ILC INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER NO. 81
A dossier of weekly information published by the International
Liaison Committee for Workers and Peoples
June 1, 2004
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To contact us:
ILC International Newsletter
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
87, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010 Paris, France
PRESENTATION:
In less than 15 days time the ILC International Newsletter and the
ILC will be in Geneva.
- On Saturday, June 12 under the aegis of the Swiss welcoming committee,
the European Conference will meet with delegates from different European
countries.
- On Sunday, June 13, these same delegates will participate in the
conference for the defense of ILO conventions, where we will receive the
report of the two delegations that met at the ILO headquarters.
For over ten years the International Liaison Committee for Workers and
Peoples has fought for the defense of ILO norms.
At the present time it is involved in the fight for the respect of ILO
conventions 87 and 98 in Iraq, so that the unions that the workers
themselves organized there are fully recognized.
This fight is inseparable from the struggle for the defense of labor
rights in Europe, for the independence of labor organizations, at a time
the European Union continues to set back the rights and conquests
acquired by previous generations in all European countries such as
liquidation of health systems, retirement, social security, public
services, etc., undermining the very basis of civilization.
These two conferences, like all ILC initiatives are financially
independent.
Help us to prepare them by supporting us financially.
Subscribe to the ILC International Newsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
p. 1: Presentation
p. 2: "International Campaign Against the Occupation For Labor
Rights in Iraq." Gene Bruskin, co-ordinator of the USLAW rally
against the war in Chicago
p. 3: A letter to ILO trade unionists in the United States from Gene
Bruskin
p. 4: After the elections, an overview by N. Vasudevan, India
p. 5: May Day, May 1, countrywide demonstrations to "Save
Chittagong, Save Bangladesh"
pp. 6-7: Excerpts from La Lettre d'Information:
- Liberty for Yao and Xiao
- The workers want approval of elementary demands. China
pp. 8: Excerpts from the international press about Palestine
Subscriptions
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IRAQ
International Campaign Against the Occupation, For the Defense of Labor
Rights in Iraq
"There is a labor movement in Iraq"
Gene Bruskin, coordinator of USLAW, spoke at an antiwar meeting on May
8, 2004 in Chicago. Following are excerpts from his presentation:
In September 2003 a general strike in Basra, led by transportation
workers, demanded gas, water and electricity, and the removal of corrupt
Baathist managers.
In October 2003, oil workers at the Bergeseeya Oil Refinery in southern
Iraq, struck for two days against a KBR (Halliburton subsidiary)
subcontractor, which was hiring 60-70% foreign workers to do the
refinery reconstruction. During the strike tribal leaders met with the
management and threatened serious repercussions if the foreign workers
were not replaced-the change happened immediately.
In December, Coalition backed forces raided the offices of both the
Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions and the Union of the Unemployed and
leaders were arrested and released without charges.
On December 8 the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq held
their founding conference in Baghdad with worker delegates representing
workplaces from across Iraq. The Workers Councils were initiated by the
Workers Communist Party of Iraq, a split off from the Iraq Communist
Party founded in the early 1990s.
In January, Dock workers in the port of Um Qasr staged a picket and
blocked the main gate, even without a union, to protest low and
arbitrary wage scales at the port overseen by SSA, the notorious
anti-union US west coast port operator. The management promised to
correct the problems in order to end the picket line.
Also in January 2004 Oil workers at the Southern Oil Co threatened to
organize a national strike if the CPA's poverty level wage scale was not
improved. An Iraqi government official was dispatched to negotiate with
them and agreed to revise the wage scale upward for all oil workers.
On January 31 employees at the Nth Gas Company in Kirkuk in Northern
Iraq went on strike demanding higher wages and the replacement of the
company's corrupt Baathist management. Four company managers were
removed and the wage scale was changed.
On March 1, 2004 150 bank employees, mostly women, held an unprecedented
conference led by the Federation of Workers Councils and the
Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq. They threatened a general
strike at banks and other workplaces if the 17 female bank cashiers
arrested by Iraqi authorities were not released. The cashiers were being
blamed for the disappearance of millions of dollars during the change in
currency that took place in the Fall of 2003. Authorities relented,
released the bank cashiers and dropped all charges
Also in March, teachers in Mosul, in the North of Iraq, protested
because they hadn't been paid for six months and they threatened a
strike. Authorities provided emergency pay to every teacher to avoid a
strike.
On March 24 coalition forces and local police fired warning shots at a
demonstration of unemployed workers in the holy city of Najaf, the city
that is now surrounded by Occupation Forces seeking to arrest religious
leader Muqtada Al Sadr. Unemployed workers had rallied weekly throughout
the summer and Fall of 2003 in front of government offices in Baghdad
and other Iraqi cities with the Union of Unemployed in Iraqi (UUI),
linked to the Federation of Workers Councils, to demand jobs or
unemployment. On several occasions UUI leaders and activists were
arrested. One UUI demonstrator was killed.
On April 8 workers in Nasiriyah city in southern Iraq refused to
evacuate their Aluminum and Sanitary supply factories despite threats on
their lives from Muqtada Sadr's militia who wanted to turn their
factories into staging areas to fight the Coalition forces. The workers
rejected Sadr as their leader in shaping a new Iraq and chose to protect
their jobs and workplaces.
The good news, which you won't read it in the Chicago Tribune, is that
there is an Iraqi labor movement. These examples represent only a small
part of the organizing activity among workers in Iraq in the year
following the occupation. And these workers didn't have to learn how to
organize from the Bremer Provisional Authority or the Governing Council
or the US Labor Movement. They didn't file for elections with the
NLRB--unions have a tradition in Iraq going back to the 1920s.
There are many lessons to be learned from Iraqi history. Under the
British occupation in the 20s the oil and railroad workers formed the
first Iraqi unions. The British came into Iraq after World War I after
defeating the Turks, when the spoils of the Ottoman Empire were divided
up. Major General Stanley Maude declared victory saying: "Our
armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies,
but as liberators." For decades under British control, until 1958,
unions rose and fell, flourished and were repressed, as Britain tried
out various forms of colonial control, echoed in the strategies and
debates now taking place in the Bush administration and Congress about
how to keep control while preaching democracy and sovereignty.
Britain's initial attempt to take direct control of Iraq led to what is
known and still widely celebrated by Iraqis as the Revolution of 1920, a
widespread uprising against British control. The British put down the
uprising by using bombs and poison gas, introducing WMD into Iraq for
the first time. The British found themselves facing increasing domestic
criticism in Britain for their heavy handed and expensive colonial
policies. This included a campaign to "Quit Mesopotamia," as
Iraq was referred to at that point, Britain sought cheaper and more
acceptable means of administering their newly acquired Middle Eastern
territories. They smelled oil and weren't about to leave. Churchill was
put in charge of laying down new guidelines for indirect rule. This rule
took various forms until the British were driven out for good in the
Revolution of 1958. Workers and unions played an important role in this
revolution through the leadership of the Iraqi Communist Party, the
strongest popular force in Iraq from the 1930s to the 1970s until they
were finally crushed by Saddam.
One of the tactics of British control was the distribution of land and
power to tribal sheiks and landlords, creating a power base beholden to
the British-these tribal relationships would later play an important
role in Saddam's power base and today in the resistance to the US
Occupation. Prior to this British policy, land was held in a form of
tribal communal ownership. So the British led the movement in the 20th
century to privatize Iraq by privatizing the tribal lands and of course
their oil. Now the Bush administration, in a modern version of Britain's
earlier efforts, has built its occupation and control of Iraq around a
strategy to privatize the largely publicly owned Iraqi economic
infrastructure, selling it to the highest bidding multinational and
allowing designated Iraqis to buy into the program.
The Revolution of July 14, 1958 ushered in an independent Iraq as Iraqis
supported a military coup by junior officers against a British supported
monarchy. The Communist Party was the only political force at this point
with a base in mass organizations and trade unions and their support was
critical for the success of the revolution. For the first time Iraqi
trade unions were officially legalized and substantial organizing began
in many sectors. This started a period of progressive legislation, a new
constitution and the principle of development through industrialization.
Oil provided the capital to create a modern Iraqi state. These policies
coincided with growing Arab nationalism and were threatening to British
and US interests concerned about keeping control of Arab oil. Allowing
democracy to flourish in the Middle East was not on the short list or
even the long list of US policymakers at that time, anymore than it is
now.
After all, it was only a few years before, in 1953, that the CIA
overthrew the democratically elected and immensely popular government in
neighboring Iran. This history of Iran is very instructive. President
Mossadegh, elected by a huge majority in Iran, had nationalized the
British controlled oil refineries. The 1953 coup was engineered by
Kermit Roosevelt, Teddy's grandson with military assistance from none
other than Norman Swartzkof Sr, father of the Gulf war general. This
ushered in the brutal dictatorship of the Shah whose hated pro-Western
regime was overthrown in 1979 and replaced by Islamic fundamentalists.
Iran then inspired the fundamentalist movements in the Middle East,
including the Taliban and the bin Laden's of the world. We now face a
war on terror that is in many ways of our own making. This history makes
a pretty good argument that the US should keep their hands (and arms) to
themselves, or what goes around comes around, or however you want to
interpret this. It is indeed a shortsighted view of power politics that
western governments have practiced in the Middle East and that we see
unfolding before us today in Iraq.
In 1963 competing military officers, with the support of the emerging
Baath party, of which Saddam Hussein was a rising star, overthrew the
Revolution. This resulted in a brutal massacre of thousands of popular
grassroots leaders, including trade unionists and many communists. The
US made no objection to this massacre, however. It is widely believed,
both inside and outside of Iraq, that the also CIA had a role in the
coup. At the very least the CIA is thought to have supplied lists to the
Baathists of communists to murder, which they did in house-to-house
hunts. At the time the Communist party in Iraq was the most popular in
the Middle East.
Eventually in 1968, Saddam and his Baath Party staged another coup to
eliminate all forces that they had shared power with and began on the
road to more than thirty years of dictatorship. Again the Communists
were among the major victims, but the party and the trade union movement
survived and functioned until 1978 when another wave of executions and
persecutions drove most activists into exile, prison or death. At this
point Saddam and the Baath party had absolute power and no longer
allowed any alternative parties or organizations to function.
Many of us are familiar with the fact that Saddam had friendly relations
with the US and the West throughout the 80s when he was supplied with
WMDs by Europeans governments and the Reagan administration, including
Rumsfelt, and he used them to fight a brutal war against Iran. His
massacre of Iranians, and the use of chemical weapons against them and
the Kurds, drew few protests from the US--he was a bastard, but he was
our bastard.
Looking back at Iraqi history, which Iraqi's themselves know well, it
becomes very clear why they totally distrust the US. They see more than
80 years of occupation, foreign intervention, war, sanctions, coups,
massacres and other manipulations led, tolerated or supported by the
British and several US governments. If the Iraqis haven't had much
experience with democracy its not because they didn't yearn for it and
fight for it-It is in fact the western powers that have opposed
democracy and supported surrogates, regardless of how brutal and
dictatorial they were, since the end of the Ottoman Empire at the close
of WW I.
Let's be clear-President Bush doesn't even support democracy in this
country, certainly not in Florida, and certainly not for anyone who
doesn't agree with him. To Bush the NEA are terrorists, the FTAA
demonstrators in Miami were terrorists and the pro-choice demonstrators
are terrorist allies-anyone who is not with him is against him. He will
oppose a genuine democracy in Iraq. He is only interested in control. He
will oppose democracy at home-he is the enemy of working people and so
is this war
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE IS THIS: IT IS NOT OUR COUNTRY AND WE HAVE TO
LEAVE. RECENT EVENTS HAVE MADE IT CLEARER NOT THAN EVER THAT THE
OCCUPATION IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION. UNTIL WE LEAVE THERE WILL
BE NO PEACE AND THERE WILL CERTAINLY BE NO DEMOCRACY. WHICH PART OF
"GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY" IS IT THAT YOU DON'T
UNDERSTAND, PRESIDENT BUSH? AND WHILE YOU ARE AT IT, GET THE HELL OUT OF
THE WHITE HOUSE-PAY YOUR OWN RENT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
In the wake of the Gulf war, in 1990 and 1991 for a brief month or two,
many organizers emerged from underground. The Union of the Unemployed
and the Federation of Workers Councils were conceived by a newly emerged
Workers Communist party, a split off from the traditional CP, which it
criticized for collaborating with colonial and Baathist governments for
decades in an unsuccessful effort to seek legitimacy. The movement
quickly was forced underground but continued to function. At the same
time trade unionists that later formed the Iraqi Federation of Trade
Unions began to coalesce underground.
There were occasional strikes, although very limited, some underground
papers. Falah Alwan, the President of the Workers Councils whom I met in
Geneva this year in March, said he organized funds for unemployed and
injured workers, but even that resulted in threats on his life.
Nonetheless, when the dust cleared after the US invasion, Falah and
other veteran Iraqi organizers reemerged.
The situation remains difficult for organizing-we shouldn't idealize the
workers' movement in Iraq, despite the courage of so many workers who
have begun to organize. Iraqi trade unionists have made some things very
clear to USLAW representatives:
Its hard to organize in the middle of a war-much of the union work
has slowed down dramatically in the past month or two.
Saddam's laws forbidding unions in the public sector, most of the
country's economy, are still on the books.
There is a tremendous amount of confusion and uncertainty among
Iraqi working people-violence, religious pressures, massive
unemployment, the former Baathist regime's leaders in the shadows,
sometimes still running their worker places, and armed religious groups
in the community, and a history in which democratic rights have been
very fragile and ephemeral
Women have suffered terribly, losing rights as fundamentalism
gains ground.
The threat of privatization looms over many workplaces
Although there is an interim governing law, passed by the Governing
Council that provides for the right to organize and strike Iraqi's have
seen the difference between laws on the books and the realities on the
ground.
There is considerable maneuvering going on about what the shape of the
new labor law will look like in the future and what role the
international labor movement will play in the process. In the winter,
the US hired a MN union busting firm to write the labor law for Iraq,
although they have been allegedly replaced. The US continues to have a
role in the process, however.
USLAW began our relationship with the Iraqi workers and unions in Oct
2003 when we sent what may have been the first international labor
delegation to Iraq. We issued a report after that trip, called Labor
Rights and Working Conditions Under the Occupation, which has since
been updated. Since then we have stayed in contact with both federations
through email and phone.
In March I traveled to Geneva to meet with the ILO, the UN tripartite
body that deals with labor issues. Our delegation included
representatives of the International Liaison Committee from Paris and
the Arab Confederation of Trade Unions. Both Iraqi Federations were
invited although only the Federation of Workers Councils was able to
make it. I was able to spend a couple days with Falah Alwan, the
President of the Workers Councils. It was a humbling experience.
We were there to follow up our visit to the ILO in June of 2003 Amy
Newell delivered a copy of our report: The Corporate Invasion of Iraq
on behalf of UsLAW. The report details the sordid record of the US
multinationals that Bush contracted with to rebuild and run Iraq. The
report was also translated into Arabic and has been circulated in Iraq
and the Arab world. At that meeting we urged the ILO to carefully
monitor the situation of labor rights in Iraq. In March of this year our
delegation asked the ILO for an update and presented documents detailing
violations of labor rights. We also expressed concern that the Iraqi
Governing Council had publicly recognized one of the union federations,
the IFTU, as the official representative of Iraqi workers-we made it
clear that we don't think that any government should have the right to
pick and choose which union should represent workers. We issued a
declaration to that effect and it is circulating internationally and
will be presented to the ILO Workers Committee in June of this year by
an international delegation including USLAW.
The AFL-CIO and the ICFTU have made strong statements in support of
labor rights and the rights of workers in Iraq to choose their own
unions, and we are encouraging them to make their practice reflect these
statements. Many in the USLAW network are concerned that the AFL-CIO has
agreed to take money from the Federal government supported National
Endowment for Democracy to do labor work in Iraq. The feeling is that
any government that attempts to destroy labor rights at home, such as
this administration, surely will not support labor rights in Iraq.
A critical issue is privatization. The Bush administration made it clear
from the outset that he wanted Iraq to be a model unregulated free trade
zone in the Middle East. In September 2003 the Provisional Authority
issued an order making all Iraqi industries subject to sale to foreign
owners and allowing international investors tax free and virtually
unregulated freedom to buy Iraqi industries and take the profits out of
Iraq without restriction; the oil industry was not included on the list
because of the sensitivity of the issue. Most Iraqi industries are in
bad shape due to more than a decade of wars and sanctions, along with
the corruption of Saddam's regime. Workers and managers alike and
representatives of both federations told our delegation in October that
privatization would be a disaster, resulting in massive job loss and
dislocation.
Nonetheless the initiative is still in play, slowed primarily by the
fact that few companies wish to invest in Iraq while the situation is so
unstable, unless they have the type of guarantees that US contractors
like Halliburton have gotten, virtually ensuring big profits. In April,
US appointed Iraqi ministers have discussed ways to encourage foreign
banks to locate in Iraq and, significantly, promoted the privatization
of Iraqi water. Imagine selling the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to
Bechtel, one of the biggest for-profit water operators in the third
world, and giving them permission to sell the water back to unemployed
Iraqis. If the Unions lead the fight against this, will the
International labor movement support them against the wishes of the Bush
administration? We in USLAW hope so and are organizing with that in
mind.
We can't underestimate the importance of the responsibility that we in
the labor movement have in supporting the emergence of an independent
and strong Iraqi labor movement. Falah was very clear. The unions have a
window right now. They know that it can close at any moment, as it has
in the past. They are determined to build as strong a presence among
workers in Iraq as possible.
For those of us in the peace movement that have opposed the war and the
occupation, we must also be in solidarity with the most progressive,
secular and humanist forces on the ground-the unions. And this is a
feminist force. Both unions have strong pro-women platforms. Both
federations have emphasized to us the historical fact that Iraq has been
very much a secular country, in which the Sunni and Shiite religious
leaders were just that, religious leaders and not political leaders.
They accuse the US of fanning the flames of religious and ethnic
sectarianism by making all appointments based on religious and ethnic
identities and turning religious leaders like Ayatollah Sistani into
powerful national political spokespeople. The recent example of a joint
Sunni-Shiite resistance to the occupation shows that there is genuine
potential for religious unity.
We in the labor movement can make a difference here-we can play an
important role in assuring that whatever Iraqi political formation
results from this process includes a labor movement with full rights,
operating under internationally recognized ILO conventions, fighting to
help Iraqi workers fend off multinational companies seeking low wage
havens in the middle east--helping them make sure that Iraqi's get to
determine the shape of their national economy, not these multinationals.
What do I mean specifically?
First, we must recognize that we have a tremendous stake in ending
this war and occupation. It is draining our Federal treasury of $5
billion dollars a month at a time when Medicaid cuts are rampant, and US
social programs are being savaged, while state and local governments are
being driven into fiscal crisis. It is creating hatred of the US on a
massive scale, feeding those terrorist groups that wish to attack
innocent US and western civilians. It is killing and severely injuring
thousands of our young men and women, creating financial disaster for
the families of many guard and reservists and laying the groundwork for
another generation of vets suffering from Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome. Recent events have revealed the utter bankruptcy of Bush's
policies in Iraq--they are built on lies and his strategy is totally
unraveling. But he still intends to stay the course, so we need to
continue to organize. We need to talk to our members and our leaders-we
need to lead on this issue-we cannot wait for John Kerry or for
Congress-we need to speak out against these war policies
Thank you
Gene Bruskin,
May 8, 2004
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UNITED STATES
Letter to the ILO Workers Group from Gene Bruskin (USLAW)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
This past March 15, Messrs. Ahmed Khalef and Luc Desmaret, representing
the Bureau for Workers' Activities of the ILO (ACTRAV), received a
delegation made up of representatives from US Labor Against the War
(USLAW), the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU),
and the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC), as
well as from the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq
(FWCUI) and the Union of the Unemployed of Iraq (UUI).
This delegation delivered to Messrs. Khalef and Desmaret a memorandum
and dossier on the situation of the labor movement in Iraq prepared by
the International Campaign Against the Occupation and For Labor Rights
in Iraq.
The dossier included the following documents:
- The full report and documents assembled by an independent
international labor delegation that traveled to occupied Iraq in October
2003;
- Texts of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI)
and Union of the Unemployed of Iraq (UUI);
- The Draft Labor Code for Iraq submitted by the Federation of Workers
Councils and Unions in Iraq;
- The report on Corporate Assault of Iraq prepared by US Labor Against
the War.
During our discussion, many questions came up:
- To the question: "Could we expect a response from the ILO
Workers' Group?" the answer was: "We cannot assure you that
you will get a response but as you referred to the ILO Workers' Group
statement, it can be logically expected."
- To the question about the involvement of the ILO into the ongoing
process in Iraq, we were told: "As far as we know, the United
Nations has been taken out of the process, so has the ILO, which is a
subsidiary of the ILO".
- To the question about the existence of a document co-signed by the ILO
and the Iraqi Ministry for Labor, the answer was: "We are not aware
of such a document but if it does exist, you will be given a copy".
- To the question about the re-admission of Iraq in the ILO to take
place next June, as announced by Mr. Paul Bremer's technical adviser,
the answer was: "We are not aware of such a plan".
- To the question: "What could be done to prevent that Iraq --
today -- perpetuates the system of official selection and recognition of
trade unions, excluding the right to organize in the union of one's own
choosing," the answer referred to the ILO's mechanisms providing
for the possibility for any Iraqi union which considered that ILO
conventions are being violated, to lodge a complaint to the ILO Trade
Union Freedom Committee.
Based on this last suggestion, the Federation of Workers Councils and
Unions in Iraq lodged a formal Complaint to the ILO Trade Union Freedom
Committee in relation to the non-observance of ILO Conventions Nos. 87
and 98 in occupied Iraq. This ILO Complaint was delivered to the
Secretariat of the Trade Union Freedom Committee on May 20.
In order to pursue this important discussion, we are hereby requesting
to be received this coming Friday, June 11 by the secretariat of the ILO
Workers' Group.
Given that this year's Annual ILO Conference will be devote a full
session to application around the world of the ILO's Fundamental Norms
-- and most particularly ILO Conventions 87 and 98 -- we would like to
discuss with you all the follow-up steps that might be taken in relation
to the Complaint filed by the Iraqi trade unionists.
We are prepared to provide the ILO Workers' Group with further
information on the role of the U.S. multinational corporations in Iraq
and on the non-observance of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 in Iraq.
Given the enormous difficulties encountered by the Iraqi trade unionist
to travel, the only date possible for such a meeting is Friday, June
11th -- when a delegation of the International Campaign Against the
Occupation and For Labor Rights in Iraq, accompanied by trade union
officials from Iraq, will be in Geneva at the offices of the ILO.
We very much hope you will agree to receive this delegation on the
proposed date.
Thanking you kindly in advance for your attention to this request,
In solidarity,
Gene Bruskin
Co-coordinator
US Labor Against the War
********************
INDIA
THE ELECTIONS IN INDIA
A letter from comrade Nambiath Vasudevan, member of the Solidarity
Committee of the Mumbai Trade Union
Dr. Manmohan Singh (71) would become India's new Prime Minister on
May 22.
Oxford educated economist, Dr. Singh is former Governor of India's
Federal Bank. This bureaucrat turned politician became India's finance
Minister, after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991. He initiated
economic reforms. Left parties and trade unions were critical of Singh's
policies. His assuming the role of PM was a surprise.
India had a few surprises recently. First, it was a bit of surprise when
BJP ordered elections six months ahead of schedule. They spent about $50
million from the Government funds for "India Shining" and
"feel good factor" campaign. BJP hoped to come back to power.
Giving a surprise to political analysts and media pundits, election
results demonstrated that Indian voters had their own decision to make.
However, participation in election process was all time low. It was less
than 50% in several areas.
In yet another surprise, major metro areas voted against BJP and its
allies. Delhi had 7 BJP MPs in 1999. Congress had none. In 2004 BJP
could get only one seat in Delhi. Congress won six seats.
In Mumbai, where Shiv Sena ruled for several decades Congress had only
one seat in 1999. In 2004 elections Congress secured 5 out of six seats,
one went to Shiv Sena.
In Kolkata there was no BJP presence in 1999. It was a Congress splinter
group that was strong. In this election this Congress group was routed.
CPM became stronger.
In Madras, BJP allies did not get anything. In Hyderabad, BJP lost
miserably. Only in Bangalore BJP gained some seats.
Once again rural India gave a major seat back to BJP dreams. Farmers
voted against BJP. Minorities voted for a change. Workers decisively
voted BJP out. Gujarat state lost half of BJP seats to Congress.
In nutshell the result was somewhat of a surprise even to Congress.
Congress had originally opposed alliance with other parties. Before the
2004 elections, Congress leadership accepted coalition politics and
agreed to work with all anti-communal parties to form a secular
government.
Some of the regional parties agreed to join Congress alliance. This
alliance took place in Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Jharkhand. In all these states Congress and allies swept the polls.
Left parties - CPM, CPI, RSP, Forward Block - were not part of pre-poll
alliance with Congress. Left parties contested against Congress in West
Bengal, Tripura and Kerala but adjusted seats in other states.
CPM and CPI are the only communist parties having pockets of influence
outside W. Bengal, Tripura and Kerala. These two parties benefited in
getting some of their candidates elected to Andhra Pradesh State
Assembly at the cost of BJP on secular platform since Congress and
allies accommodated communists in their past strong-holds.
Andhra Pradesh was a bastion of communists before 1947. In 1946 the
combined CPI ordered armed insurrection in the hilly areas of Telengana
region which rebellion was crushed by Nehru's Congress government. After
many years CPM secured 7 seats in the local Andhra assembly now and CPI
has 3.
In the National Parliament Congress has 143 members. Next largest group
(non - BJP) is the Left having 62 members. This is the highest ever for
the Left since 1952.
It was believed that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi would become the next
Prime Minister. Left had taken a stand that whoever is elected by
Congress as their leader would be acceptable to them irrespective of the
origin of birth of the person concerned. Sonia Gandhi was opposed by her
opponents on this ground.
BJP and its allies, notably George Fernandes declared to oppose Sonia
Gandhi as PM. They decided not to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the
new government if headed by Sonia Gandhi. Some BJP leaders threatened to
quit parliament.
Congress ally NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) in Maharashtra was
skeptical of joining Sonia led government. Likewise Madras ally, DMK
(Dravida Party) decided to support Sonia Government from outside; not
being a part of her cabinet.
However several other allies had no problem.
Left parties have decided not to be a part of the Government. They would
extend support from outside.
Sonia Gandhi was elected as the Parliamentary Party leader by the
Congress ensuring her elevation as PM.
In a dramatic manner she decided not to become PM and proposed Dr.
Manmohan Singh.
Within minutes NCP and DMK decided to join a congress led cabinet.
It was a calculated move by Sonia Gandhi to renounce power, which was
within her reach. BJP lost their entire arsenal in their armory as they
were going to use Sonia Gandhi's Italian birth to whip passion
throughout the country; to incite so-called national pride. Now for the
time being BJP is bereft of issues as Dr. Singh does not have a
politician's past.
Left parties have agreed to support Dr. Singh. Left parties would not
join the cabinet.
The Government led by Dr. Singh would be working on a Common Minimum
Programme (CMP). CMP would be a consensus document. This would be ready
in a couple of days.
Dr. Singh has already announced that he would follow reforms with a
"human face". Privatization would be resorted to at minimum
level. Public sector would be protected; dis-investment would not be an
ideology. He has promised to do justice to farmers and workers. Industry
is apprehensive of the Left to some extent but Dr. Singh is their
favorite.
We have now to see the CMP and whether Left parties would be signatories
to CMP.
One thing is certain, the speed with which labor came under attack and
would have faced had BJP returned to power, has been checked for the
time being. There is some time left for the working class to think of
ways to defend their rights.
Another important factor that came in this election is the communal card
played by BJP in Gujarat. People have rejected it. Hindutva agenda has
suffered. Secularism got a boost.
Small but decisive steps taken by groups like TUSC etc. though in a
limited manner to expose the BJP government's policies, ill-effects of
globalization, Iraq policy etc. played no insignificant role.
The Conferences held in Mumbai on the occasion of Open World Conference
in San Francisco and Berlin and the Asian conference in December 2003,
the resolutions adopted in Geneva and in Dhaka against war and
communalism contributed in the campaign against BJP misrule, to
strengthen the voice for peace, for democracy and against privatization.
The class struggle issue needs further strengthening. This is possible
if all concerned agree to have a non-sectarian programme against
globalization and exploitation.
I will complete this note after CMP is out.
N. Vasudevan, Mumbai, May 18, 2004
***********************
BANGLADESH
On May 1, 2004 there were demonstrations throughout the country:
"Save Chittagong, defend our rights, save our country!"
A report from comrades of the Workers' Democratic Party affiliated to
the ILC
May Day this year was celebrated in a befitting way. This year May
Day was in between two other national holidays beside weekly closer and
May Day holiday itself, as a result workers and activists went back home
from the city and industrial areas.
In spite of this our gathering and spontaneous attendance was remarkable
everywhere, this may be the result of our successful Chittagong national
convention. We observed this years May Day jointly with the federation
(BJSF) and our party DWP. Beside Dhaka we observed the day in 4 main
cities of the country in 4 corners. Everywhere our main theme of this
year was "Save the country Save our wealth, Save our port, save our
jobs and save our rights". We got tremendous support from the
people and working class everywhere.
In Dhaka:
Worker of Bangladesh Jatiyo Sramik Federation and activists of the
Ganatantric Majdoor Party Gathered in front of the party office at 9AM.
At 9-30 a procession of more than 1000 strong participants paraded the
main city roads chanting various slogans against the privatization and
close of industries. Other slogans were, Save The Country, Save ILO and
its norms, Save our rights and independence of our organization, Our
country is not for sale, down with American imperialism, hands off from
Iraq etc. The processionists carried colorful banners and festoons.
There were about 200 women participants.
After parading a rally was held at "Muktangan" where various
speakers spoke about the significance of the day. Why this years
celebration is special because of the national convention in Chittagong.
The main speakers in the rally were 1. Comrade F.H. Ripon Secretary
Ganatantric Majdoor Party 2. Comrade Zakir Hossain, Secretary Bangladesh
Jatiyo Sramik Federation 3.Miss. Shamim Ara. 4. Comrade Majibur Rahaman,
Secretary Biscuit & Bakery Workers Union, Comrade Rafique, President
Garments Workers Federation. The rally ended taking a fresh bow to save
the country from the clutches of the American led imperialists. At the
starting solidarity messages received from various friendly organization
of Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, ILC, Korea. India,
Turkey, Japan, Nepal, Iran, Greece etc were read. After the rally the
participants joined the rally of SKOP. (Umbrella org. of trade unions)
In Chittagong:
A rally of workers were held at the central Shahid Minar. Due to long
holiday the port city were almost empty, in spite of this the
participation was good. In the rally of 300 strong the main speakers
were Comrade. Rafiquzzaman President Chittagong Zonal Committee of DWP,
Comrade Kabir, Joint Secretary BJSF and comrade Shariat Ullah Member
Secretary of the Follow up committee "Save Chittagong Save the
country".
The rally took oath and resolution to uphold the result of the national
convention at any cost. In this connection the follow up committee of
the national convention was assured of all kinds of support.
In Comilla:
May Day was celebrated here by BJSF. A big workers rally was held in the
city. 500 workers took part. It was presided over by Comrade Haroon
National Committee member of DWP, President of Dazi Jute Mills workers
Union. This year it was festival because of successful industrial action
by the workers of Dazi Jute Mill. It may be mentioned here that after a
long 2 months strike by the workers the Chinese owners of the Dazi Jute
Mill accepted all the demand of the workers. An agreement was signed by
the authority with the union at the arbitration of Comrade Tafazzul
Hussain President BJSF. Beside Haroon, Abdul Quader another executive
committee member of BJSF and secretary of Dazi Jute workers union spoke
and mentioned the out come of the Chittagong Convention in which they
participated.
After the rally the workers joined the meeting sponsored by the labor
department at the city hall.
In Khulna:
BJSF & DWP jointly celebrated this years May Day. The main rally was
held at the auditorium of the Mohsin Jute Mill. Presided over by Com. A
Rashid presidium member of the DWP and President of Mohsin Jute Mills
workers Union, the rally was attended by about 300 leaders of 12
industrial units of the area. The main speakers were, Comrade Rabiul
Hossain, Joint Secretary BJSF and Secretary Jute Spinners Workers Union.
A resolution was unanimously adopted in the rally to uphold the result
of the Chittagong Convention. After the rally the workers of Jute
Spinners Ltd fetched the participants with a working launch and cultural
evening.
At Dinajpur:
The main and most attractive celebration was held in Dinajpur 550
kilometer away from Dhaka city. Comrade Tafazzul Hussain President DWP
& BJSF attended the function as chief guest and comrade Badruddoza
Chaoudhury (From Chittagong) convener of Revolutionary Youth
organization and national committee member of DWP attended as special
guest. Comrade Ms. Saleha Sattar the Convener of Democratic women
organization was among the guests. Comrade Miss Aklima Akhtar a member
of the executive committee of Garment workers federation from Dhaka also
attended.
The venue of the celebration was an industrial area 16 kilometer away
from the city of Dinajpur. Dinajpur is now the grain depot of
Bangladesh. In this area there are many rice mills and there are
thousands of workers both male and female in those rice mills.
The inaugural function of the day started at 7 AM through hoisting of
national flag and party flag by chief guest comrade Tafazzul Hussain and
special guest from Chittagong respectively at the premises of Sundarban
Primary School field of Bankali. The national anthem was presented by
the members of the Bankali Unit of the DWP.
A procession of 300 men and women started from that place at 9 AM toward
the main venue of the rally 12 kilometers away. The ratio of the
participants was 50% men and 50% women because of the tribal peoples
participation. On the many more workers joined the procession. After
walking 3 kilometers the procession fell under the fury of a rainstorm.
Men and women were soaked for half an hour but they continued the walk.
At the gate of Cotton Development Academy some workers joined the
procession. The main crowed of the workers joined the procession at the
gate of Dinajpur Textile mills. 500 men & women paraded the long 12
kilometer route chanting various slogans against privatization, against
the planned destruction of the ILO and its conventions against the
proposed taking over of our port, oil and gas field by the American
companies.
At a place named dash mile the rally was held. People from adjoining
areas joined at the rally. All road traffic was halted for 2 hours
because of the big gathering. The rally was presided over by Comrade
Sarat Chandra Roy a peasant leader and president of DWP Dinajpur Branch.
Speakers were Miss Rubina Akhtar, Ms. Saleha Sattar, Comrade Majibur
Rahaman Labor leader and politburo member of DWP. Mrs Hosneara Begum
special guest Comrade B. Chaudhury and Chief Guest Comrade Tafazzul
Hussain. All the speaker including the chief guest emphasized on the
need of the independent working class organization and a party of the
working class who only can uphold the resolution of the Chittagong
convention and save the country from the clutches of the world
imperialists.
In the afternoon the discussion meeting was held at the open field of
Sundarban Primary school at Bankali. It has turned to be grand public
rally of people and workers. Men women from adjoining villages came like
streams. It was presided over by Comrade Babu Sree Dhiren Head Master of
Sundarban Primary School. Miss Rubina Akhtar conducted the meeting.
Speakers were:
Comrade Dibakar Roy, local educationist. Comrade Durjadhan Mukharjee,
School teacher. Comrade Himadri Chandra Roy, President Bankali Branch of
DWP. Comrade Abdul Majid Principal Garoa College Dinajpur. Comrade Ms.
Saleha Sattar Woman leader from Dhaka. Comrade Sarat Chandra Roy,
President DWP Dinajpur Branch. Comrade Miss Rubina Akhtar local women
& trade union leader Comrade Majibur Rahaman, Ex President Dinajpur
Textile workers union, politburo member DWP. Comrade B. Choudhury,
Convener Revolutionary Youth Federation. Comrade Mani Shankar Read out
the Dinajpur declaration. Comrade Tafazzul Hussain, President DWP &
BJSF as chief guest.
All the speakers narrated the significance of the May Day, how it was
created and what was the achievement of this day. Why and how the
working class should preserve the theme of the day. The sacrifice of our
ancestors must be remembered to preserve the gains of the working, which
is under jeopardy due to the onslaught of the super exploiting
capitalists.
Chief guest Comrade Tafazzul Hussain in his one hour long speech told
the history of the May Day and the task of the workers today. How the
gains of the working class are being destroyed one after another by the
capitalists and their organs like World Bank, IMF and WTO. How the
ruling cliques of each country the local agents of the capitalists
connive with the looters. He narrated the woes and miseries of the
jobless workers of Adamjee Jute Mills after its closer. Hundreds and
thousands of workers have become beggar after loosing their jobs in the
spree of privatization and closer at the behest of the world Bank &
IMF. He told the audience how our fundamental; rights of education,
health, food and shelter have been snatched away and made commodities of
business by the local and foreign capitalists. All financial institution
like banks and insurance either privatized or under the process of
privatization. The federal bank of Bangladesh is now run by the
employees of IMF.
The sinister designs of the of the imperialist to grab our national
wealth like oil, gas and port was revealed by comrade Hussain. The
resistance started by DWP must be maintained he told the gathering.
Comrade Hussain remembered the past glorious history of Dinajpur in anti
British movement and in the liberation movement of Bangladesh. He
recalled the peasants' movements of Dinajpur against the landlords and
zamindars through "Tebaga" movement. During British India
Dinajpur took the leading role in this respect.
Dinajpur the northwest part of Bangladesh had many Maoists and today
also there are people who feel proud of the Chinese revolution of 1949.
Comrade Hussain told, " I was also proud of Chinese revolution like
all other Asians. But today what the present Chinese ruling cliques are
doing in that country. They are deceiving the Chinese people in the name
of socialism. Chinese workers do not have any trade union or other
rights & political rights. The working class of China have been made
conveyer belt for the world-exploiting capitalists. Workers enjoy more
rights in capitalists' countries then in China. Privatization is the
order of the day in China. Capitalists and private owners are allowed to
be leader of C.P. It is no more a workers state".
Comrade Hussain gave a clarion call to the audience to build an
independent workers party to save the working class from being
re-feudalized. Only a genuine workers party can save our wealth our
rights and our state from being a protectorate of American imperialism.
We have natural resources as such we must be cautious, due to this
wealth the greedy eyes of the imperialist capital is on us, we may face
situation like Afghanistan and Iraq. We must also remain alert about the
activities of the fundamentalists who are actually the agents of
imperialists. Imperialists have another kind of agents, they are NGOs.
These NGOs are the root cause of poverty and landless ness. He gave
detailed accounts how the so-called micro credit (at 40% interest) is
increasing the poverty. How the NGOS are the biggest conglomerate in the
country now. He gave the example [le of land now owned by BRAC in
Dinajpur alone. NGOs are the biggest industrialists, Bankers, Housing
and leasing companies, dairy farmers, agents of international seed
cartels, Tel-Com owners etc. etc.
Comrade Hussain reminded the audience about the Chittagong declaration
of the national convention and urged to the people to uphold the idea to
save the country
After that the president of the meeting closed the 4 hour long session
by singing international.
At 8 pm cultural program of patriotic songs and dramas started by the
local artists which continue up to 12 midnight.
Compiled by comrade Rashu.
*******************
CHINA
Trade Union militants still held in Liaoyang
The International Investigation Commission of the labor and democratic
movement against repression in China, participated in numerous
conference of the ILC. It has been leading the fight for the rights of
workers to have unions of their choice for over ten years. It publishes
a newsletter every 15 days. Here are some excerpts from the newsletter:
News about Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang. One remembers these two
delegates from Liaoyang and thousands of workers, graduate students,
pensioners, demonstrating in the spring of 2002 in the industrial city
of Liaoning, ravaged by the closings of state enterprises and massive
layoffs. Yao and Xiao were arrested; international campaigns (for their
release?)took place in 2002 and a delegation of French trade unionists
went to Liaoyang to demand their liberation. Prosecuted in January 2003
and sentenced to prison for seven and four years. One feared for their
lives due to their poor state of health: there was no medical care and
they were transferred to prisons where brutality reigned, far from their
family residence. Their families were last able to visit them on October
22, 2003. Last March 18, 2004 that families went to Lingyuan prison to
visit Yao and Xiao but unfortunately Xiao had been transferred to a
prison in Shenyang two days earlier. However his family went there. It
seems that medical care was provided for the two unionists but
conditions are still primitive.
Yao is confined to his cell and cannot get out to telephone and is the
butt of aggressions from fellow inmates encouraged by prison
authorities. However his high blood pressure is now down to normal. As
for Xiao his health is not very good although the oedemas he suffered
have improved. Because of the lack of hygiene in the cells he contracted
scabies. At the time of the family's visit a police officer from
Liaoyang was present. An altercation took place and the prison
authorities shortened the visit to ten minutes. One can read excerpts in
our documents of a communiqué from the International Federation of
Metallurgy noting the recommendations of the ILO at the time of its
session in March 2004 concerning the situation of Yao and Xiao.
The question of independent unions still remains. The prosecution of Yao
and Xiao was the result of a political decision: the accusation of
"illegal demonstration" was completed some weeks before the
trial to one of "tentative subversion of State power" because
it was necessary to cut short a situation where the workers chose their
own representatives to defend themselves. Evidently this unstoppable
tendency in search of a real working democracy-these are the workers who
elect and support those that will best represent their demands-are the
deep reforms that result in the erosion of peoples' standard of living
and on the other hand of the place held by the official "peoples'
representatives" and the roles they play.
Last February 28, 2,000 workers of the Gujing distillery (province of
Anhui) went on strike. On March 2, over 1,000 demonstrated and occupied
the railroad tracks of the Peking-Kowloon railroad. The authorities sent
thousands of public security agans and armed police, there were violent
confrontations (one worker was in a coma for several days) and some
'ringleaders' were arrested. The demonstrators marched in the direction
of the head office of the distillery, took it over, and obtained the
release of seven or eight delegates.
Later negotiations took place with the director of the distillery, who
is only a local deputy who had returned urgently from Peking where he
was attending the annual popular national assembly. What were they
demanding? A special contractThis distillery was built on land owned by
peasants who were promised lifetime employment (this being transferable)
and a number of shares in the distillery in compensation for their
rights to cultivate the land.
The distillery is profitable according to its own figures: 50 million
euros profit. However, the management had on their agenda a plan to
break the conditions of these particular contracts. The two demands of
the worker-peasant shareholders were: the contracts cannot be changed
and the share allocations can be renegotiated. The first demand was
satisfied but not the second.
For salaried employees who work between 12 and 18 hours a day in periods
of high activity but are not paid during low periods (the average
monthly salary is 50 euros), the allowance in shares is of 2,000 euros;
for middle management 20,000 euros but for top management hundreds and
thousands of euros such as for the president ofthe official trade union!
Therefore, whom to turn to? The local deputy is the president of the
union and the president of the distillery and one of the largest
shareholders!
Editorial from La Lettre d'Information, No. 219, April 1, 2004
Freedom for Yao and Xiao
The ILO has requested the Chinese government to immediately release Yao
Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang. In March 2002 a complaint was lodged by the
ILO, by the International Conference of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and
the International Federation of Metallurgy (FIM) to condemn the measures
of repression against the independent unionists who had been arrested in
Liaoyang. The Committee of the ILO for the Freedom of Association
postponed to the Fall of 2003 its recommendations in a report to the
board of directors of the ILO that met and adopted them. According to a
communiqué from the FIM on April 23, this report requests the freeing
of the unionists detained in China and again firmly asked the Chinese
government to take all necessary measures to immediately release Yao and
Xiao, to establish independent investigations previously requested,
especially about the accounts of violence of police interventions
against demonstrators of the Ferro-Alloys factory.
The workers want satisfaction of their elementary demands
The tenacious workers of Tieshu
Tieshu is a textile group, a State enterprise in the city of Suizhou. At
the end of 2002 the management announced the bankruptcy of the
enterprise and the end of retirement benefits. The workers say their
pensions must be paid-it is their money-their money for layoffs.
Furthermore they accused the management of diverting funds. In January
2003 from March 13 through 20, they demonstrated, went on strike and
organized pickets opposite the railings. 300 of them took the matter to
court in Suizhou that said they were wrong. In June they took the matter
to the court in the province of Hubei that rejected their demands. They
decide to address the authorities in Peking but their lawyer, under
pressure, resigns. In September 2003 there are new demonstrations. On
February 8 2004, 1,200 Tieshu workers and pensioners block the railroad
track, joined by several hundred others in mid morning. The crowd
increases; important police detachments are rushed there, where violent
confrontations take place. Arrests are made as the crowds scatter and on
the three following days at the daily gatherings opposite the town hall
in Suizhou.An official announcement at the beginning of February by the
local PC and the Bankruptcy Commission set them off: the shares that the
workers were obliged to buy in 1993 and 1997 would only be repaid at a
quarter of their value and all unemployment benefits would be
suppressed. The official trade union ACFTU studied the question and said
the situation was normal.
**********
The testimonies
*A pensioner: "The police came to tell me not to leave my home.
It is a characterized violation of human rights. To ask for dues from
the people is to create trouble. It is our money! This morning the
police grabbed a postal worker for ten hours, an early-retired person.
They let him go immediately otherwise we would all have gone to the
police to look for him. One is ready for this. If they detain one, we
all go to the police. Everything is organized."
"The director, Wu Xiaoli said that at the time of the general
assembly, one month ago, in front of everybody that she could count on,
people who would help her legally and even illegally. It is arrogance!
She has money and power. I am not afraid of anything, she said. She has
godfathers in the entire city. Everywhere! One hasn't done anything
illegal but it is complicated for us and these corrupt bureaucrats are
true ruffians. One can no longer count on the provincial level, it is at
the intermediate levels that one can hope for something."
"Before a pre-retired person could count on 50 euros per month, now
a pre-retired person only receives 24 euros. I retired fie years ago and
received 60 euros at that time but now I only get 50 euros. And there
are deductions on that for everything and nothing: contributions for
health, water, electricity, television and one doesn't even have medical
insurance. If you go to a doctor you have to pay. If you are sick all
you have to wait for is death."
*An anonymous person: "The township cannot change its position. You
understand when you see banners with: "Fight corruption, crush the
parasites" that question the leaders of the city, the province and
others. They can't open Pandora's box. But the workers put it in writing
and they signed a report on what happened and they sent the report to
Peking through secret channels. I don't know if the report ever got
thereit is a secret."
*The secretary of the PC of an enterprise in the state of Suizhou:
"In our family we are all pensioners of the Tieshu group. My
father-in-law worked there for 51 years and he receives 50 euros but
there are people who are obliged to continue working because pensions
funds have been diverted. Some pensioners don't receive their money and
can't pay a hospital for instance. Then you need a certificate to prove
itIt is the money of pensionersit is necessary to take care of oneself,
to eat; to you think pensioners aren't angry? All this corruptionThe
officials come to the city and just drink alcohol, they are no longer
the peoples' people. My father-in-law who is 70 years old, doesn't have
any money to look after himself, he is obliged to resort to his family,
his friends, and do you think he supports the Communist Party? I am with
the Communist Party, I have responsibilities, I say: it is necessary to
look for the truth starting with facts. Me, I don't go to restaurants or
banquets. Trust the new government? If you don't speak, do not act for
the people, what does the new government serve for? The workers want one
that gives satisfaction to elementary demands."
The official propaganda in the Shizou Daily and local television
A small minority of workers don't realize that blocking the entrance to
a factory, halting production and unrest, constitutes an illegal
actionThe workers of State enterprises are the owners of these
enterprises and they will remain there even after restructuringThe only
logical choice that must impress itself on the working masses is to
augment the value of the funds of State enterprises, that happens with
the restructuring and development of production.
*"If one takes the time to analyze the reports correctly between
general and particular interests, the restructuring of State enterprises
cannot avoid tackling the problems of the adjustment of advantages to
the workers. Why don't the workers of some State enterprises understand
the necessity for the enterprise to reduce the acquired advantages? Why
do they resort to maladjusted actions such a blocking railroad tracks or
entries to factories?
*During the building of the socialist society, the workers of State
enterprises contributed to the industrial development. Today, in this
period of restructuring of State enterprises, the workers must continue
to take into consideration and remember the general interest; it is
necessary for them to give up individual interests and to sacrifice
particular interests in order to defend the general interests of the
majority."
China Labor Bulletin, March 2003
*Demonstrations by laid-off petroleum workers
More than 500 laid-off workers of the National Petroleum and Chemical
Company gathered at the headquarters of the oil company in Songyuan
(province of Jilin) on April 22. They are part of the 16,000 workers
laid off, victims of the blackmail when the company went bankrupt in
2000. Big demonstrations took place in April 2002, punctuated with
arrests (one detainee committed suicide). These 500 laid off workers ask
for an increase in their severance pay: 450 euros per year of seniority
instead of the 300 euros currently proposed and the guarantees of
employment for their children.
The Prime Minister at the time, Zhu Rongji, decided in 1999 to divide
the National Oil Company into two entities: Petrochina for the
exploration-production and China Petroleum for refining. The
restructuring came with thousands of layoffs and massive demonstrations,
especially in March 2002 in Daqing (see our 'Letter'). In the province
of Jilin the petroleum camps employed 70,000 workers. Those laid off
lost all their social gains against skinny indemnities and the
early-retired or retired persons haven't received their pensions since
the end of 2002, while the new directors of the two newly constituted
companies sold the more profitable sectors or subsidiaries to their
families and friends.
*Strike in a shoe factory
The workers making shoes in Dongguan (province of Guangdong) went on
strike for two days on April 21, about payment for overtime hours, since
management wanted to reduce the surcharge on these hours. The 4,000
workers of this Taiwanese capital enterprise work in horrible conditions
as admitted by a civil servant of the city; they average 60 hours work
per week and the monthly average salary is 50 euros.
According to a senior executive at the factory, they apply regulations
that openly violate labor laws and the workers do not have retirement or
health insurance and benefits are only given to management levels. The
workers were so exasperated that an explosion of violence accompanied
the strike. Several directors were manhandled, police vehicles were
overturned and management declared their material losses were in the
neighborhood of 300,000 euros. It seems that ten workers were arrested
following the strike and were placed in administrative detention.
********************
PALESTINE
Excerpts from the international media
Pierre Lambert's Tribune Libre (Open Tribune) appeared in Informations
Ourvrières No. 642 on May 26, 2004. Informations Ouvrieres, or
Labor News, is the weekly publication of the French Workers Party.
A Palestine where the equal rights of all will be recognized.
We take the liberty to reproduce below the statement by Yossip
Lapid, Israeli Justice Minister, indicating that if we approve them it
is because this declaration can obtain unanimous approval, regardless of
one's political options regarding Palestine.
To the question asked by everyone: How to achieve the national
objectives included in the aspirations of the peoples living in
Palestine? Our answer: the biggest misfortune that hit the Arab and
Jewish populations is the expulsion in 1948 of the Palestinian
population from the territories that constitute their national home. For
our part, we are convinced only the unity of the Arab and Jewish
populations, "melding" the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the
State of Israel into one single Palestine where equal rights for all
would be recognized would allow a peaceful settlement in the Middle
East. What is needed first and foremost is the national requirement that
permits the right of return of the Palestinians, so that Arabs and the
Jews can live together peacefully providing, we emphasize, equal of
rights for everyone are respected.
But Yossip Lapid's declaration irritates Ariel Sharon, because the
Israeli government and the Bush government don't fear anything as much
as to see the entire world informed of their machinations, of the
infamous way Palestinian and Iraqi prisoners are treated.
As far as the Iraqi people are concerned the investigations into the
prisons were decided by the U.S. government to cover up the full truth
about the situation of the prisoners kept in inhumane conditions. This
as a consequence of a war of conquest designed to deny the Iraqi people
the right of self-determination.
As for the Palestinian people, where the dominant powers are constantly
inventing new ways to oppress more brutally, with new and more
"refined" and odious methods, Bush and Sharon have under their
very noses the indisputable proof of the national character of the
resistance to their domination. It is why they daily invent more lies
and cruelties.
The more the anti-Arab racists crawl before Sharon, the more they become
insolent and arrogant with regard to the Israelis who protest against
the atrocities. But with each day that passes the truth is beginning to
come out about the true character of the colonial occupation of all the
territories of Palestine.
Washington Post, May 24, 2004:
"One of the key political moderates in Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's cabinet deplored on Sunday, 23 May, the Israel army's offensive
in the Gaza Strip, saying television images reminded him of the
suffering of his family during the Holocaust.
In stark and emotional language, Deputy Prime Minister Yosef Lapid, who
also holds the Justice Ministry portfolio and is a Holocaust survivor,
told Israeli radio that the country risked further international
condemnation if the army continued its campaign of pursuing Palestinian
gunmen, demolishing homes and expelling civilians from the heart of the
populous Rafah refugee camp.
"On TV I saw an old woman rummaging through the ruins of her house
looking for her medication, and it reminded me of my grandmother who was
thrown out of her house during the Shoah," or Holocaust, Lapid said
in a radio interview after the weekly cabinet session. "We look
like monsters in the eyes of the world," he added. "This makes
me sick." Lapid also confirmed during the interview that the army
is considering destroying hundreds more houses to expand the security
corridor between the camp and the Egyptian border to prevent the
smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Israel has already destroyed an
estimated 1,300 houses in the area since the start of the Palestinian
uprising in September 2000, uprooting more than 11,000 people."
"The destruction of houses must stop, because it is inhumane, non,
Jewish and does us a lot of harm in the world. In the end, they will
throw us out of the UN, and bring us up on charges at the International
Court in The Hague. No one will want to deal with us."
Lapid denied that he compared Israeli soldiers to the Nazis, but his
remarks were immediately denounced by some of the most warmongering
elements of the government, that asked him to withdraw his remarks.
According to the Israeli press, Sharon would have said Lapid's remarks
were "as oil" on the Arabian propaganda machine." Lapid's
remarks underline the difficult political problems Sharon must face to
get approval of a new plan within his divided government.
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