Final Declaration of the XIV International Seminar on Problems of the Revolution in Latin America

Despite the desperate efforts of the international bourgeoisie to put an end to the crisis of the capitalist system and in spite of "optimistic" analysis of the bourgeois economists that from months ago pointed the end of it and the beginning of an economic recovery, today we witness a new moment of further deepening of the crisis of the system, initiated at the end of 2008 in the United States which soon caught the largest economies on the planet and whose effects were felt worldwide. The course of development of this phenomenon has created the impression that this had its origin in the financial sector but this is a crisis of overproduction on consumer goods and, as noted in the previous seminar, its cause lies in the contradiction between the social character of production and private appropriation of wealth and goods, which is presented as the fundamental contradiction of the capitalist-imperialist ruling.

In countries like ours, the effect of the international crisis has accelerated a process of destruction of productive forces, capital natives of domestic industries and jobs. Thousands of our compatriots are forced to flee their homes to sell their labor in more developed capitalist countries where are victims of the super exploitation and xenophobic and racist policies

As in the past, the international bourgeoisie seeks to download on the shoulders of workers and people the mechanisms for achieving economic recovery of the system and its businesses. A Living example is the adjustment measures raised by the International Monetary Fund, Central Bank of the European Union and the governments of Greece and Spain that hitting hard to the workers in these countries.

But people do not conciliate with these measures: they fight against these. These days, more particularly, in Europe the working class plays a key role in the resistance and gets mobilized under the flag of “that the crisis should be payed by the capitalists who are the responsible, not the workers." America, Asia and Africa also are a scene of popular fighting against the crisis and its beneficiaries.

Given its size and intensity this is the most serious in the history of capitalism, however the system won´t collapse by itself. Historical experience shows that it has the capacity to recuperate but it is clear that the negative effects of the crisis causes to the people's mistrust in the capitalism grows and generates better conditions for revolutionary work, that the masses understand that there is no other solution in the frame of this decadent system and that the socialism is the alternative to develop and progress of humanity . Without doubt, this crisis is an opportunity to advance the revolutionary forces.

Alongside these developments, in Latin America there is an important process of the political consciousness developing in the peoples who, at various levels, has been able to identify and isolate the exponents and defenders of the rapacious neoliberalism. In the heat of their combat is set a democratic, progressive and left trend that has caused a change in the correlation of social and political forces in the region. Democratic and progressive governments existing here are the result and expression of this new scenario, but its limits are evident, therefore, beyond their speech, their achievements, with one exception, only serve to bolster the dominant system.

Political conditions in Latin America are good for revolution, for it is no coincidence that the bourgeoisie seek various mechanisms to stop the struggle of the masses or to derail their goals. Old theories were refurbished for this purpose and from within the popular movement and outside it (including governments regarded as progressive) has been claimed the urgent need to achieve social changes that should be made by the way of reforms in the institutional framework respecting the democratic mechanisms and channels. Of course, an institutions and democracy conceived and managed by bankers, big industrialists, landowners, ie by the exploiting classes.

Constitutional and pacifist discourse, which speaks of social and national reconciliation seeks that the conscious of the masses will not go to revolutionary levels and tries that these bet on these reforms in the frame of capitalism as a way to solve their woes. The revolutionaries without the power in the workers´ hands understand that reforms do not play a revolutionary role and it is not possible to end the exploitation of man by man and therefore it is not possible social liberation. We fight for material and political reforms as demands of the masses, circumstantially necessary to improve the living conditions of people, but certainly not as a definitive solution to their problems. limit the struggle to reforms is equivalent to trust in capitalism is to make the game to those in power, is to fall into reformism and social-policy instruments of the ruling classes. From the political point of view we fight for reforms as a mechanism to accumulate forces for revolution.

The workers and peoples must overcome the siren songs that speak of peaceful revolutions, citizens revolutions or XXI century socialism are policy approaches that are functional to capitalism, then, do not take measures to affect the cornerstone on which it stands this system: the private ownership of the means of production. We must end, so revolutionary, the power of the bourgeoisie and this implies to conquer power. To do this we appeal to all forms of struggle and work to incorporate all those classes, social strata and sectors affected by capitalism and interested in social revolution.

The development of the struggle of the masses is an important tendency in the political life of Latin American countries. Workers, youth and people in general struggle for social change, pressure to progressive governments to move forward and radicalize its programs, combat-interventionist policy of imperialism, mainly U.S., reject the presence of military bases Yankees and English object to the plundering of natural resources by foreign monopolies, demanding the recognition of national rights of native peoples, etc., actions violently suppressed by the various governments. We note that, as part of the offensive anti-Communist, is ongoing criminalization of popular protest and political and social leaders with the aim of frighten the masses and stop the struggle: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, live this process. In other cases, the ruling classes appeal to the action of paramilitary groups and devices that strike and disappear popular leaders and fighters as in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Brazil on our continent, Russia or the Philippines and elsewhere.

The bourgeoisie, a social or neoliberal, demonized popular fighter under the designation of terrorist acts, destabilizing or sabotage; who stands against the status quo is decried as a terrorist, in the name of peace denied the right of peoples to revolt under the pretext of rejecting violence, when in fact exercised at any time against the people. .

The native ruling classes and imperialism are responsible for hunger, unemployment, backwardness of nations, foreign dependence, so are our enemies and attack targets of the revolution. To confront and defeat them we need the wide unity of workers and peoples of the Democrats and leftists, revolutionaries and all social and political forces interested in social transformation, to end the dependency. The struggle of social and national liberations also requires an anti-imperialist unity in a great front of peoples, that especially manifest in the fight against all forms of foreign domination in the defense of sovereign rights and principles our countries.

Participants in the XIV International Seminar reiterate our internationalist vocation, we pledge to work for brotherhood and solidarity of peoples, to work to bring them to victory the triumph of the revolution in our respective countries as the best contribution to world revolution.

Converge in this event various political forces that had the possibility to present and discuss openly and frankly our views, very valuable exercise that should be replicated in our respective countries. We have many points to discuss in the future, so we convened at the XV International Seminar on Problems of the Revolution in Latin America to be held in 2011 in this same territory.

Quito, 16 de julio de 2010

Partido Comunista Revolucionario de Argentina

Partido Revolucionario (marxista leninista) (República Argentina)

Partido Comunista Revolucionario (Brasil)

Partido Comunista de Colombia (marxista leninista)

Partido Comunista Marxista Leninista del Ecuador

Movimiento Popular Democrático (Ecuador)

Juventud Revolucionaria del Ecuador

Unión General de Trabajadores del Ecuador

Confederación Ecuatoriana de Mujeres por el Cambio (Ecuador)

Frente Popular (Ecuador)

Frente Democrático Revolucionario Nacional de Filipinas

Comité Continental de Solidaridad con el Pueblo Haitiano

Frente Popular para la Liberación de Haití

Partido Comunista de México (marxista leninista)

Partido Popular Socialista de México

Frente Popular Revolucionario (México)

Partido Marxista Leninista del Perú

Partido Proletario del Perú

Partido Comunista del Trabajo de República Dominicana

Movimiento Independencia Unidad y Cambio (República Dominicana)

Justicia Global (República Dominicana)

Coordinadora Patriótica (República Dominicana)

Partido Comunista (Bolchevique) de la Unión Soviética

Movimiento Manuelita Sáenz (Sucre - Venezuela)

Movimiento Gayones (Venezuela)

Movimiento de Educación para la Emancipación (Venezuela)

Juventud del Consejo Político Obrero (Venezuela)

Centro de Formación e Investigación Prof. Franklin Giménez (Venezuela)

Partido Comunista Marxista Leninista de Venezuela

‘Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010’

Trading Indian People’s Life for Multinationals’ Profit

--Statement by Janpaksh

Once again showing its loyalty to the multinationals and imperialist masters the Congress led UPA government is all set to bring the ’Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010’ in the coming monsoon session of the parliament. The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 7, 2010 which also happened to be the last working day of the Budget session. But due to vociferous opposition it was referred to the parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology for recommendation.

Though the avowed purpose of this bill is to “… define the “liability”, arising out of any nuclear accident, of an individual “operator” – independent of (and unaffiliated with) the Government of India.” But even a cursory reading reveals it’s brazenly pro-capitalist anti people bias.

The main features of the Bill are:

• It defines nuclear incidents and nuclear damage, nuclear fuel, material and nuclear installations, and also operators of nuclear installations.

• It lays down who will be liable for nuclear damage, and the financial limit of the liability for a nuclear incident.

• It creates authorities who will assess claims and distribute compensation in cases of nuclear damage. It also specifies who can claim compensation for nuclear damage, and how compensation can be claimed and distributed.

• It specifies penalties for not complying with the provisions of the Bill, or any directions issued under it.

[Source: PRS Legislative Research (PRS) website]

This government has been propagating that the Nuclear Liability bill would kick-start the process of construction of nuclear reactors thus solving the much needed energy requirement of the “growing India”. The protagonist of Nuclear energy needs to be asked one question, if nuclear energy is so efficient then why the USA for more than three decades has not installed new nuclear power reactors!

Is the nuclear energy the panacea for India’s power problem? The statistics reveals a different picture. As of now, the electricity production from nuclear energy stands at 4,120 MW, which is a little less than 3% of the total installed capacity of power plants. Even if we are to add a 100,000 MW in the next 10 years, as the Ministry of Power is assumes, what is the best-case scenario for nuclear power? According a study conducted by the Planning Commission’s entitled Integrated Energy Policy, 2006, it assumes that taking the most optimistic scenario, the electricity production from nuclear plants would be 15,000 MW by 2015 and 29,000 MW by 2021. This would be about 7% of total energy produced. That too when this highly optimistic figure is met!

What would be the cost of this? A green field nuclear plant costs about $4 billion. The technologies would have to be imported from US that too with several strings attached and a typical plant takes somewhere between 5 to 6 years, so claiming that the nuclear energy is the only viable and alternative left for Indian, sounds hollow.

The bill real intention is giving a free hand to the private companies and the international nuclear cartel to play with the life of the masses while reaping millions of dollars as mega-profits without any sting attached as demanded by the capitalist pressure group FICCI in its June 2009 Report .

The only raison d’être of private players pushing for this bill is their lust for profit maximization while being free from all liabilities. The American nuclear cartel led by GE and Westinghouse, with open support of the US government has been forcing India to adopt a legislation that would absolve them of all legal and financial liability in case of event arising out of a nuclear accident. This is a clear pointer to the kind of safety measures and standards these companies would adopt while constructing and maintaining the nuclear power plants in this country.

Deliberately, the liability to be paid by the nuclear operators (the private capitalist both multinational and Indian) has been kept abysmally low, to placate the interest of the ‘operators’.

In fact, the Clause 6 (2), states: The liability of an operator for each nuclear incident shall be rupees five hundred crores. The total liability for a nuclear incident has been kept as 300 million Special Drawing Rights (Approximately Rs 2100 crore at current exchange rates) of this the total liability of the operator would be a paltry sum Rs 500 crore or about $110 million. With the further rider, to lower it down to, even paltrier Rs. 100 crore.

If the liability exceeds Rs 500 crore, the central government shall be liable for the amount exceeding Rs 500 crore (up to SDR 300 million). If damage is caused in a nuclear installation owned by the central government, the government will be solely liable.

This means that in case of any mishap the real culprits would be only liable to damage in tune of Rs. 500 crore while the Indian people would be paying the rest of the compensation to the overall limit of 300 million SDR.

First, $110 million cap for the operator, or even higher $450 million total cap, would not cover even one-tenth of one paisa per rupee of damage in a worst case accident.

Further this bill violates the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and the ‘Precautionary Principle’. In words of the former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee, ‘the Right to Life as enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India’. The bill also goes against significant Supreme Court judgments which have ruled that hazardous and dangerous industries owe an ‘absolute and non-delegable’ duty to the community to ensure safety.

A comparative analysis of similar laws in US and Canada revels the callous attitude of the multinationals and imperialist powers toward the life and property of Indians.

In the US any indemnity to be given in case of nuclear accident is governed by The Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act (commonly called the Price-Anderson Act), in the event of an accident, the first $375 million is paid by the insurer(s) of the plant. It is mandatory to insure the plant. Beyond that, up to US$ 10 billion is paid out of a fund jointly contributed by the “operators” as mandated by the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act. Beyond that, the Federal Government pays.

The Canadian government has introduced a draft legislation on April 16^th 2010 known as Bill C-15 which proposes to increase a nuclear plant operator’s liability to Rs 3,000 crores at current conversion rate (which is not only six times the cap of Rs 500 crores contained in the Civil Liability for nuclear damage bill 2010, but it also exceeds the “maximum amount of liability” of about Rs 2,300 crores set out in the bill.) The draft legislation further proposes to increase the civil nuclear liability cap from the existing $75 million to $650 million. The bill further proposes to increase the operator’s financial security of at least $650 million that they have to maintain.

Contrast this with the Civil Liability bills that Indian Government has prepared and the imperialist view of “Indians being an expendable commodity” appears to be true.

There must not be any overall "cap" on the quantum of compensation to potential victims. That is too unjust and inhumane. It has to relate to the actual damages caused. The overall “cap” of 300 million SDR, which works out to about 460 million US$, is even lower than the compensation amount of US$ 470 million ratified by the Indian Supreme Court to the victims of Bhopal Gas Disaster way back in 1989.

This reveals the extent that the Indian ruling class has mortgaged the interest of the common people to the international bourgeoisies and its Indian counterpart the comprador bourgeoisies, turning the country to a neo-colony of the imperialism.

The government of India has to answer the pertinent question: What was the need for this government that it is in such a rush to pass a bill that only favours the international capitalists and imperialists while gratuitously burdening the people of a country. A country where 836 millions (77 per cent of total population) live on Rs. 20 a day or less.

The bill in its current form is an open invitation to disaster giving a free hand to the multinational companies at the expense of the life of common masses, so they reap in maximum profit without any concern for the safety of the people. Another Bhopal is in offing.

This bill has to be opposed, it is high time that the progressive and Communist Revolutionary forces of the country unite and chalk out a clear cut agenda of action to defeat this bill and also the vicious interest of the capitalists and their lackeys. Only a united front of all the radical forces of this country in consonance with the international progressive movement can thwart this nefarious act of the international capital.

Note:

1 crore = ten million (10000000)

07/07/2010

“Socialism of the 21st century: a new theoretical formulation of old anti-marxist ideas”

Athens, July 2010
Pages: 112
Size: A5
Language: Greek
5 euros

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released a book entitled “Socialism of the 21st century: a new theoretical formulation of old anti-marxist ideas”.

As mentioned in the introductory note, the present edition is a collection of articles published in the party press of the members of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations (ICMPLO), in which the ideological foundations of the “socialism of the 21st century” theory are criticized. The first
article, by comrade Alejandro Rios whose title, “Socialism of the 21st century: a new theoretical formulation of old anti-marxist ideas,” this edition also bears, is the official position of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Equador on the subject that was adopted by the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations. This edition aims at clarifying the ideological basis of the political inconsistencies in this left-wing, democratic and progressive trend, reveal the social-democrat, reformist content of the “socialism of the 21st century” theory and, consequently, the reasons that make this theory harmful to the international working movement and its struggle.

Photos from our participation to the Antirascist Festival in Athens

9-11 July in Athens took place the 15th ntirascist Festival. The Movement for Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55 participated all three days.

These are some photos from our presence in the festivals

 

 

 

Communication from the Paris June 2010 meeting of the Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations

In Europe and in the world, workers, young people refuse to pay for the crisis of the capitalist system

The crisis of the world-wide capitalist system is going on, throwing millions of people in the streets, in misery.
All sections of the people, workers, workers of the cities and countryside, small and medium peasants, craftsmen, employees, active or unemployed, young or retired ... are shaken down by a handful of rich, always richer by the financial oligarchy, its banks and monopolies. In all capitalist countries, developed or emerging, in the imperialist countries and in countries dominated by imperialism, the oligarchy wants to charge his attack on the working class, the working masses and people : eleven million millionaires in the world, growing richer on the backs of billions. Never the wealth produced has been so great, never so many women and men have been so deprived of the minimum subsistence, this wealth has never been so concentrated in the hands of a parasitic class, the bourgeoisie, class of shareholders.
After demanding states, devoted to its exclusive service, to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars, euros, yen ... to save its banks and financial institutions, the financial oligarchy now requires the payment of public debts and interests. His motto: “Let's end the deficits”, it has generated and dug itself.

The policies for the reduction of the public deficit : a pretext for imposing austerity plans

In Europe, the Greek people were the first target of these large scale attacks, jointly conducted by the European Commission and the IMF, which has resulted in mega austerity plan, allegedly to reduce the public debt.
Within weeks, throughout the European Union, the right-wing governments and social liberal governments have competed on an escalation in the amounts of "savings" they want to impose on state budgets, they can be counted in hundreds of billions, sparing no country.
The pretext: to reassure the financial markets and their "rating agencies".
The goal: make a further wide transfer of wealth, from labor to capital, to guarantee the profits of banks and the the most powerful monopolies.
The social budgets are squeezed, all the social mechanisms conquered and imposed by the working class and peoples, especially since the Second World War, are the target of this concerted offensive.
The first victims of the liquidation of the social "nets", are the poorest strata of the society, those who were already living in poverty, insecurity and fear of tomorrow. They are also those who will suffer the worst from the cuts in social budgets. In rich countries, like Germany, France ... there are millions of men and women, young people seeking employment, youth holding odd jobs, poor workers, who are threatened of falling into the blackest misery. At the other extreme of society, the rich continue to celebrate with champagne the growth of their income.

The attacks began long before this crisis, neoliberal and social-liberal policies had already caused extensive damage, privatizing major economic sectors, undertaking the liquidation of public health services, education, social protection ... Today, the oligarchy wants to use the crisis to remove obstacles to the free use of the work force, by liquidating the economic and social rights won by workers. It wants to over-exploit those who have jobs, while massively laying off : to make people work harder, longer, until exhaustion, for ever lower wages, for ever lower pensions. It wants to take advantage of the army of the unemployed to pressure on wages and working conditions.

In these severe austerity plan, the questioning of the retirement system, based on solidarity and the social contribution, is a goal shared by all the EU governments.
Working beyond 65 years has become the norm, while millions of young people do not find work. Banks and insurance companies are rubbing their hands: they hope to sell their pension systems based on capitalisation to the few who can afford it, speculating on the fear of the bankruptcy of pension systems based on solidarity between generations and the social contributions.

To impose these massive cuts in social services, the oligarchy strengthens law enforcement, produces stiffer anti-labor and anti-popular laws and tries to divide the workers and peoples.
At the peak of the crisis in Greece, when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators shouted in the streets of Athens and all Greece cities their refusal to pay the crisis of the capital, we heard speeches of hate in the mouths of politicians (widely reproduced and amplified by the media) against the workers and peoples of southern Europe, accused of trying to "take advantage" of other countries; workers and peoples of southern Europe that should be "punished" ...
It is far from the rhetoric of European harmony, peace and understanding that the EU had to promote and that the euro would ease!

People have the right to leave euro and the EU

After several years of the Euro, the people did their maths. This  "unique"  currency  has primarily served the dominant imperialist powers in the EU, to strengthen their economic and political power.

The euro has accelerated the race to minimum wages within the EU. The "convergence criteria" of the Maastricht Treaty are an instrument of permanent social dumping. The EU governments are trying to impose them to countries, including non-Eurozone countries such as Denmark, where the people voted against Euro through a referendum.

The Euro has meant an increase of the prices, whose recipients have been the great monopolies of distribution, agro-business, at the expense of popular consumers, small and medium agricultural producers, small traders ...
The euro is an essential mechanism for building a Europe that aspires to become a major imperialist power, a neoliberal Europe who exploits the working class and participates to plundering the wealth of Africa, Latin America, etc...  participates to wars and conflicts over strategic raw materials, energy sources and their means of communication and transport to the major production centers in the imperialist countries.
The reactionary nature of this European project gets more and more visible : Fortress-Europe  protects itself against migrants expelled from their country by famine and wars fomented by imperialism. The Europe of police, implements common police forces to monitor and suppress large popular mobilizations, such as during the NATO Summit in Strasbourg or the summit "on climate” in Copenhagen.
Besides the huge deployment of police that has resulted in thousands of arrests, the Copenhagen Summit has also shown that the great powers are only concerned by their interests and that they can only conceive environment preservation issues  as a market for their monopolies.

We stand with the people of Greece and other countries where they claim the right to leave the euro and the EU.
We support the development of solidarity with all peoples of the world. We have common struggles to carry with workers and peoples of Europe, against the mechanisms of exploitation, promoting competition between workers, submission of "small" countries to the imperialist powers, of political domination, the mechanisms that organize the pillaging of the dominated countries. The construction of Europe, the EU and its currency are instruments of these policies that we denounce and fight.

Widening resistance to austerity plans across Europe

The resistance of the working class and peoples to the capital’s attacks was immediate and it grew everywhere. Several days of strike, several general strikes took place in different countries. The anger and the desire to fight to deny the payment of the system’s crisis, the debts of the oligarchy and its austerity plans, are great.
That anger alarmed the bourgeoisie and reformist parties who rallied to austerity policies and agreed to implement them. They talk about "shared sacrifice", but only to impose them to workers and peoples.

This resistance must develop and grow, in each country but also internationally. Social rendez-vous, including the labor movement, have already been taken for next fall: we will work to give them the maximum extent and success, to build a strong expression of internationalism and unity of the working class.

Working for the unity of the working class is a vital necessity. The working class produces surplus value and is the one who can exert considerable pressure on the Capital. It is the spine of the struggle against capitalism, for social transformation. In all EU countries, it is the working class that has stood first and massively against the attacks of bosses, governments, the Brussels Commission, IMF, etc..

The first instrument of resistance of the working class and the working masses in cities and countryside are the trade-unions. The labor movement has been divided and weakened by the policies of class collaboration that have been developed within it. But today, currents, trade unionists, labor unions are developing the class struggle at the base of concrete struggles.
We defend the class struggle unionism and we urge workers to organize in unions, to work for unity within the union movement on positions based on class struggle. We denounce and repudiate the attempts of exclusion of combative trade union activists. We are working to develop international solidarity for union initiatives that strengthen the struggle of workers in each country and internationally.

Migrant workers, with or without papers, "legal" or "illegal" are part of the working class in each country. It is a workforce needed by monopolies because of their lack of rights, endlessly exploitable. In the stiff competition between monopolies and in sector where the production cannot be delocalized, this workforce is essential. In this context, the successful strike in France led by undocumented workers for their regularization is of great importance and is an encouragement to all those who fight on this front. The strike, that lasted more than eight months, has been supported by trade unions, women's organizations, democratic organizations and by all parties of the left. It has demonstrated concretely that immigrants, men and women, are primarily workers, part of the working class. It generated a great movement of solidarity in the public opinion, a real antidote to the division attempts the oligarchy and the reaction won’t cease to develop. These workers, men and women will take their place in the overall battle for refusing to pay for the crisis of the system.

Workers in the public services, state offices and local authorities (municipalities, departments, regions ...) are particularly affected by the planned cuts in state budgets and all public and semi-public institutions. Tens of thousands of jobs are cut, wages are reduced in all countries, as in Greece, where the Socialist government wants to remove two months of salary. By fighting against privatization, for their wages, for jobs, public services workers are also fighting for popular users of public services. Together they struggle to oppose to policies of dismantling public services.

Let us refuse the austerity plans, the militarization and imperialist wars
The crisis of the capitalist system and imperialist world is exacerbating all the contradictions, which become increasingly violent. To impose severe austerity plans, the oligarchy strengthens its arsenal of repression and criminalization of workers' struggles and popular struggles.
The hard competition for control of markets and sources of raw materials is already reflected in conflicts and wars. The dirty war lead by the imperialist powers and their military wing NATO against the people of Afghanistan, also has as a background motivation the control of future gaspipes and minerals contained in his soil.
Therefore, we say "we will not pay for your crisis, we will not pay your wars."
We say that money should not go to war and militarization, but to the satisfaction of social needs, education, health, social protection for the greatest number.
We say “NATO troops out of Afghanistan" and " imperialist troops out of Iraq. "
We also express our solidarity with the Palestinian people and the population of Gaza, subject for months to an inhuman blockade organized by the reactionary government of Israel. With the progressive forces in the world, we condemn the criminal Zionist policy and demand the immediate withdraw of the blockade. We denounce the complicity of UE and support the struggle of the Palestinian people for the recognition of their national rights.

For an alternative to break with the imperialist capitalist system

The severe austerity plans affect all the layers of the population. The need to work to the union of all the categories victims of these policies of social regression is more timely than ever. We are working to build this unity, through ambitious front policies, which incarnate the refusal to pay the crisis of the capitalist system, the refusal of austerity policies. We say that banks, shareholders, oligarchs have to pay for their crisis and we want to work with all forces, political and social, that share this objective, to enforce it effectively, through always stronger mobilizations.

The depth of this crisis poses acutely the need to work on the development and implementation of policies to break with the system. These policies must rely on social measures and concrete policies, to be imposed immediately, in and through the struggle and the mobilization of the masses. These social requirements must be the bases of programs breaking with the system and brought by coalitions of political parties, social forces, mass organizations ... We use all political and democratic spaces, including the electoral arena, to make us heard by the greatest number and win the masses to our positions.

As parties and organizations claiming themselves from the working class, we affirm our conviction that the only effective and long-lasting way out of the imperialist capitalist system crisis goes through his overthrow and the establishment of socialism. All our struggles are in this perspective.

Hail the struggle of the working class, youth and people to refuse to pay for the crisis!
It's the oligarchy to pay its crisis
Hail international solidarity

Paris, June 2010
Workers’ Communist Party of Denmark (APK)
Communist Marxist Leninist Party of Spain (PCE(ml)
Parti Communiste des Ouvriers de France (PCOF)
Organisation for the recontruction of the Communist Party of Greece (1918-1955)
Communist Platform of Italy (Plata Forma Communista)
Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey (TDKP)
Marxist-Leninist Organisation “Revolution” (Norway)
Members of the International Conference of Marxist Leninist Parties and Organisations (CIPOML)

Observer: Organization for the Construction of a Workers Communist Party of Germany

Greece's biggest union calls new strike for July 8

Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece—Greece's biggest labor union on Thursday called a new nationwide strike for next week to protest proposed reforms to the debt-hobbled country's pension and labor systems.

The GSEE private sector umbrella union said it had timed the walkout to coincide with a vote in parliament on the new reforms, on July 8.

Greece is in the throes of a major debt crisis. In May, it narrowly avoided defaulting on its loans using the first part of a European Union and International Monetary Fund relief package worth euro110 billion.

In return, the government undertook painful cuts and tax hikes, and proposed legislation that would raise retirement ages and reduce many pensions, saying the country's pension system would otherwise collapse. The draft law would also make it cheaper for companies to sack employees.

GSEE said it completely rejected the proposed reforms and "will not accept any changes that lead to new unfair and unbearable measures that hurt workers and pensioners."

Officials at the ADEDY umbrella civil servants' union said ADEDY was also expected to call a strike July 8. That would make it Greece's sixth general strike this year. (Comment from Anasitaxi: ADEDY decided to call a strike July 8 today)

The two unions held their last general strike on Tuesday, when some 16,000 people took part in a central Athens protest that was marred by street violence. Police arrested six suspected rioters, and seven officers were injured in the clashes.

Previous protests have also been violent. On May 5, three workers died in a bank torched by rioters. The deaths shocked Greek society, and later protests were much more muted.

A new sales tax increase took effect Thursday, raising prices of basic consumer goods and services, including gas prices and highway tolls.

The center-left government imposed the increase in Value Added Tax, or VAT, from 21 to 23 percent. It was the second VAT increase this year, following a hike from 19 percent in March.

Trading associations said they would try to limit price increases despite the tax increase.

The government has not ruled out further VAT hikes if legal challenges against some of its cost-cutting measures are successful.

Also Thursday, Athens was left without buses for several hours as state-employed drivers went on strike to protest delays in their salary payments. They went back to work after the government promised to accelerate payments.

Greek unions to hold new general strike July 8

Greece's two main unions GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers)  - ADEDY (the Civil Servants' Confederation)announced a new general strike on July 8.

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55 supports the strike and has released posters, flyers, etc. to support the struggle.