis, 75010 Paris, France.
Bank transfers can be sent directly to (IBAN):
FR76-3093-8000-34000-5122-7000-317 - LUBPFRPP
To endorse this appeal, and/or for more information about the
International Campaign Against the Occupation and For Labor Rights in
Iraq, please contact:
- US Labor Against the War, 1718 M Street #153, NW, Washington
DC, 20036, USA. E-mail: info@uslaboragainstwar.org;
website: http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org
- International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions, 213, rue
Bagdad, PO Box 3225, Damascus (Syria). Tel. : (963 11) 445 95 44 - Fax :
(963 11) 442 03 23. E-mail: icatu@net.sy
- International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples, 87, rue
du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris (France). Tel.: (33-1) 48 01 88 28.
Fax: (33-1) 48 01 88 36. E-mail: eit.ilc@wanadoo.fr
and ilcinfo@earthlink.net;
website, http://www.owcinfo.org
***********
IRAQ:
Appeal by UUI and FWCUI to the labour unions and workers
organisations
Join our campaign against the occupation and for labour rights in Iraq
Endorse our appeal to ILO to defend unconditional freedom for workers to
organise and strike in Iraq
Twelve years of genocidal sanctions and the U.S. war of aggression have
caused over 1.5 million deaths in Iraq, wreaking havoc on Iraqi society.
In short, untold misery and suffering have been imposed on the people of
Iraq. The U.S. government has placed Iraq on the verge of total collapse
and within arm's reach of dreadful scenarios like, civil war, religious
sectarianism, ethnic cleansing, and tribalism. Yet, the downfall of
Saddam Hussein's brutal regime has created the opportunity for workers
and unemployed masses across Iraq to come to organise themselves,
protest about work conditions, resort to action, and hold street
demonstrations in many cities.
The Union of the Unemployed (UUI) in Iraq emerged as the first
significant initiative by Iraqi workers to confront the massive
unemployment caused by the destructive U.S. war against Iraq. The union
was founded in May 2003 by a group of 20 unemployed, revolutionary
workers that had gathered in the looted and abandoned building of the
infamous, Ba'athist "General Federation of Trade Unions in
Iraq". In a democratic process they elected their leadership
committee, which in turn elected Qasim Hadi to be their leader.
The main objective of the UUI involves pressing the C.P.A. (Civilian
Provisional Authority) for unemployment benefits for workers in Iraq
whose lives and economic well being have been turned upside down by the
war. In fact, the one slogan most on rotation in the UUI reads,
"Jobs or Unemployment Benefits for All!" The UUI has also
pressed the C.P.A. to ensure that unemployed workers play a major role
in job distribution and allocation. They have managed to allocate 600
work opportunities for unemployed people. In addition, as a result of
their protest actions, they have provided workers with free medical
services.
The UUI has established branches in seven provinces in Iraq. Within a
few months, it signed up over 150,000 members. The union has launched 13
demonstrations in Baghdad and 7 protests in other cities. The UUI became
a world-renowned, radical, working-class organisation for its 45-day
sit-in protests across from Paul Bremer's headquarters in Baghdad,
despite continuous attacks and repression by American forces. The union
leaders and members were repeatedly arrested, harassed, and repressed by
occupation forces.
The UUI is a genuine representative of unemployed workers. The UUI,
along with the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq, is
striving to put forward a labour law as alternative labour legislation.
The IGC is continuing to violate international labour standards and has
issued a decision No.16 on January 28 which recognises only a group, the
IFTU, supporting the policies of IGC as legal representatives of labour
movement in Iraq and excludes all other independent unions which have
been established on the base of direct democracy and election by the
workers themselves. We think this decision is in contradiction with ILO
Conventions 87 and 98. Therefore we are demanding the abolishment of the
decision and guarantee unconditional freedom for Iraqi Workers to
organise and strike and full implementation of the ILO conventions in
Iraq. It is up to the workers in Iraq to decide who is representing them
and not for the CPA or IGC to determine who is representative of labour
unions in Iraq.
On 13 June we will organise a conference in Geneva parallel to the ILO
conference to discuss the situation of labour movement in Iraq and we
will appreciate very much your participation in this conference for the
sake of labour rights in Iraq.
Only Workers’ solidarity and struggle, in and outside of Iraq, will
guarantee a better future for Iraqi society and the working people of
Iraq.
We call you to join our campaign for the unconditional freedom of labour
movement in Iraq to organise and strike and to end the occupation.
Aso Jabbar,
Chief Representative of UUI and FWCUI abroad
Bern, Switzerland
*****************
SOUTH AFRICA/AZANIA
After the General Elections of April 14, the Essential Question is Still
that of the Black Republic
On the occasion of the general elections that took place last April
14 in South Africa/Azania, the mainstream media could not stop talking
about "a miracle" when describing the political situation in
that country. But a miracle for what and for whom?
Ten years after the first elections in 1994 and the advent to power of
the coalition governments between theANC of Nelson Mandela/Thabo Mbeki
and the National Party (that is, the former party of apartheid), what
happened to the aspirations of the Azanian people for the constitution
of a Black Republic? That was the question posed in these recent
elections.
The vote of April 14 intervened first and foremost in a context marked
by a devastating deterioration of the situation of the Black people in
all domains after ten years:
… Reduction of the income of Black households of 19% between 1995 and
2000, whereas that of the whites (4.3 million peole, or 9.6% of the
population) increased 15%;
… Increase in unemployment of the Black majority -- from 16% in 1995
to 30% in 2002; with close to half the population living on less than $2
dollars per day;
… 95% of the economy remains in the hands of the white minority;
… Maintenance of the despoliation of Blacks from their lands: 65% of
arable land still remained in the hands of 4,500 white farmers in 2000:
50,000 white farmers possess 80% of the farm land; in the past nine
years, barely 2% of the farmland possessed by the whites was given up to
the Blacks, totalling 1.67 million hectares;
… The terrifying ravages of AIDS: 5.3 million South Africans, one out
of five persons, are infected by the virus of AIDS that is responsible
for 600 deaths per day. According to a report published by the WHO in
2002, there would be 10 million more deaths from this illness in the
next ten years if the present tendency continues. South Africa is
reported to have the sad record of more than 50% of deaths due to AIDS
in all sub-Saharan Africa.
How can one understand this? Didn't the Black people carry Mandela and
later Thabo Mbeki to power with the aim of creating policies in
conformity with their interests?
Why, then, after the ANC has been in power for ten years, does the
repayment of the US$21.6 billion foreign debt inherited from the
apartheid regime continue to divert the fabulous wealth of this country
from the satisfaction of the most basic needs of the Black majority --
wealth which the Black working class and the peasantry continue to
produce with their sweat and blood?
The stakes of these last elections were clear: Would it finally be
possible to establish a Black Republic with a government in place
committed to satisfying the demands that have been refused to the Black
majority over ten years?
Would there be a halt to the policies of social regression that continue
to plague the Black people? Would there be an end to the privatizations
through which local and foreign multinational corporations continue to
deprive the Black majority of its assets and wealth? Hadn't the powerful
general strike of 2001 at the initiative of COSATU the main trade union
federation set up by the Black proletariat, in fact signaled the
absolute need to put a halt to the privatizations?
For its part, the Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA) had as its campaign
slogan: "Power to the Black majority!"
Lybon Mabasa, presidential candidate of SOPA indicated: "SOPA was
the only political party in these elections that called for a program to
break unambiguously with the institutions of international finance
capital: IMF, World Bank, WTO."
Isn't that precisely the reason why the powers-that-be found it
necesarry to prevent SOPA from getting any hearing for its political
views?
"Nearly everyone did their best to place obstacle after obstacle in
our path," explained Lybon Mabasa. "It went from direct
attacks against SOPA in the media to direct appeals to the voters not to
vote for us. Members of other parties constantly tore down our posters,
without a word from the authorities."
Cases of intimidation and infringements of electoral regulations were
noted at a great number of the polling booths on election day. Many
parties, including SOPA, noted that the number of voters did not
correspond to the number of voters announced and that the number of
votes annulled were almost always the votes for parties like ours."
Certainly, on the day following the elections, all circles linked to the
defense of white minority interests, of the imperialistic powers --
first and foremost U.S. imperialism and its institutions: the IMF, the
World Bank, WTO, the European Union -- didn't hesitate to express their
satisfaction with the election results, which gave an overwhelming
majority to the ANC.
Those who also rejoiced were the "buppies" -- that is, the new
Black bourgeoisie, who are everywhere but who are far from constituting
a "Black Power" in the economy, as the French daily Le
Monde noted in an article on April 28.
But the Black people, especially the working class who have demonstrated
their attachment to the defense of their rights, have not spoken their
last word.
The same reasons that drove the powerful strike of July 2001 against
privatizations of public services and enterprises, at the behest of the
COSATU, and that continue to drive all the strikes that continued to
spread across South Africa/Azania in all sectors of production, will
re-emerge, certainly more strongly, producing even more devastating
effects, fed by the rage of misery and humiliation, which continue to
deepen.
- Correspondent
The Election Rresults
It should be noted that the results of the June 14 vote are not
ambiguous: it was a massive vote for the parties of the Black people.
Indeed the ensemble of Black parties -- the ANC of Mandela-Mbeki, the
Freedom Party of Inkatha of Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the United Democratic
Movement (UDI) led by Bantu Holomisa, the Independent Democrats (ID),
the AZAPO, the PAC and the SOPA garnered over 80% of the votes.
In spite of the media boycott and the enormous and multiple pressures
against it, SOPA garnered 15,000 votes. It is as its leaders say, a base
for the building of SOPA.
As for the parties directed by the representatives of the white
minority, counted all together they received less than 20% of the votes.
The New National Party (NNP), which is the principal apartheid party,
was roundly defeated, garnering only 1.65% of the votes. It retains only
seven seats in the Assembly, against 28 five years ago! It is necessary
to note the decrease of 13% in the rate of participation, going from 89%
in 1994 down to 76% this year. This decrease is an indication of the
"disenchantment" of large sectors of the Black population with
the policies of the various ANC-led coalition governments over the past
ten years.
******************
DEFENSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
Open Letter to the Participants of the World Education Forum in Porto
Alegre, Brazil
Dear sisters and brothers,
We bring to your attention and for your endorsement an Open Letter that
was distributed initially to the participants of a Forum on Education
held this past April 4th in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the initiative of
trade unionists and education activists. The Forum was titled
"Citizens' Education for an Educated City" and was set up as a
preparatory meeting for the World Education Forum, which will take place
this coming July 29-31 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
In every country, a major offensive is being unleashed against public
education. Governments and international financial institutions (World
Bank, OECD, European Union, WTO) are imposing policies aimed at
dismantling public services, gutting budgets for the public sector and
undermining qualifications and rights codified in collective-bargaining
agreements. Everywhere teachers and education staff are being laid off
and privatization measures are being introduced. The problems posed at
the World Education Forum of Sao Paulo, in this sense, are exactly the
same ones that were posed to the Sao Paulo Education Forum in April.
We ask the following question: Is it possible today to defend the
fundamental right to "free, secular and quality public education
for all" without taking a determined stance against the
privatization of education? If the answer is no, as it should be, how
then can one understand all the references in the Appeal for the Porto
Alegre Education Forum (issued in 2001 and updated in 2003) that do not
make even one reference to the struggles against the privatization of
public education being waged under various forms in just about every
country of the world?
Is it possible to defend public education and the right to acquire
knowledge and instruction without opposing head-on the directives of the
European Union, which are promoting what they euphemistically call
"spaces of formal and informal education," under the
fraudulent slogan of "lifelong learning."
These policy directives seek to impose the flexibilization,
precariousness and individualization of the education workforce. A
Memorandum of the European Union on Lifelong Education puts it this way:
"To adapt the supply of educational instruction at the local level,
it will be necessary to redirect the existing resources with the goal of
creating appropriate centers for the acquisition of knowledge in the
places of everyday life where citizens gather -- not only in schools,
but also in municipal groups, commercial establishments, libraries and
museums, places of worship, parks and public places, train stations and
bus stations, medical centers, vacation resorts, or cafetarias at
workplaces."
How can one understand that the policy orientations of the World Bank
are not denounced in the Appeal for the Porto Alegre Education Forum?
Just to take one example of what the World Bank is advocating, let us
look at the World Bank approach to the "new generation of
NGOs" in its report titled, "The Participatory Role of Civil
Society in Development":
"In certain regions, they [that is, the "new generation of
NGOs-ed.] participate actively in the development of local wealth and
the emancipation of the population -- implementing creative
job-developing projects (cooperatives, micro-enterprises), reinforcing
the basic infrastructures (electrification, drinking water distribution,
road construction), literacy and informal education, the insertion of
women into the economy, and protection of the environment. These actions
of partnership are the concrete expression of the participation of all
the national energies in development. This type of partnership must be
instituted in all sectors: Central and regional public sector
administrations, muncipal governments, private enterprise, trade unions,
pension funds, and traditional NGOs and, more generally, any body that
democratically represents a social grouping."
How then can one understand the Declaration adopted by the Second Forum
of Porto Alegre, held in 2001, in any way other than as a statement of
support for such World Bank policies. That Declaration states, in part:
"The diverse spaces and collectives in which education can take
place include circles and centers of discussion, shared existence, and
everyday life. Public schools, in this process, are transformed and
regenerated in time and space as a meeting place for men and women of
all ages."
This approach, in fact, is maintained and reinforced in the 2003 Appeal
for the World Education Forum, which talks about the need to
"reinforce the struggles to transform the rural and urban
communities into pedadogical spaces by building the Education City and
by restructuring and mobilizing all resources, in all sectors and at all
levels."
It is not possible to entertain any ambiguity on this matter: It is not
possible to preserve the necessary independence of the trade union
organizations by subordinating the unions to the policy directives of
the World Bank and European Union.
Because we are very concerned about promoting this very necessary
discussion of fundamental questions, we call on you to endorse the text
below that was distributed as an Open Letter to the Participants of the
Sao Paulo Forum on Education. Together with this expanded introduction,
this text will be distributed to the participants in the Porto Alegre
Forum.
-----
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
It's obvious that we currently live in a world that is facing an
offensive to destroy civil rights and peoples' sovereignty. It comes
disguised under the slogan of "globalization" and has the aim
of preserving the privileges of the big owners of the means of
production and pushing humanity toward war. It is a step backwards for
society and threatens all the rights achieved by the struggles of the
workers and peoples.
Teachers participate in the resistance of the workers and peoples
against this destructive offensive.
It is a resistance that recently manifested itself in Spain when, after
the barbaric terrorist attack that we all condemn, the workers, the
youth and the people as a whole removed Aznar from the government and
elected a new government with a clear mandate of bringing back home the
troops that are in Iraq and reestablishing the civil and worker rights
that were trampled upon by Bush's ally.
Education that is public, free and secular on all levels -- a major
social conquest -- is also the target of the destructive offensive. The
forms of their planned destruction include cuts in public funding for
public education, privatizations, threats to free and obligatory
education, and the elimination of diplomas and certificates.
The call by the Organizing Committee of the World Education Forum (WEF)
of São Paulo states:
"Educators from the entire world are seeking to unite their efforts
in order to build a platform of struggle that defends education as an
inalienable social gain that is never subject to cuts due to market
conditions. Being guided by the principles and objectives of the World
Social Forum, the World Education Form constitutes itself as a great
movement around a common cause: another type of education is
possible."
We ask if there is a way of understanding education as "an
inalienable social gain that is never subject to cuts due to market
conditions" other than that of the struggle for the unquestionable
right to free and public education?
For us, and we believe for every educator that is committed to democracy
and social progress, evidently the answer is no.
The first question that is posed, therefore, is why, in the appeal of
the WEF of São Paulo, that speaks of a "project of global
education" and that "another education is possible",
there is no explicit mention of the defense of public education?
We all know that the multinational corporations consider education as a
billion-dollar market that even today escapes from its total control.
Precisely because of this the most steadfast opposition is necessary to
the privatization of public education and to its breakup, whatever the
form may be: private schools; vouchers for public schools; the
association of the public universities as private businesses; as NGOs;
public funds for private educational institutions, etc.
Why then is there this omission? In the very appeal we can read what
seems to indicate a reason:
"The framework of this forum is that of the efforts to guarantee
the civil rights of all people, by means of emancipatory programs in the
various formal, semi-formal and informal schools with the objective of
education for the citizens in the construction of an "Educational
City."
What does this mean?
The words have a certain meaning, and here we revert back to the
language of the World Bank, the WTO, the OECD and all the governments
that apply the policy of the destruction of public education -- that is,
promoting "various formal, semi-formal and informal schools."
For example, in the report of the OECD about education in 1998 it is
said, "[I]t is understood that learning takes place in multiple
contexts, both formal and informal." The report goes on to state
that "globalization -- economic, political and cultural -- makes
obsolete the institution that is implanted locally and rooted in a
specific culture that we call a 'school' and along with that a
"teacher'."
If the "formal" spaces include private education (where
obviously education is a commodity), the "not formal and
informal" spaces, by definition, are outside of any public
regulation and scrutiny, with the goal of destroying public education as
an institution. In that way, capitalist enterprises, churches, and NG's
are called upon to be players in the informal educational endeavors,
relieving the government from its duty to guarantee public, secular and
free education at all levels.
As for the "informal" schools, what is to be understood by
that other than proposals for "schools during a whole
lifetime" -- which is discussed in the WTO with the enthusiastic
support of the capitalists? In such a concept individuals would be
subordinated to the needs of businesses and the stage would be set for
the "flexibility" of their rights. It is a policy that
questions the right to public education and favors child labor. It is a
policy that questions the universal right to a formal public education,
which guarantees diplomas and training that make the labor force more
valuable.
For Public and Free Education. Public Funds only for Public Schools.
Among the 60,000 participants that the organizers are expecting at the São
Paulo meeting which is preparing for the Third World Forum on Education
in Porto Alegre next July, there will be trade unionists and
professionals that stand together in the defense of the workers and
their right to education that is public, secular and free at all levels.
We direct ourselves to our fellow activists to alert you to the danger
that exists in this so-called type of "Forum" which bases
itself upon the "principles and goals of the World Social
Forum."
While class distinctions are blurred or even eliminated in the so-called
"civil society" -- a concept that includes everyone from the
large multinational companies, the private foundations, the World Bank,
governments, NGOs, to even the unions of the educational workers -- the
"principles and goals" of the World Social Forum can be summed
up in the slogan "to give a human face to globalization"! We
should not try to humanize capitalism, fellow educators, but rather
struggle against it.
And today the struggle is to defend what we have fought for and won
against a destructive fury never seen before. This includes the defense
of formal, public and free education, with the public funds necessary to
compensate professional educators and attend to the right of every
citizen to a quality education.
The policy of the "civil society" and the "Citizen's
Education", which omits the defense of public schools, creates the
fertile ground for the spreading of the ideas and the proposals of the
"emancipatory programs in the various formal, semi-formal and
informal schools."
From there everything is possible. Public schools can be
"emancipated." A course to recycle labor that is offered by
businesses can also take place. Unions, for example, instead of
concentrating their energies on the demand for free public education and
public funds only for public schools, are invited to become involved in
their "projects" of "emancipatory education."
Next July, there will also take place in Porto Alegre the Fourth
Convention of Education International (EI), an organization with unions
from all continents with the theme "Education for Global
Progress." Evidently the questions raised in this open letter will
be present in this meeting.
For this reason, fellow activists, we send these thoughts to you and we
believe that the unity of the educational workers and their unions is
more necessary than ever. We say:
- No to the Privatization and Deregulation of Education
- Defend Public and Free Education as an "Obligation of Government
and Right of the Citizen"
- Public Funds only for Public Schools!
- Money for Schools and Public Services, Not for War and the Payment of
the Foreign Debt!
São Paulo, March 26, 2004
First signatories:
Brazil: Prof. Mazé Favarão (Vereadora PT Osasco, SP) - Julio
Turra (Executive Director CUT Nacional) - José Jorge Maggio (Director
of Sinpro ABC, SP) - Cleide Rosa (APEOESP, regional Osasco, SP) - Eudes
Baima (Director of ANDES-Sindicato Nacional, Ceará) - Josenildo Vieira
(Director of CUT-PE e Sinpro Pernambuco) - Luiz Gomes (Director of
SINTEP de Maceiõ, AL) - Carlos Recacho (Director of CUT PR, APP Paranã)
- João Bosco (CUT DF e Sinpro DF, Brasília) - Cely Taffarel (Director
of ANDES-SN e APUF Bahia) - Juanito Vieira (APES de Juiz de Fora, MG).
France: Paul Barbier, teachers' trade union - Jean-Marc Bouchet,
trade unionist, continuing education for adults - Marie-Edmonde Brunet,
teachers' trade union - François Chaintron, teachers' trade union-
Jacques Paris, teachers' trade union - Hubert Raguin, teachers' trade
union.
Great Britain: Helen Peters, assistant secretary of section Natfe,
University of London - Sue Wicks, University of Leeds.
Belgium: Philippe de Menten, President CGSP enseignement Cocof -
Nadine Negleman, President CGSP enseignement Schaerbeek (Bruxelles).
Portugal: Ana Paula Amaral, secondary school teacher, delegate of
the National Federation of Professors (SPGEL) - Carmelinda Pereira,
elementary school teacher, union delegate of the SPGEL - Joaquim Antonio
C. Franco Pagarete, higher education professor, union delegate of SPGEL.
Bénin: Innocent Assogba, professor (CSTB)
Mexico: Braulio Sánchez H., union delegate of the Independent
Union of workers of the Autonomous Metropolitan University (SITUAM) -
Armando Pasos, union delegate of SITUAM - Alfonsina Flores Ocampo,
Olivia Osante Corona, Jacobo Rodríguez Barrera, Agustín Pérez, Miguel
Cruz Hernández, Algemira Figueroa Gama, Tomás Mata, Pedro Domínguez
Escamilla, Aurelio Perales, Raques Rosales M. Ricardo Ortega H, workers
affiliated with the SITUAM - Fernando Augusto Reyes Medina, member of
Section 22 the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE-CNTE-Oaxaca) -
Humberto Martínez Brizuela and Roberto Alcaraz López, professors at
the National Politechnic Institute (SNTE) - Luis Vázquez Villalobos and
Javier Brena Alfaro, professors at the UNAM - Rusell Aguilar Brindis and
Misael Palma López, professors of secondary education technique (Chiapas,
SNTE).
I join and support this initiative
Name :_...._______...................Adress :
..................................................................
E-Mail : .........................._____.................. Qualité :
..................._________..........
under which my signature may be presented
I accept that my signature be published : yes.... no.....
I financially support this initiative :
5 e....n , 10 e....n , 20 e....n , othersŠ.
Check to the order of CMO mention World Education Forum
Send to the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
87, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris-France
**********
ITALY
A "national conference for the withdrawal of the "reform"
of the Italian Constitution, for the rupture with Maastricht, for the
defense of the unity of the nation, historic setting of workers'
conquests," was organized April 24, 2004 on the eve of the 59th
anniversary of the liberation (see issue No. 76 of April 27 of the ILC
International Newsletter). We publish the final declaration of the
conference.
Today, April 24, 204, on the eve of the 59th anniversary of the
liberation, we trade union delegates, militant in enterprises in Turin,
Milan (with messages from Milan-Abbiattegrasso, Parma, Arezzo) have met
in a "conference for the withdrawal of the reform of the Italian
Constitution, for the rupture with Maastricht, for the defense of the
unity of the nation, historic setting for workers' conquests."
59 years ago an entire people liberated themselves from war, from
fascism, from dictatorship and opened the way for democracy, to
conquests, to the Constitution of the Republic, one and indivisible.
Nowadays we note that everything that had been gained with the sacrifice
of millions and millions of people is now being attacked.
- On March 25 the parliament approved at the first reading the
"reform" of the Italian Constitution that foresees the
complete regionalization of the country and its division into
"twenty small Italies" in competition with each other. If this
project is not stopped it will result in the dismemberment of our
country and the end of the "one and indivisible Republic"
stipulated in the Constitution of 48, that would open the way to the
real "balkanization" of Italy.
- At the same time one sees the beginning of the application of the
"reform" of schools that, supported by the law of autonomy and
federalism launched by the previous government, is the bearer of the
breaking up of the Italian public education system, of the award of
diplomas, of national programs, all with the aim of setting schools into
competition with one another, thus opening the way to privatization.
- -During this time the government plans to rapidly launch the
"reform" of pensions that could entail the destruction of the
pension system already begun by the Dini law, while in healthcare the
process of regionalization, of privatization is pursued, and that the
thousands of workers at Al Italia, at Fiat, in all industries are on the
chopping bloc.
- At the time of our conference we affirmed once again: all these
measures, as well as those taken in years past, derive from the policies
of the European Union, and the application of the Treaty of Maastricht.
The last summit of the heads of state and governments ion March 25 was
very clear in its findings: "The Euopean Council insists on the
fact that the member states should act with determination to
"accelerate" the reforms in the sectors of employment, health
care, retirement to "remedy the important deficit in particular
concerning the transposition of national right to measures of
stability" measures that "issued from Lisbon" among which
we know that it is necessary "to accelerate privatizations."
To "act with determination" in order "to reduce the costs
of salaries and labor, so that salaries take into account productivity,
to promote more flexible work systems."
But as the implementation of this destructive plan is not easy, in the
face of peoples' resistance, they foresee the need to pursue the
integration of trade unions. "In order to encourage the adherence
to the change, the European Council invites the States to create social
partnerships for the reforms that associate the social partners, the
civil society and the public powers."
This same policy has been in effect over 12 years. The consequences of
the Treaty of Maastricht are visible to all. In 12 years we have seen:
* The setting up of the Dini "reform" of pensions and the
successive adjustments of the Prodi government.
* The abolition of the sliding scale, with a drastic decrease of net
incomes and spending power, dramatically put into question later by the
Euro.
* The launching of various "reforms" of the labor market,
firstly those of Treu (center-right) and of Biagi that introduced
insecurity, flexibility, which attacked national contracts.
* The privatization of jobs in the FS, the EelŠ
* The "institutional reforms" with the introduction of the
majority system, the setting up of federalism, on which the Moratti
"reform" is based. Public health is attacked; preoccupying
elements of regionalization of the tax system, of legislation, of public
services are introduced.
One could continue Š a fuller balance sheet is required. Where do these
policies lead us?
Next June 13 the elections for the European Parliament will take place.
Article 137 of the Treaty of Maastricht stipulates "the European
Parliament exercises the powers attributed to it by the Treaty."
Article 4 states: "the realization of the tasks conferred on the
Community is ensured by the European Parliament." It is quite
clear: it means that the only function of the supposed European
Parliament is to apply the Treaty of Maastricht. They all recognize the
European Parliament and the European Constitution, they propose to limit
"amendments" but accept its totally antidemocratic and
destructive structure.
The case of Italy is probably more emblematic than others: while Prodi,
head of center-right and of Olivier, seated in Brussels, who elaborate
and dictate all the directives, Berlusconi in Italy applies them and
attacks all conquests. He is not alone: at the time of the presentation
of the "new Olivier", all heads of center-left announced that
the heart of their program would be Europe, even if in face of the
"reform" of pensions by Berlusconi imposed by Prodi they
declare that if they were in government it would be necessary to make a
"reform" but they would try to make it through dialogue"
to "encourage an extra two years more work to maintain their
importance to retirement."
Those of us who are gathered today say clearly: the conquests of the
workers, the sovereignty of nations, of the working class, of democracy,
cannot be defended without the rupture with Maastricht, the European
Constitution, with the directives, with the stability pact, without
denouncing the European Parliament where this policy is implemented.
Only a policy that breaks with all this can open the way to the
satisfaction of the just demands that the workers have expressed several
times over the past months.
We will use the deadline of the European elections to affirm this, to
denounce the role of the European Parliament and its function, the
European directives, to explain what lies behind the European
Constitution. We will use the next period to say that an independent
policy is necessary.
For us, and independent policy is a policy that places on the agenda the
reconquest of the pension system "by distribution" repealed by
the "Dini reform" and the withdrawal of new
"reforms." For us an independent policy means the withdrawal
of all attempts at regionalization and dismemberment of the public
schools, of health care, public services, starting with the repeal of
the Moratti "reform", the withdrawal of all attempts at
casualization of the labor market, (Pachetto Treu, Legge, Biagi) and the
wage restraints (Agreement on the cost of labor, calling into question
the mobility scaleŠ), the restoration of the rules of democracy, the
abolition of all institutional reforms undertaken these last years.
Nowadays, and independent policy means above all to take a stand and to
fight for the withdrawal of the devolution project, for the defense and
unity of the country, against regionalism.
Our national conference also debated the "Appeal for a European
Conference" launched by those elected representatives and the
militants of the Swiss Socialist Party (PSS) and the Swiss Trade Union
(USS) and taken up by the International Liaison Committee of Workers and
Peoples. We listened to the speech by a representative of the Swiss
Trade Union, initiator of the conference, who illustrated how in this
country that is not a member of the European Union, one attempted to
apply all the directives, but a great resistance developed in the trade
unions of the Socialist Party, that put a stop to some projects and
enabled the obtainment of important successes.
With the object of international solidarity, we debated the situation
that has been created in Iraq. After the big Spanish mobilizations and
the very serious acts that occurred there, Spain announced the
withdrawal of its troops, as did Poland. The consequences of the war and
the attack on the sovereignty of nations are evident to all. We take the
stand for the immediate withdrawal of the Italian troops from Iraq. In
our conference, we heard of the international meeting on June 13,
organized by the ILC for the defense of the ILO norms, the battle for
the end of the occupation and the recognition of trade union rights are
indeed on the agenda of this country.
Decisions of the Conference:
- To distribute this declaration extensively in the next few weeks,
to debate it and to have it signed by workers, militants, trade
unionists and those elected in institutions,
- To organize meetings in our cities to report on this national
conference to widen the discussion and to present the declaration,
- Three delegates, carriers of this mandate will be present at the
European Conference on June 12, 2004 in Geneva
***********
SWITZERLAND
"The policy of integration to the European Union has been rejected
by the sovereign people."
At the time of the elections on May 16, 2004 the sovereign people
rejected the policy of integration to the European Union.
On May 16 the sovereign people, the workers, inflicted a heavy defeat to
the parties of the bourgeoisie and to the institutions of the European
Union. It is a new rejection after the February 7 elections that saw the
rejection of the revision of the right to lease and the counter-project
of the Avanti initiative.
The 11th revision of the AVS (see insert) that foresaw the reduction of
pensions and the increase in the age of retirement for women was
defeated by 67.9% of the voters. This rejection is the result of the
unified campaign of the PSS and the USS. The mobilizations, marked by
the demonstration that gathered 35,000 people in Bern on September 20,
2003 by the refusal of the law by the socialist parliamentary group and
by the collection of 80,000 signatures for the referendum in 48 hours,
carried the results.
The fiscal packet rejected by 65.9% of the electorate, had planned
fiscal decreases for the big incomes and would have had serious
consequences for the financing of public services and social security at
the federal and cantonal level. The country, led by the PSS and the USS
and the referendum launched by 10 cantons and supported by 20 cantons,
the first referendum of this type since 1874, resulted in the defeat of
this project.
The increase in the VAT, an unfair tax that hit the consumers and
consequently the salaried workers was rejected by 68.6% of the voters.
As the USS put it, "But in any case, this NO was not interpreted as
a NO to the necessary financing of social security The USS proposes that
a supplementary percentage of salary beŠ..for the AI." This is the
same stand as that of the PSS: "The federal council must therefore
quickly return with a project of improved financing, while exploring the
manner of raising equal contributions from salaries."
In rejecting these three projects, does this not again indicate another
rejection by the workers of Switzerland of the directives of the
European Union? Whereas the negotiations for the bilateral (encore-)
seem to end and that the debate on joining the European Union is
reopened. It is important to note that at the summit in Barcelona in
March 2002, that the European Union decided to increase the retirement
age systematically in all countries of the Union. ] Doesn't the fiscal
packet correspond to the economic policies of the European Union, based
on the injunctions of the IMF and the OECD: to increase the budgetary
rigor, privatize public services and to deregulate work relations? As
for the VAT, the rate in Switzerland is even lower that that in force in
the European Union and it is indispensable to increase it if Switzerland
wants to join.
Everywhere it is applied, this policy has met with massive resistance by
the workers. This is the case in Geneva with two strikes and
demonstrations by public service on May 4 and 14, that were supported by
the USS: "The USS is anxious to confirm its complete solidarity and
its total support in the exemplary struggle that you pursue in the
defense of quality public services. Your strike dons an importance that
goes beyond the borders of your canton." The increase in the age of
retirement, rejected in Switzerland, provoked a general strike in
Austria last year. What makes the Swiss strike unique is the right of
referendum that allows peoples to decided sovereignly. It is the right
of referendum (denied in the case of jiningŠ) that permitted thanks to
the united campaigns of the PSS and the USS to oppose the LME in 2002
and win again today.
These victories act as a point of support to reject all attempts at
deregulation, to oppose the dismantling of the postal service, so that
the initiative "Mail for All" carries next September and to
oppose the decision to deregulate wages and labor conditions by means of
bilateral agreements.
The results of the election also act as a point of support to those that
in all European countries oppose the policies of liberalization. It is
to inform on this particular situation and to have an exchange with
militants that throughout Europe are subject to the application of
European Union directives, that the members of the PSS and the Swiss
unionist have taken the initiative to call a European meeting that will
take place next June 12 in Geneva.
Communiqué of the Union of Circles for a Workers' Policy (UCPO)
The elections of May 16: three principal objectivesŠ
A "fiscal" packet that modifies different laws several times:
on taxation of households, on taxation of homeowners and on stamp
rights. All these fiscal modifications only benefit the well off and
provoke a loss of revenue for the Confederation and the cantons in the
order of several billions per annum.
The 11th revision of the AVS whose consequences were a reduction in
pensions (indexing every three years instead of two) the raising of the
age of retirement for women to 65 years, the introduction of a flexible
retirement accessible only to those with high incomes and a reduction in
the widow's pension.
These measures are fought by the referendum taken on the initiative of
the USS and the PSS. A third point is added that isn't as unanimous:
The increase in the VAT of 1.8% to finance disability insurance and the
AVS.
All these measures derive directly from the directives of the European
Union and the Treaty of Maastricht; they represent the concrete content
of the European policy of integration
Excerpt from the Group of Trade Unions newspaper for a labor policy,
No. 268, of April 26, 2004.
Back to Home Back to
ILC Newsletter Index
|
Open World Conference of Workers