Crisis and the bankruptcy of Greek economy

In the last five years, a steep deterioration in the condition of the Greek economy has been observed – a destructive course that has eventually led to bankruptcy, contrary to the completely unsubstantiated claims of both the big bourgeois and the Khruschevite parties.

Side by side with the objective economic laws, the implementation of the most extreme neoliberal financial policy by the reactionary government of Karamanlis intensified even further the already existing problems of the Greek economy, aggravating basic economic indicators.

In 2009, the condition of the Greek economy became aggravated to the very extreme point that the government of Karamanlis was not able to work out the state budget – an economic situation characterized by very high inflation and successive waves of high prices, rise in mass unemployment to around 15% and rising rapidly, a drop in industrial and agricultural production, a tremendous deficit increase to over 14% of GDP (more than 30 billion Euros), an increase of the external debt to an overwhelming level, around 120% of GDP (more than 300 billion Euros).

The problems of the Greek economy have deepened even more with the outbreak of the global financial crisis. However, it has to be noted that the crisis of the Greek economy preceded the global financial crisis, since it had already hit, first and foremost, the construction sector, which, as it is known, is linked to a series of industrial branches.

The overwhelming external debt and the very large deficit led the Greek economy to bankruptcy, resulting in the country becoming the “weak link” of the imperialist European Union (EU) and the object of concerted attacks of international speculative and usurious capital – attacks related not only to the Greek economy, but also to the Euro, in the context of the Euro-Dollar antagonism.

In 2009, the terrible financial condition and bankruptcy of the Greek economy led to the “changing of the guard,” initially the removal of Karamanlis’s government and subsequently the defeat of his party in the elections as well as the entry of the country into supervision, initially by the organs of the imperialist EU, and subsequently by the triple austerity plan of the Commission-European Central Bank (ECB)-International Monetary Fund (IMF), that is, it led the country to a new occupation, without military presence.

The new measures consisted in unprecedented decrease in wages and pensions, increase in indirect taxes, etc. and attack on social security rights (an increase in retirement age limits, low pensions, etc.) by the “troika” of the Commission-ECB-IMF, in agreement with the new social-liberal Papandreou government, which deepened the proletariat’s absolute degradation to the extreme and annihilated in one night all the gains of the working class. In response, the working people participated in strikes and massive demonstrations, even though the reformist leaders of GSEE-ADEDY (General Confederation of Greek Workers-Civil Servants’ Confederation) declared the first general strike very belatedly, the first on May 5, and the second one on May 20.

Yet, despite the massive participation of working people in the strikes, there has not been UNITY on the level of gatherings and demonstrations during strikes, resulting in the obstruction of their MASSIVENESS and the undermining beforehand of the working people’s struggle against these unprecedented measures. The UNITY of strike rallies is a presupposition of MASSIVENESS. MASSIVENESS cannot be achieved without UNITY, an issue directly connected to the strikebreaking role of the reformist leaders of PAME (the trade union controlled by the “Communist” Party of Greece-“K”KE).

The strike-breakers-reformist leaders of PAME – through the permanent fragmentation of strike rallies with their separate gatherings – in the past helped the government of the monarcho-fascist party of Nea Dimokratia, with C. Karamanlis as prime minister, to promote and implement all the anti-popular and anti-worker measures; today, by continuing the same disruptive tactic in strike rallies, they are in the service of the government of the big bourgeois PASOK, and they are helping-enabling it to pass the present annihilating measures. For it is not possible for the reformist leaders of PAME to not understand that with their disruptive tactic they immediately break the UNITY of strike rallies, obstruct their MASSIVENESS and thus render the strike rallies INEFFICIENT beforehand.

The new, even more annihilating measures, that were taken and “sucked dry” the poor, that it are being planned to be passed for the social security slaughter of workers’ rights with the further looting of THEIR OWN MONEY, with the elimination of provisions in health and pensions (the class callousness of cutting two pensions per year had already preceded this), those that the extortions of the imperialists will continually demand, cannot be repelled by the working people if there is no MASSIVE UNITY, which are the qualities that can make strike rallies EFFICIENT, that is, capable of defeating or holding back the attacks of capital. This was evident in the case of the great strike rally of the reformist GSEE-ADEDY, which was the only efficient one, forcing Simitis’s government to withdraw the draft of the bill for Social Security in 2001. Now, the messages of the spontaneous worker and popular response are the same. The great strike of May 5, with a gathering of 250.000 people in Athens alone, smashed in practice the rationale of isolationism, disruption of unity and strike-breaking. The participation en masse of working people within the union blocs, the gathering was UNIFIED and showed the way for the working class to win demands: the way of militant unity. The militant voice and action of the working people, the unemployed, the youth, the pensioners, was overshadowed by the throwing of a Molotov cocktail into a Marfin Bank branch office, which, regardless of the intentions of those who threw it, caused the death of three young working people: this is a reactionary criminal act, completely alien and hostile to the workers’ movement. The responsibilities of the banker Vgenopoulos and Marfin Bank, who must be brought to court, are also tremendous (since they blackmailed the workers to go to work, they “locked” the door of the bank while the workers were inside, etc.).

The working people showed once more the way to confront the crisis:

• Capitalist industrialists and bankers must pay from their fabulous profits, along with all tax evaders
• Business taxation must be increased from 20-25% to 35-40%, with a further increase in taxation when businesses fire workers and do not invest productively
• The fabulous landed and other property of the Church, which does not belong to it, must be taxed in its entirety
• Indirect taxes hitting exclusively the broad lower masses must be decreased
• Direct taxation must place the burden on the capitalists, also natural persons, without affecting the tax exemption of the poor
• Military expenses must be decreased drastically

We demand unilateral suspension of usurious debt payments – Withdrawal from the EMU-EURO with an immediate prospect of withdrawing from the EU

In contrast to the fabrications of the government and bourgeois politicians that “the country has not gone bankrupt, along with the Khruschevite social-democrats “K”KE (Khruschevite-Brezhnevites) and SYN (Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology – Euro“communists”), who are also disputing the existence of bankruptcy (Papariga – “K”KE: “they are bringing back the scarecrow of bankruptcy,” “Rizospastis” April 23, 2010, p. 6, Tsipras – SYN: “the tale about the dragon of bankruptcy is nice,” “Eleftherotypia” March 14, 2010), bankruptcy is a concrete and painful fact.

An analysis of the relevant economic data can only reach the conclusion that the figures show indisputably the bankruptcy of Greek economy:

1. an overwhelming external debt of more than 300 billion Euros, or about 120% of GDP (with a minimal to nonexistent industrial production, while even the “production” of waiters decreased with the fall in tourism since last year),
2. a huge deficit of more than 30 billion Euros or 14% of GDP,
3. a usurious 7-10% interest rate with spread of 500-700 bps (an interest rate that only bankrupt countries borrow at),
4. inability to service the external debt,
5. the triple austerity program by the Commission-ECB-IMF and designation of financial politics not by the elected government but by the delegations of the imperialist organizations, and
6. recourse to the so-called EU-IMF “support mechanism” for a further loan of 5%.

The ND was the party that had been leading and led the country’s economy to bankruptcy with mathematical precision, by doubling the external debt (more than 300 billion Euros) and multiplying the deficit by five (more than 30 billion Euros), leading to the country’s triple supervision by the Commission-ECB-IMF, and has the first and major responsibility for this reason. But the then-opposition parties, the big bourgeois PASOK, and “K”KE and SYN (the Nazi-fascist LAOS had identified with the politics of ND), are tremendously responsible as well for not revealing to the Greek people this destructive financial course, which, for at least the final two years of ND’s governing, was completely clear to the naked eye.

The condition of the bankrupt Greek economy of today is bleak, and its prospect within the framework of EMU-EURO is at an impasse. The current bleak condition of the Greek economy has obviously led to the exposure of a series of bourgeois and revisionist myths (old and new) about the relationship between Greece and the EU, regarding 1) “equal participation in the EU,” 2) “permanent growth within the EU,” 3) “convergence of the EU member states’ economies,” 4) “permanent prosperity,” 5) “decrease in interest rates,” 6) “safeguard from bankruptcy,” etc.

With these negative developments in the Greece-EU relationship, the current complete deadlock of the bankrupt Greek economy, along with the fact that the big bourgeois PASOK government will not only multiply the annihilating anti-popular and anti-worker measures, but with the “gospel” of neoliberal financial politics in its hands, it intends to satisfy even more the lust of the speculators and loan-sharks and the IMF for the total looting of any remaining profitable sectors and savage looting of the country’s overall wealth with the proportional destructive consequences, known to tens of other countries that fell into their clutches. The working class and the people must fight for the country’s withdrawal from the EMU-EURO and the declaration of unilateral suspension of external debt payments (an issue discussed in “ANASYNTAXI” No. 313, January 1-15, 2010), in combination with the general struggle for Greece’s withdrawal from the imperialist EU, a withdrawal that for the social-democrat Papariga (general secretary of “K”KE), at this moment “is not a solution in itself” (“Rizospastis” March 5, 2010, p. 10) (it is the first “unwary”(?), but delightful and characteristic strip-tease by Papariga in favor of Greece staying in the EU, since the leadership of “K”KE claimed until now, of course for reasons of demagoguery, that they were in favor of the country withdrawing from it).

The working class, the youth, the city and village poor, must fight everywhere, in each workplace, each space of education, residential area, and gathering place against the awkward Khruschevite social-democrats “K”KE-SYN, who deny the existence of bankruptcy and say not even one word about the tasks that derive from it, for the creation of a broad antifascist and anti-imperialist front, which will unite in the aforementioned goals of confronting the anti-worker whirlwind and in the struggle against suppression, the curtailment of democratic gains, the fascistization of public life, which are the necessary “tools” of capitalists and their political representatives in order to pass the measures of sordidness.

June 2010

Movement for the Reorganization of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55

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The fatal 20th congress of the CPSU

In February 1956 – fifty years ago – the Communist party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) convened its first congress after the death of Stalin. This ill-famed 20th congress has since been deemed the symbol of the victory of the peaceful  counter-revolution in the USSR.

To this very day, the international communist movement, the working class and the peoples in the former socialist countries are suffering from the disastrous consequences. This victory of revisionism in the fifties systematically prepared the ground for the unveiled and complete counter-revolution that took place in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe around 1989-91.

In his memoirs The Khrushchevites, Enver Hoxha summarized as follows: “All the distortions of the major issues of principle, such as those about the character of our epoch, the roads of transition to socialism, peaceful coexistence, war and peace, the stand towards modern revisionism and towards imperialism, etc., etc., which later became the basis of the great, open polemic with modern revisionism, have their official beginning in Khrushchev's report to the 20th Congress.” ⁽¹⁾

This congress was to impel the split within the international communist movement. The fierce ideological polemic became quite open when the Party of Labour of Albania helmed the criticism of Khrushchev & Co. at the Moscow meeting of 81 communist parties in 1960. Reidar T. Larsen, who later became chairman of the Norwegian communist party (NKP), was present at the time. In his memoirs ‘Directed from Moscow?’ he confirms that Enver Hoxha spoke out against Khrushchev “so the sparks went flying”. The leaders of the Communist Party of China restrained themselves, according to Larsen: “In the plenary proceedings they left it to the Albanian leader Enver Hoxha to launch fiery attacks aimed at the Soviet leadership.” ⁽²⁾ The CPC did not enter into its “great polemic” until 1963.

Meanwhile, the old bolsheviks in the leadership of the CPSU, like Molotov and Kaganovich, had woken up from their daze and attempted to defeat Khrushchev from within the presidium of the CPSU. Khrushchev fell in minority, and was in fact removed in 1957. However, he mobilized his lojal marshals and used the majority he had ensured in the CC to topple the meeting of the presidium and to confront the ‘anti-party group’ with Molotov at the head.

The roots of the problem are not to be found in Khrushchev's personality

A mechanical and leftist dogmatic tendency argues that the 20th congress made the Soviet Union change colour more or less overnight. This is a subjectivist approach, reducing the counter-revolutionary process to a matter of rotten personalities and traitors. Khrushchev, originally a Trotskyite, was no doubt a rotten element, as can also be said about Mikoyan and other personalities in the leadership. But this does not explain how these elements could obtain support from the congress delegates and within few years put into effect a number of capitalist reforms that step by step undermined the economy and the socialist order in the USSR.
It is clear that these forces could count on a social base for their power, that they could exploit several unhealthy tendencies. Such tendencies would include the idea that “the leadership is always correct” and a self-satisfaction that grew strong in the aftermath of the victory over fascism in World War II. Adding to this were tendencies of reconciliation towards social democracy and initiatives to merge communist and social democratic parties in several countries, something that undoubtedly gave rise to different reformist ideas on “peaceful transition to socialism” even before Khrushchev laid this down as a general line at the 20th Congress. In East (Soviet occupied) Germany the Communist party of Germany after the war was amalgamated with the Social Democratic party under the name of the United Socialist Party (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands – SED). Both the Communist Party of Norway (which immediately after the anti-fascist war entered into negotiations with the Norwegian Labour Party) as well as the Communist Party of Britain laid down the thesis of peaceful transition to socialism in their programmes in 1953, that is to say three years prior to the 20th Congress of the CPSU. The efforts for economical reconstruction after the war gave room for different types of “productivity theories” in the economic area, to a certain degree in the USSR, and even more so in post-war Norway, theories that in practice had the effect that they underestimated and dwindled the importance of the ideological and political struggle.
The 19th Congress of the CPSU, the last Congress attended by Stalin, strongly warned against a number of these inclinations. Several precautions and motions in order to prevent bureaucratism were projected by the 19th Congress, but few, if any, of these were to be put into effect. It was in this unsound situation that the Khrushchev clique was able to mobilize and exploit these weaknesses, while they for a while pretended to cuddle for Stalin and shed crocodile tears when he died. When the 20th Congress was due, they had gained sufficient strength to consolidate the victory of revisionism.

Giving revisionism legitimacy

Enver Hoxha was present at the congress representing the PLA, together with Mehmet Shehu and Gogo Nushi. Below, he describes what came to pass on the final day of the Congress proceedings, where among other things the elections of the leading bodies took place, and the foreign delegations were not present.  On this occasion a second report was presented by Khrushchev.

“It was the notorious, so-called secret report against Stalin, but which had been sent in advance to the Yugoslav leaders [who had been condemned by the Cominform in 1948 – note by Revolusjon], and a few days later it fell into the hands of the bourgeoisie and reaction as a new ‘gift’ from Khrushchev and the Khrushchevites. After it was discussed by the delegates to the congress, this report was given to us and all the other foreign delegations to read. […] After we had read it we immediately returned the terrible report to its owners. We had no need for that package of filthy accusations which Khrushchev had concocted. It was other ‘communists’ who took it away to give to reaction and to sell by the ton in their book-stalls as a profitable business. […] Only a few days later the black smoke of the ideas of the 20th Congress began to spread everywhere.” (The Khrushchevites, p 183)

(1) Enver Hoxha: The Khrushchevites, Tirana 1980, Eng. ed. p 178.

(2) Reidar T. Larsen, Directed from Moscow?, Norw. ed. p 34.

First published in Revolusjon no 32 , April 2006

Published in Unity & Struggle, no 15, October 2007

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Against the barbarity of the fascist state of Israel! Solidarity with the Palestinian people!

International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO)

The brutal aggression carried out by the Nazi-Zionist army against the so-called "freedom flotilla" deserves the merciless condemnation, rejection, and general denunciation. The State of Israel, which has carried out a systematic genocide against the Palestinians, with the complicit silence of the misnamed democracies, has subjected the people of Gaza to famine and has prevented any kind of humanitarian aid, food, medicine, material to rebuild houses destroyed by Israeli bombing, school supplies, etc. from reaching the suffering population (more than a million and a half people in a strip that is 40 kilometers long by 6 kilometers wide).
The "freedom flotilla" was carrying tons of aid, but the State of Israel stopped it by the bestial force of its troops. That State does not respect any of the resolutions of the United Nations Organization, nor any international agreements; it knows no reason other than brute-force and the support of U.S. imperialism and others.
The ship "Mavi Marmara" of Turkish nationality and flag was attacked by military speedboats, by special commandos in helicopters who fired on people of different nationalities who were bringing aid to the Palestinian people. It was a military operation against unarmed civilians, soldiers trained to kill people who fight with words and solidarity, for peace and justice. With total impudence, the Tel Aviv Government declared that its soldiers "acted in self-defense" against the arms of the civilian activists. The confiscated weapons were screwdrivers, a multi-purpose knife, tools appropriate for a boat, hammers, a pair of tires, etc. This action was carried out in international waters, that is, it was an act of pure and simple piracy with total contempt for international law. But NATO, to which Turkey belongs, has just spoken words "regretting the incident", just like the United Nations Organization in which the United States vetoed an explicit condemnation of Israel by the Security Council. Once again, U.S. imperialism is preventing the condemnation of this fascist State, of which Washington is the principal supporter and protector.
The indignation of the peoples of the world has broken out in many demonstrations in major cities, particularly in Europe, in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and, with particular combativeness, in Turkey. Faced with this popular indignation there was the cool hypocrisy of the governments, which merely "condemned and asked for explanations", when the Zionist State should be expelled from international agencies and have its preferential agreements with the European Union cancelled for its criminal activity.
Even today, June 2, it is not known exactly how many people were killed (assassinated) or how many were wounded in the operation. With the greatest cynicism, the Israeli Ambassador to Spain stated to the media, besides the refrain of self-defense, that there were only a dozen dead among more than 700 people on board, which "is a very low proportion".
President Obama, the "democrat" who is sounding war drums against Iran and North Korea, who is maintaining the criminal embargo against Cuba, who is continuing the attack on Afghanistan, and Iraq, has limited himself to regret for what happened, nothing more.
The passiveness towards the continuous aggressions and crimes of the State of Israel has allowed it to enjoy total impunity so far. It is time to put an end to that situation. This fascist, reactionary, racist State must be condemned and fought. The Palestinian people have the right to form their own State within secure borders, to recover the territories occupied by the Zionists and to be compensated for all the barbarities of all kinds that they face.
We must increase solidarity with the Palestinian people and, at the same time, denounce and fight Zionism and all that protect it. Israel has the fourth most powerful army in the world, it has an atomic arsenal and weapons of mass destruction which is a real powder keg, not only for the Middle East.
The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations expresses its total solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just struggle, which must be expressed in concrete actions. Our solidarity with the victims of Israeli piracy.
Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people. Against imperialism and reaction, a fight to the finish!

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EMEP: Not to be Indifferent Against the Attack of Israel

Public opinion of our country is now in a "puzzle" and anger with the attack, which was made to the aid ship for Palestine by Israel.

According to the first news, 10 people from Turkey died. This shows the dimension of the banditry of Israel. Who does Israel, who conducted this lawless treachery against an humanely aid, pluck up this courage from? It is clear that Israel State is responsible for the deads. On the other hand, what kind of measures did Turkish Government take, although the attack was guessed? To tell the truth, it just passed over and observed the anticipated events passively.

The Israel tyranny on the Palestinian people headed for the solidarity forces, who are not unlooker to the Israel brutality. Not only USA, who is the shield of Israeli occupier politics, but also the government in our country who has agreements with Israel is responsible for this attack. So, now, the responsibility of the government in this issue is evident: It should carry out what is needed avoiding the abuse of internal politics by the show "One minute".

Turkey has been pulled into the Middle East questions and imperialist plans and policies. Unfortunately, the government is willing to take a part in these plans with the profound strategies like "regional power", "active foreign policy". Acting in a competition with Israel, with the ambitions to become a big power is not a policy which is responsible and serves for the peace. What happened so far dreadfully prove this.

People of Turkey will be by the side of the Palestinian people in this day as they were before and will response to this attack which was directed to the aid ship, from all points of our country. AKP government should immediately draw away from the imperialist plans and ambitions, quit the agreements which will bog down our country and put an end to the bases and nuclear arms of the USA in our land.

LEVENT TUZEL
PRESIDENT

Labour Party (EMEP), Turkey
www.emep.org
international@emep.org

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Toufan: Condemn the Murderous Regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Dear Comrades,
The criminal regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran executed 5 political prisoners on early hours of May 9, 2010. Farad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Mehdi
Islamian, and Shireen Alam Hooli (female) who were kept in the dungeons of the regime for several years were given death sentences under fabricated charges. The Islamic
Republic of Iran carried out the death sentences despite domestic and international protests and campaigns for their unconditional release. These political prisoners were sentenced to death because of their opposition to the regime of the Islamic Republic.
Their executions were carried out in secret and without their families or lawyers being informed.
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) strongly condemns this hideous crime committed by the medieval regime of the Islamic Republic. We call upon our fraternal Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations, political activists, democratic organisations, labour
activists, and progressive-minded individuals to protest any form possible these barbaric crimes committed by the Islamic Regime against the sons and daughters of the Iranian people, and to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisonersin Iran.
The killings of the political prisoners are part of the Iranian regime's vain attempts to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation with the hope of preserving the political power. The mass protests of the Iranian people in the past year have frightened the regime and have further isolated it domestically and internationally. The latest crimes of the Islamic Republic will only deepen the anger, hatred, resolve and the democratic movement of the Iranian masses. In the past three decades, tens of thousand of communist, revolutionary, and progressive Iranian have fallen victims to the killing
machine of the Islamic Republic, but today a stronger generation of lionesses and loins are on the streets of Iran to demand their just rights for freedom, democracy and social justice, and to end suppression, poverty, political crimes, embezzlement, stealing, and
exploitation.
We support the rights of the Iranian masses to defend themselves in the face of the violence crimes committed against them by the brutal regime of the Islamic Republic.

Down with the Criminal Regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran!
Long Live Socialism!

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)

May 12, 2010
www.Toufan.org
Toufan@toufan.org

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Greek unions to hold new general strike May 20

Greece's two main unions on Wednesday announced a new general strike on May 20 -- the fourth since February -- and warned of more protests against austerity cuts imposed by the debt-hit government.

"We are calling for a general strike on May 20," the GSEE and Adedy unions, who together represent over 1.3 million private sector employees and civil servants, said in a joint statement.

"After this general strike the boards of the two organisations will decide on the continuation of the struggle," they added.

The unions are strongly opposed to a wave of tax hikes, spending cuts and a sweeping pension reform imposed by the government to clinch a badly-needed loan from the EU and the IMF whose first instalment is expected today.

GSEE chairman Yiannis Panagopoulos said the pension reform was a "socially unjust bill" coming in the wake of "unfair and antisocial fiscal measures."

"This bill enforces harsh austerity on pensioners and future pensioners, transferring a major load on the new generation," said Panagopoulos, who also blasted the IMF's involvement in the Greek rescue package.

(From AFP)

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For a Mayday of struggle and unity all over the world!

Workers of all over the world

After three years of profound economic crisis, unavoidable consequence of the capitalist mode of production, we are celebrating Mayday in a context of increasing unemployment, of increasing exploitation, of lowering of wages, of extension of misery and hunger;
The reactionary offensive of the Capital become more acute. In order to defend the interests of big firms and to make the workers pay for the crisis, massive firings, anti social reforms have developed; the collective bargaining is denounced by the big bosses, the repression against the workers is increasing in order to lower to the utmost the price of labour force and increase the power of the bosses.
Bourgeoisie is in the offensive in order to liquidate the economic and political rights, gained by the working class through years of struggle. After having supported banks and big firms with huge amounts of public money, they want to pay the debts of the states by reducing the pensions, by dismantling social services, by increasing the taxes paid by the people.
Therefore, the social conditions of the majority of the workers are aggravating, while the privileged strata of the society go on living in luxury and as parasite. When bourgeois newspapers speak of recovery, they speak in fact of a recovery for the shareholders who distribute big benefits.
While the contradictions and the economic imbalance proper to capitalist economy are deepening, we can see the growing contradictions between monopolies and imperialist states in order to control the markets and their sphere of influence, to take the control of raw materials and to take advantage over their concurrent.
We witness the growing aggressiveness of the decaying super power, the USA, the intensification of the war of plunder in Afghanistan and Pakistan, growing menaces against Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, coups in Honduras and in Africa, support to the criminal Zionist policy of Israel, military occupation of Haiti, preparation of aggression against Iran, installation of military bases in Columbia, menaces against progressive and revolutionary forces in all continents.
At the same time; contradictions are increasing with the other imperialist powers, especially with China and Russia and the tendencies inherent to imperialism that will lead to new wars are also increasing. Behind the smiles and the mask of pacifism we are witnessing a new militarist offensive, like the installation of anti-missiles that the US want to impose in Europe, whose costs will, as usual, be paid by the workers and the people.
All the attempts of bourgeoisie to overcome artificially the economic crisis, to cover the social, environmental and moral pleas of capitalist mode of production are vain. In this context, the struggle between capital and labor will intensify. Submitted to a fierce attack, the proletariat does not want to step back and will not remain inactive. His class interests will force him to struggle in a organized way against the dominant class.
In Europe, Asia, in America, the struggle of working class is increasing: the working class is refusing to pay for the crisis of capital and begins to gain self confidence again. It is important to stress the development of the struggle of young workers, who suffer from precarious conditions, who are over exploited; the immigrant workers without any rights, unemployed people without any kind of compensation, millions of exploited that have hardly enough for covering their needs. Poor peasants and other strata of people hit by the policy of big monopolies are mobilizing with them.
People and oppressed countries participate with their legitimate demands to the struggle against the domination of financial capital and are uniting with the revolutionary movement against their common enemy, imperialism.
In front of the reinforcement of the workers’ and people’s movement, bourgeoisie seeks an issue in the reactionary policy and the most brutal repression. Capitalists and their governments try to weaken and attack the mass organizations in which workers are uniting and struggling. They develop broadly the poison of racism and xenophobia in order to increase the concurrence among workers. Thezy mobilize on a reactionary base their petit bourgeois allies, they use fascist terror as a weapon against the workers’ and trade union movement and harass the leaders of the struggles of the workers and of the people. In thei reactionary context, we must add the attempts to illegalize communist forces and of the symbols of liberation of the workers’
This situation impose to the workers of all the countries to organize a vat unique front of struggle against the offensive of the capital, political reaction and danger of war, in order to accelerate the inevitable end of capitalist system of exploitation.
It is necessary to develop in each country a policy of unity against capital, in order to oppose the lay offs, to combat flexibility and precarious working conditions, in order to impeach the liquidation of social rights and acquisitions, for the respect and development of collective bargaining, to say “no, we shall not pay the foreign debt and no to privatizations”, to struggle for the reduction of working hours, with two days of rest per week, without diminishing of salary, for a minimum wage and social support for basic needs for the unemployed, against military budgets, for public services in health, free education for the people, for legal papers for the undocumented people, for the retreat of foreign troops in occupied countries.
Through his unity and his participation in struggle, the working class is able to smash the capitalist block, to push away the attacks of bourgeoisie and to make capitalists, rich people pay for the consequences of the crisis, pawing the way to revolutionary transformation of society.
The main obstacle to the construction of the united front is the policy of class collaboration of the social democrat and reformist parties. The policy of betrayal of the interests of the exploited, developed by the social democrat and reformist leaders, the trade union leaders who are collaborating, appears more and more openly. This policy, through “social dialogue” disarms and divides the workers and pushes them to capitulate.
But these forces who are installed for years in the bourgeois institutions have lost their credibility among the workers who criticise more and more firmly their lack of coherence and their weakness, their role as liquidators of the struggles and their support to the reactionary forces.
In the struggle against imperialism and bourgeoisie, it is not possible to make steps forward without defeating opportunism, without breaking passivity and the policy of division waged by social democracy, opportunist and other chauvinist forces.
In the development of the struggle between social classes, always broader sectors of workers and exploited people grasp the reality of imperialism and abandon their reformist illusions and convince themselves of the necessity of the social revolution of the proletariat in order to build a new and more advanced system.
The capitalism of monopoles, imperialism is a parasitizing system condemned to death whose only objective is maximum benefit for a minority of exploiters and therefore, it is impossible to reform it. Bourgeoisie has shown her incapacity to be the ruling class of society and it is more and more evident that bourgeoisie is not compatible with society and nature.
The only way to put an end to the devastating consequences of economical crisis, to unjust wars, to destruction of environment, to the extension of corruption, to the endemic troubles of capitalism, is to develop revolutionary action for the conquest of political power by the working class and its allies, in order to abolish the bourgeois relationships of property and to build socialism.
We call the best elements of the proletariat, the young revolutionaries to participate in eah country to the construction of true parties of the working class, to reinforce those which exist yet, because the communist party basing himself on Marxism Leninism is the warranty for conducing the struggles of the workers’ movement and popular movement to the victory.
Let us make a mayday of class struggle, expressing itself through demonstrations, mass strikes with a higher revolutionary spirit.

Let us reinforce the struggle in unity against capitalism, let us create and consolidate workers organizations, first of all the communist parties and organizations!
Let us make the monopolies, the rich and the bourgeois pay for the crisis, for which they are responsible.
Let us prove that million of workers consider revolution and socialism as their cause.
Let us develop international solidarity among workers and people.

1st of May 2010

International Conference of Marxist Leninist Parties and Organizations

http ://www.cipoml.org

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2010 International Youth Camp to be held in Turkey

Τhe traditional summer youth camp in our country will host the international youth camp that the world youth holds every year in a different country. The Youth Camp, which deals with different and important issues every year, will bring together those who say, “The world youth is fraternal” this year. The camp, in which thousands of young people from Latin America, Europe, Balkans, Caucasia and Turkey will participate, will be held on the coast of Pamucak of Selcuk in Izmir on 3-12 August.
The world youth, who is left without a future and sent to war in an era in which unemployment and philistinism are presented as if they  are the only possible destiny, will come together for work, education and peace, will knead their longings and ferment their hopes...This longing, coming from the youth of the entire world who will meet in the Aegean, will then spread from the Aegean waters to the world in its youngest form.
Thousands of young people from hundreds of universities, high schools and industrial estates from many of countries will join in the camp, which the youth from Turkey, Spain, Brazil and Tunisia has already taken charge of convocation. The convocation of the camp, for which young people from all over the country have already started to organise, is as follows:

THE WORLD YOUTH IS MEETING!
We are the young people from the entire world.  We are the green branches of our world, which has aged excessively, as a grand Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet said. We have common dreams and hope. We will manage to get rid of the hopelessness which we are driven in and show them how rich our horizon, our dreams and our world are. We will light the fire of hope and spread it everywhere in a period in which the world youth drifts to suicide and depression.

WE WILL MAKE OUR DREAMS MEET REALITY!
We will prove that it is possible to create a world, in which there is no war, no exploitation and a world where we produce together and share. The culture of collective solidarity and the culture of loving and  having respect for others will come into being  with us, the youth...We will bring the labour together with this culture, the individual together with society, the politics together with our life, the new together with history and our dreams together with reality. The centre of the world is a place where we come together so that we will be able to share our longing, discuss our problems and revive our hopes. We have been in a different centre of the world each year and this year it will be in the Aegean.

THE YOUTH WILL PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE
The camp includes concerts, theatre activities, work shops and chats. Four basic open sessions will be held: “Wars, Peace and the Youth”, “Economic Crisis, Unemployment and the Youth”, “Right to Education” and “the Environmental Question”. Solutions for common problems of the world youth will be discussed in the open sessions with the attendance of specialists and young people. Furthermore, the camp will hold, some large and small forums about various issues and chats with art workers, intellectuals and authors. The branches, clubs and societies, which conduct the activities at universities, will have the opportunity to make their presentations and to exhibit their productions.

TOGETHER WITH NATURE AND HISTORY
The Aegean is a region that has kept art and philosophy alive throughout  history in our geography, which has hosted various cultures. Excursions will be organised to some important places in the region. The world youth will meet with history and nature thanks to excursions to Efes Antique City, Sirince Village, The House of the Virgin Mary and Kusadasi.

 

PARTICIPATION FEE
(Including breakfast, lunch and dinner for 10 days):
For the participants from Turkey 200 TL (If registered before 15 June 2010) and 250 TL (If registered after 15 June 2010)
For the participants abroad: 100 Euros
(100 US Dollars for Latin America)
MORE INFORMATION
http://www.iaayouthcamp.com
EMAIL
contact@iaayouthcamp.com

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International Youth Camp in Turkey

“Where is the centre of the world?” they ask Nasreddin Hodja. “Wherever my donkey steps on. Measure it if you don’t believe me” answers the Hodja... What if we were to ask the same question to the youth? The world youth at the grip of poverty, unemployment and futurelessness? What if we were to direct this question to the millions of young people who are left without education, whose jobs have been taken away from them, who are oppressed under the crisis and dragged into wars?
THE WORLD YOUTH IS GATHERING!

We are young people from all around the world. In spite of those trying to alienate us and make us each other’s enemies; we are gathering in order to create another world. From different geographies we will flow into the rivers and oceans; bringing our colourful cultures with us...
“Coming from the four corners of the world
Different languages we speak yet we understand each other
We are the green branches of the earth tree
There’s a nation called the youth, we belong to it.”
We are the real owners of our world that is being forced to thoroughly age; the green branches as Nazım Hikmet states. Our dreams are common, as our hopes. With our songs of all languages we will express the kind of world we wish to live in.


FOR WORK, EDUCATION AND PEACE...

We shall call out that we want neither to pay the price of an economic crisis caused by others nor to struggle with unemployment nor to be dragged to wars. We shall defend, for our future, our right to education that has been taken away from us. Tearing ourselves away from the claws of helplessness they are drawing us into; we will show how wide our horison is, how wide our dreams and our world. At a time when the world youth is being dragged to suicide and depression, we will light the fire of hope and spread it far and wide.

OUR DREAMS WILL MEET REALITY!
We are the future of the world; hence, claim it we shall. We will demonstrate that a world without wars and exploitation in which we produce together and share together is possible. The culture of collective solidarity, of loving another and of respect shall flourish with us young people... We will enable the meeting of labour with this culture, the meeting of the individual with the society, politics with our lives, the new with history and our dreams with reality.
IN THE AEGEAN, BETWEEN 3-12 AUGUST
The centre of the world is where we come together to share our longings, to discuss our problems and to flourish hope. Each year we were at a different centre of the world and this year we will meet in the Aegean. The youth coming from all around the corners of the world will also bring along their differences. Poetry, music, theatre, art, sculpture, cinema and sports will be redefined with the energy of the youth. We will think together, create together and share at the table of the sun and the sea...
On the contrary to an environment in which some produce while others consume; the 2010 Gathering of the World Youth will be the rehearsal of what is new in which a collective life will be exhibited and affinity, brotherhood/sisterhood and peace will flourish without any discrimination of language, religion or colour.
This is the time to pack our holiday bags to ferment the Aegean Sea with our dreams... The world youth is waiting for you; “be a sail, be a helm, become a fish, a boat, be water and go wherever you can...”


PARTICIPATION FEE
(Including breakfast, lunch and dinner for 10 days):
For the participants from Turkey 200 TL (If registered before 15 June 2010) and 250 TL (If registered after 15 June 2010)

For the participants abroad: 100 Euros
(100 US Dollars for Latin America)

MORE INFORMATION
http://www.iaayouthcamp.com

EMAIL
contact@iaayouthcamp.com

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“On the 140th anniversary of V.I. Lenin's birth”

The statement of the Secretariat of the
Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolshevicks)

On April, 22nd, 2010 communists and revolutionaries of all world, all to whom believes to ideals of the freedom and independence of the people, all fighters against imperialism and the reaction, all progressive mankind celebrate 140th anniversary of V.I. Lenin's birth as well whom name and deals became a symbol of liberation of all oppressed and maintained.

140th anniversary from the date of a birth of the founder of Leninism and the Soviet state V.I.Lenin's Motherland meets in the conditions of the capitalism restoration which beginning was necessary XX congress of the CPSU, marked itself a revisionist withdrawal from V.I.Lenin's precepts, which was in activity of AUCP (b) under the direction of the ingenious continuer of ideals V.I.Lenin – I.V.Stalin. Modern regime of Russia, which established semifascist dictatorship and having untied monstrous repressions under a false slogan “struggle against terrorism and extremism”, and recently – and “protection of children” isolation on politically motives of children from parents, have cast Russia into abyss of disasters and sufferings of the broadest broad masses. On absolute decline in population, by quantity of children's and infantile death rate, on criminality and narcotics growth, on a slave-trade, and corruption, etc. to disgusting indicators Russia strongly wins first place in the world. Ruling mode, in words putting forward anti-NATO slogans, continues to transform Russia into an appendage of transnational corporations, export under the dumping prices from the country minerals, placing in foreign banks gold and exchange stocks of Russia and tightening a loop on a throat of our country. That occurs in Russia today, it is impossible to name differently, than genocide of the multinational people of Russia, first of all Russian people. So the capitalism which has won Russia revenges V.I. Lenin's Native land for Leninism, for Great October, for socialism construction, for an exit from dependence, for the Great Victory over fascism.

Situation development in our country distinctly shows that a unique way of an exit from a today's condition a unique way of rescue of the country and the people of Russia is the socialist revolution. For this reason we, the Bolsheviks, united in All-Union Communist party (Bolsheviks) have lifted the Red Banner of immortal ideas of V.I. Lenin, adrirating its great doctrine. We call the working people of Russia under our banner, we urge to rise on struggle for rescue of the Native land, and the children, on struggle for Russia Soviet, Socialist!

Long live Leninism!

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In memory of Seref Aydin

Seref Aydin was born on 15 January 1951 in an Anatolian city, Amasya, situated in the Mid-black Sea region. He was a young teacher when he joined the People’s Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO) which was smashed, together with other revolutionary organisations, by the 12 March 1971 junta, and the leaders of which were executed on 6 May 1972, the same year he joined the organisation. Against all odds, he undertook the task of becoming a professional cadre enthusiastically in the THKO, which was later to become the Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey (TDKP) in February 1980.

S. Aydin was a member of the Party’s Kurdistan Committee when he was arrested in 1981, following the military fascist coup of 12 September 1980. When he was released in 1986 the circumstances were not rosy at all: the Party and its organisations were disintegrated and paralysed by the liquidationist tendencies. He was one of those militants who led the fight against these tendencies. Thus, it was not a coincidence that his consistence in this struggle as well as his attitude while in custody made him renowned in the party.

Comrade Seref Aydin had been on the Central Committee since 1987 and a member of the CC Executive Committee and the Secretariat since 1991. When he passed away in 24 September 2006, he died as a genuine Marxist-Leninist and a genuine communist whose place could not be filled easily.

Love for and belief in the workers and the people, learning from comrades and workers, working with limitless dedication and modesty as well as revolutionary assertion, educating the young generations with the progressive international culture of the working class as well as the national one… There is no doubt that Comrade Seref Aydin had a primary role in, among other things, these values being established in our party.

His name and memory will live forever in our party’s struggle.

TDKP

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INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE COMMUNIST MILITANTS PROSECUTED FOR THEIR ANTI-FASCIST STRUGGLE

Juanjo Serrano, militant from the Catalan organization of the PCPE (PCP de Catalunya) and member of its Central Committee and two members of the CJC (JCP de Catalunya), are facing a trial in which each of them could be sentenced to three years and ten months in prison.
The state prosecution claims three years and ten months in prison for three Spanish Communists, members of PCPE and the CJC. The prosecutor bases his request on the events that took place in Barcelona on 14 November 2007, on the occasion of the demonstration to protest the murder of a young anti-fascist in Madrid on November 11.
This accusation is a police farce - supported by rigged evidence without any consistency, trying to demobilize the communist organization in this country and other anticapitalist organizations operating within the anti-fascist movement.
The facts that led to this farce are the following:
On 11th November 2007 the young antifascist Carlos Palomino was murdered in the Madrid underground at the hands of a 23 year old fascist - a professional soldier of the Spanish army - which was heading for a rally of the fascist party National Democracy. Immediately after this event, rallies and protests to condemn and protest this fascist murder take place in different Spanish cities, also in Barcelona.
The state of indignation among the anti-fascist demonstrators is proportional to the brutality of the murder and the misrepresentation of information that the sytem mass media execute by presenting the fact with the familiar and interested rhetoric of "clash between antisystem youth groups".
On 14th November in Barcelona, several anti-fascist groups and organizations convened a demonstration, where from the first moment it is clear that the police - Autonomous Police (directed by the Minister Saura ICV-EUiA - Catalan partners of United Left and the PCE -) were instructed to not leave it peacefully discourse. The operation did not have any proportionality with the protest: police take of the center of Barcelona with the anti-riot forces ready to charge, intimidation in the subway to those attending the demonstration, ambulances prepared as if it were a theater of war, threat of charging against the head of the demonstration as it was starting to march, etc.
During the demonstration there were several attempts from the police to cut the demonstration at various points, thereby increasing nervousness and outrage of the demonstrators. This situation worsened during the march, and after having marched only 400 meters there was a brutal police charge that brought an unjustifiable situation of social unrest to the heart of Barcelona as the repression was extended to the commercial area of Passeig de Gracia and ultimately affected bystanders.
As a result of the police charge there were several injured who had to be evacuated by ambulance. There were also 5 arrests, including two comrades from the CJC-JCPC, which were taken to the police headquarters of the Autonomous Police in Barcelona; since one of the detainees was a minor at the time, police had no choice but to notify the family of his detention, if not both they would have been at least 48 hours without external communication.
Immediately, leaders of the PCPC-PCPE and CJC-JCPC, accompanied by a lawyer, presented themselves at the police station along with the parents of the detainees. At that time they were required to be identified and, after a long wait at the station, a policeman called a comrade of PCPC-PCPE and two comrades from the CJC-JCPC, informing them that they had been recognized for their role in the demonstration and had been reported by the police. A real police set-up - as our Party member could not participate in the demonstration because of work reasons - led to criminalize the communist militancy and the struggle against fascism.
In the following days the prosecution settled the report:
On one hand, the three antifascist comrades arrested in the demonstration.
On the other hand, three comrades of PCPC-PCPE and the CJC-JCPC (one of those arrested and two of the defendants in the police station), who are accused "of a crime of assault and a crime of public disorder" for supposedly staging a roadblock with trash bins and throwing stones at the police and asking for "3 years and 10 months imprisonment and being disqualified for exercising the right to stand in elections." The case of the minors was filed, since the juvenile court did not see evidence of crime. To sustain this report, the prosecution presents only one evidence, the testimony of the police, there being no other evidence of the events mentioned.
It is not the first time that the Spanish government (the prosecutos is the government representative in the judicial process) uses false charges against anti-capitalist activists of different ideologies with only the false police statement (in Spain the police statement has the level of evidence, while the other witnesses' statements do not). The difference here is that instead of a single summary that affects all the defendants on the same facts, the prosecutor's summary has split into two: one with the three activists belonging to different organizations, and other one only against Communist militants from the PCPC-PCPE and the CJC-JCPC.
For all these reasons the Executive Committee of PCPE, understanding the situation of persecution and repression against three Communists militants - who may end up being sentenced to prison in the trial to conclude in the coming months - as a planned action by the state apparatus against our political project and against the development of a revolutionary option in Spain agrees:
To conduct an information campaign at international level to increase awareness of the repressive nature of the Spanish monarchist and bourgeois regime, and its false democratic discourse.
To ask for the solidarity of as many people and organizations share the anti-fascist policies anywhere.
To develop protest and solidarity actions with the three defendants in the coming months, demanding the dismissal of the case. Likewise for the other three anti-fascist comrades tried in separate piece.
To continue and intensify the campaign against the rise of fascism in Spain, and the complicity in all state apparatuses. To especialle denounce, the upward mobility of openly fascist individuals to police commanders; promoted in recent years from the same state police academies.

 

FREEDOM FOR THE PROSECUTED OF BARCELONA!
UNCONDITIONAL STRUGGLE AGAINST THE FASCISM OF THE MONARCHIST AND BOURGEOIS SYSTEM!

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PCPE - February 2010

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Worker unions are getting ready for the March 11 general strike

March 11 is a day of general strike in Greece declared by GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers)  and ADEDY (the Civil Servants' Confederation).
The Greek workers are reacting the government’s new law --and voted Friday—that raises Greece's top VAT rate to 21% from 19% [It was 18% 5 years ago], freezes public sector pensions, cuts civil service entitlements and bonus pay, while also raising taxes on fuel, alcohol and cigarettes.
"We are expecting a big turnout Thursday, there will be demonstrations in dozens of cities around Greece", said Andreas Petropoulos, spokesperson for ADEDY. "We are just at the beginning of our strike actions".
The tax collectors have declared a 48-hour strike for Monday and Tuesday, while sanitation workers at Athens' municipal waste facility have announced they are closing the facility until Friday, extending a two-day long strike over the weekend.
At the same time, court workers will stage two-hour work stoppages every day through Thursday, and local government officials will stop work for four hours Wednesday.
Teachers’ unions OLME (high schools) and DOE (primary schools) declared a strike for March 11 too and at the same time participate in a rally scheduled for Wednesday.
The Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55 supports the strikes and has released posters, flyers, etc. to support the struggle.

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Greek FM announcement on new economic and fiscal measures

The Greek Government today announced a package of additional measures designed to safeguard the targets of the Stability and Growth Programme against macroeconomic and financial risks.
The package includes permanent measures on both the revenue and expenditure sides of the budget, which together will contribute 2% of GDP, or 4.8 billion Euro.
These measures are in addition to measures in the Stability Programme totaling 4% of GDP and measures recently announced by the Prime Minister totaling 0.5%.
They signal the Greek Government's determination to ensure a sustainable fiscal path and to restore confidence in the Greek economy.
On the revenue side, the new package includes measures amounting to up to 1% of GDP, or 2.4 billion Euro: Increases in VAT rates (from 4.5%, 9% and 19% to 5%, 10% and 21% respectively) with a fiscal impact of 0.54% of GDP or 1.3 billion Euro.
Increases in excise taxes (additional to those recently voted in Parliament) with a fiscal impact of 0.46% of GDP or 1.1 billion Euro, through 0.08 euro increase in petrol excise tax and 0.03 euro increase in diesel fuel; 2 percentage points increase (from 63% to 65%) in cigarette excise tax and 20% increase in alcohol tax; Introduction of an excise tax for electricity (2.5 euro/MWh for industrial consumption and 5 euro/MWh for household consumption - excluding electricity produced by renewable energy resources) and abolition of the excise tax exemption for diesel used by the Public Power Corporation; Increase in the excise tax for luxury goods (cars, yachts, etc).
On the expenditure side, the package includes measures amounting to up to 1% of GDP or 2.4 billion Euro: Reductions in public sector nominal wages and pensions (additional to the wage cutbacks already announced) with a fiscal impact of 0.7% of GDP or 1.7 billion Euro through 60% reduction of the 14th salary; 2% reduction in wage supplements (additional to the 10% already announced); 7% reduction in the wages and 60% reduction of the 14th salary in public sector companies; Reduction in the pensions of the Public Power Corporation and OTE (telecoms) pension funds leading to a reduction in the relevant budget allocations; Freeze in all public and private sector pensions, canceling out the announced increases incorporated in the budget and leading to savings in budgetary allocations.
Reductions in current and capital expenditures in the public sector, with a fiscal impact of 0.3% or 0.7 billion Euro through Reduction in the Public Investment Programme; (500million Euro) Reduction in the education expenditure (100 million euro from the Public Investment Programme and 100 million euro from the cancellation of the provisions for new education programmes) The whole package is accompanied by measures that highlight the Government's determination to restore and safeguard social justice as well as ensure a fairer distribution of income.
The bill has already been tabled to the Greek Parliament in accordance with the emergency procedure foreseen in the Greek Constitution and will be followed by a number of structural interventions, such as the adoption of a new bill on the reform of the tax system, the implementation of tax collection mechanisms and the fight against tax evasion.

Source:Express.gr / 4/3/2010 – 01:33

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March 11: Day of general strike

GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers)  - ADEDY (the Civil Servants' Confederation) decided to declare a general strike on March 11.

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Journalists Hold 24-Hour Strike

The Executive Board of the Athens Journalists Union (ESHEA) lashed out at the measures announced by the Greek government, calling for their abolishment as they blatantly affect crucial labour rights.
Therefore, ESHEA called a 24-hour strike on Friday protesting wages cuts. Ertonline will not be updated, as its journalists will join the strike called.

ERT news online will be disrupted from 06:00 on Wednesday, February, 24 till 06:00 Thursday, February, 25 after ERT and POSPERT trade unions decision to take part in GSEE strike action requesting protection of employees labour, financial and social security rights and the signing of Collective Agreement.

ESHEA (Union of Daily Newspaper Journalists) and all employees in Mass Media, apart from reporters covering the demonstrations, take part in the strike action.

Also participating in the strike are employees in the administration sector of Mass Media (EPHEA), magazine journalists (ESPHT), television and radio technicians (ETITA and ETER). In Athens, Mass Media trade unions participate in demonstration at 10:30 organized by GSEE & ADEDY.

Text from: ert.gr

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Strikes and Demonstrations

Protesting the tough measures announced by the government, the Greek workers decided to escalate their reactions.

The ADEDY public sector union is staging a demonstration in central Athens at 6pm on Thursday. ADEDY and GSEE will hold work stoppages on Friday. Unions are considering rescheduling the 24-hour strike they had initially called on 16 March and hold it in the coming week. Primary and secondary school teachers will go out on strike on Friday.

The Movement of the Reogranisation of the KKE 1918-55 released a poster against the goverment's meseaures and started distributing it in all major Greece cities.

We call for international support to Greek workers' movement.

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Greek public sector union to strike March 16

ADEDY (the Civil Servants' Confederation) called a new 24-hour strike for March 16 to protest against new austerity measures expected from the government to tackle the country's debt crisis.

At the same time the Primary Schools Teachers' Association, DOY, called for a 48-hour strike for March 8 and 9. ADEDY will support with a 4 hours strike on March 8.

ADEDY is calling GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers)  to coordinate for a common struggle.

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55 supports both strikes and calls people tpo participate. No tolerance for all those who bankrupted the country and are now trying to dump the effects of their crimes on poor people’s back.

See also:

The government of the bourgeois PASOK has come to “finish the job”

General strike in Greece

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PC(AP) on the Earthquake in Chile

Only with the organized peoples can we overcome the effects of the natural earthquake and its neoliberal accomplice.

Living nature, in permanent motion and transformation, has shown itself harshly on the territory of our country, causing destruction, death and sorrow throughout society, particularly among the popular masses. We of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action)  show our solidarity with each and every one of those who inhabit the territory of the Republic of Chile. Fraternally and with the same sorrow as the workers and peoples of Chile and in compliance with our communist and revolutionary duty we state:
1. We must put into motion the social organizations, neighborhood groups, committees of housing and the homeless, trade unions, student and cultural centers, , etc. and from there, create a broad movement of solidarity from people to people. At the same time we demand that the administration of state resources and external aid really focus on those who need it and not become a disgusting new source of corruption and enrichment in the hands of those who always feather their nest in the "private sector" and the public or state sector.
2.-We must not allow sorrow to cloud our view and hide the criminal responsibility of the neoliberal economic system, which with its "moral" components, based solely on "profit", has been laid bare with the collapse of bridges, houses, buildings with new departments, as well as others that were so old that for many years they should not have been standing and in which families of workers live cramped together. The "development" without planning of neighborhoods and villages in coastal shores is another crime of neoliberalism. In all this, we cannot ignore the responsibility of those who have ruled until today, as well as of those who soon will rule and are equally promoters of the same economic and social system.
3.-We are thankful for the offers of aid from abroad, particularly from countries that have respect for the sovereignty and dignity of peoples, and we reject the interference and outrage that the imperialists carry out under the guise of humanitarian support. It is serious and outrageous that Obama, from his post as spokesperson for the U.S., in his offer of aid, has included that of "security." Mr. Obama, we do NOT need your "marines". The Chilean Government should answer and strongly reject this proposal; any way from the social and popular organizations, we must not allow such a deed.
4.-It is time that the State, the government of M. Bachelet and that of Piñera that will take office on March 11, must not only use the 2% set aside by the constitution for disaster, but once and for all take the funds that are locked up in Yankee banks and immediately use them to overcome the material effects of the earthquake and at the same time create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Nature does its own thing and thus we human beings, who are part of nature, must do ours and that is to create the best conditions to ensure life and its development; so socially we must overcome neoliberalism and advance to a planned society where the human being is the center of everything, so that the winter storms, the summer heat and droughts, and earthquakes cease to have the traumatic and sorrowful effects that strike us today, as the "curse of destiny."
Unity, strength and mobilization to overcome the effects of the earthquake of nature and neoliberalism.

United in sorrow and the struggle for happiness.

Political Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action)
February 28, 2010

www.accionproletaria.com

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Statute of the Communist Party (1945) / RERELEASED!

 

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released  the statute of the Communist Part of Greece that was formed in the 7th Party Congress in 1945.

Pages: 12Size: A5
Language: Greek
2 euros

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Vasilis Papasotiriou - A year after his death

In late January completed one year from the day (January 31, 2009), which the revolutionary communist comrade Basil Papasotiriou, chairman of the "Movement for Gathering of the Communist Party 1918-55 and editor of "ANASYNTAXI" passsed away.  
With his death, the "Movement for the Reoganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55" lost a very valuable partner and strain because of its rich revolutionary action which had great racing reputation not only in the ranks of the revolutionary Communists Marxist, Stalinist-Zachariadis, but also in the adversary ideological-political space of Khrushchev revisionist social democrats.

His death was a great and irreplaceable loss not only for the "Movement" and the entire revolutionary communist and labor movement in the country.

See also: Cde Vasilis Papasotiriou, the president of the “Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55” and publisher of the newspaper “Anasintaxi”, passed away

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General positions of "Movement for the REORGANISATION of KKE 1918-55" in short (in Greek)

We recently re-released in electronic form a small book with our main positions on the unity of the communists in a UNIFIED single party, the revolutionary Stalinist/Zachariadist KKE 1918-55 based on the principles of Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism.

The edition is divided in the following sections:

A. Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism: The revolutionary ideology of the Communist Party
B. Proletariat - Party of new type - Proletarian Revolution
C. Socialism - Communism
D.Comintern - Cominform
E. Khrushchevit revisionism - Withdraw of the dictatorship of the proletariat - Restoration of the capitalismin the Soviet Union
F. KKE 1918-55 -   Nikos Zachariades - Khrushchevit revisionism
Extra: It is absolutely correct and adoptable the use of term “Stalinism”

The whole text follows in Greek.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17303237/-191855

Γενικές σύντομες Θέσεις της «ΚΙΝΗΣΗΣ για ΑΝΑΣΥΝΤΑΞΗ του ΚΚΕ 1918-55»

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The government of the bourgeois PASOK has come to “finish the job”

February 2010
The Movement for the Reorganisation of KKE (1918-55), since the announcement of the recent elections (“Anasintaxi”, no. 306, 15-30 Sept 2009), emphasized that the collapse of the monarch-fascist party ND [New Democracy] was due to the wrecking of the economy and the bankruptcy brought by its extreme neo-liberal policies, the stealing of public funds and other scandals. Bankruptcy was a already fact before the beginning of the global capitalist crisis of overproduction. The situation, of course, reached a dead-end after the onslaught of the crisis and led the ND government to its final downfall.
The present economic bankruptcy is neither a virtual one nor gossip. It is not some kind of “trick”, a “bogey man made up by the crows of foreign capital” (“Rizospastis”, January 27, 2010, p. 31). It is not a simple “danger-mongering to scare the people” (“Rizospastis”, January 29, 2010, p. 25), but, on the contrary, it is an objective fact and a harsh reality for our country. This is proved by: the incredibly high level of the budget deficit and the public debt, the usurious lending realized under terms which are applied only in bankrupt economies, the speculative attacks, the colonial type of “surveillance” imposed by international finance capital and the continuous plummeting of the stock market. All these are real facts with severe consequences for the everyday life of the working people and the poor strata. The country is at the mercy of:

a) the international speculators and usurers,
b) the Commissioners of the imperialist EU, and
c) a neo-colonial type dependence.
The bourgeois party of PASOK has come to “finish the job”, to conclude the management of the bankruptcy by trying to transfer, in the least painful way, its effects to the working class, to the poor-middle peasantry and the poor people’s strata. Suddenly, following the shock doctrine, all the data – hidden for years – that reflect the economy’s condition are brought to light, often with dramatic overtones. The imperialists (the EU and the IMF), along with their local lackeys, after having drained whatever is left to the people’s strata and led the country to bankruptcy, are contending for who will assume control of the situation. They are asking the victims of the policy which bought the bankruptcy to pay ONCE AGAIN to overcome it, promising some survival morsels, so that they can be victims again in the future.
Either direct pay reductions or a “pay freeze”, which will decrease purchasing power, reduction by half of the already meagre tax-free earnings that will certainly bring a further fall in income.
Increase of unemployment not only without a labour protection policy but, on the contrary, with more employment “flexibility” as the capitalists demand without even the morsels of “social care policy” except the unspeakable coupon for some unemployed, an offer straight from the capitalists’ garbage.
Continuous increase in the costs of living, including increases in the prices of necessary articles, in the fuel tax, in the indirect taxes and an almost certain increase in the “low” VAT [Value Added Tax] rate for basic goods.
A blow at the insurance system with cuts in medical and health benefits (for which the working people have paid dearly) and an open, and for the first time, clear confession that the pension age will rise to 67 years. A final blow will be dealt at institution for heavy and unhealthy occupations whose existence is, allegedly, unfair (we should only recall that the nurses’ job is still not included in this classification). On the other hand, there is will be full tolerance for the capitalist appropriation of workers’ insurance deductions that, together with state embezzlement, has brought the whole insurance system to its knees.
Despite the real fact of the economy’s bankruptcy and precisely because of that, the working class and the people have to actively resist the new racking measures and through united, massive strikes to demand: that the industrialists and bankers pay from their huge profits and all the capitalists who evade paying taxes and illegally and provocatively retain the insurance deductions; the increase of the enterprise tax rate that was reduced by the Karamanlis government from 35% to 25%; the taxing of the church’s incalculable property; not to take away what is left of the workers’ insurance rights. These measures will not pass!
Not only there will be no consensus and tolerance, as the social democrat leaders of “K”KE-SYN stammer while at the same time they rush to meet with the Prime Minister for an “update” and anticipate with fear the imminent social upheaval. On the contrary, through fighting unity, the affected people’s strata, the working class, the poor and middle peasantry and the youth, will make this upheaval not only “heroic” but also effective.
No tolerance for all those who bankrupted the country and are now trying to dump the effects of their crimes on poor people’s back.

Movement for the Reorganisation of KKE (1918-55)

PO Box 3689, 102 10 Athens
Greece
Tel: +30 2108621543
Site: http://anasintaxi.awardspace.com
Blog (English):http://anasintaxi-en.blogspot.com
Blog (Greek):http://anasintaxi.blogspot.com

Article published in Revolutionary Democracy, Vol. XVI, No. 1, April, 2010

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Iran: Three major independent labour organizations sent a joint letter to the United Nations Commission of Human rights

Three major independent labour organizations- the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburb Vahed Bus Company,
the Syndicate of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company, and the Free Union of workers of Iran- have sent a joint
letter to the United Nations Commission of Human rights. They have asked the 7th session of Universal
Periodic Review of the UN to review their demands for a dignified life free from any form of suppression
and intimidation. These organizations have protested their inhumane treatment by the regime of the Islamic
Republic of Iran. In their letter, they describe the miserable economic conditions of the Iranian masses and
particularly of the Iranian working class. They have put forward several demands including:
- Unconditional freedom to establish independent worker organizations
- Unconditional freedom of assembly, strike, and protest
- Freedom of all detained or imprisoned worker-activists
- Complete equality of men and women in workplace and in all aspects of life
- Abolishment of all forms of child labours
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) support these just demands and calls on fraternal Marxist-Leninist
Parties and Organizations, all progressive minded individuals, and all worker-activists to protest the harsh
treatment of the Iranian workers by the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic. We demand the immediate
release of prominent union leaders Mansour Ossalou, Ebrahim Madadi, Alireza Saghafi, and Ali Nejati.

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)
February 2010
WWW.Toufan.org
Toufan@toufan.org

Below is the letter the three worker-organizations have sent to the UN Human Rights Commission.

TO: Human Rights Council of the United Nations
In the 7th session of the United Nations’ rotational review of human rights on 15th to 17th of February 2010
in its headquarters in Geneva, the human rights situation in Iran is being reviewed. The beginning of this
session coincides with the 4th anniversary of international solidarity with the imprisoned workers of the
Iranian Transit Company. On 15th February 2006, many international workers and members of trade
unions expressed their support of these detained workers and raised their protesting voice s against the
anti-union activities in Iran, to the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). During all the years after
the workers and union activists were detained, the IRI authorities have said that the imprisoned workers
would be released if they sign undertakings not to be involved in union activities. The security forces have
declared that despite the fact that IRI was signatory to international treaties, it was not to its national
interests to permit the formation of workers’ unions and syndicates, and anyone attempting to do just that
would be considered an enemy of the IRI and would be charged as such. In the past 30 years, despite the
main demands of the 1979 revolution, the financial conditions of the working class in Iran not only has not
improved, poverty and destitute aspects and lack of income has become rampant amongst them. The
situation is so bad that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has categorized Iran among the worst
3 countries in the world in terms of working conditions and the most basic rights of workers being denied.
The working situation of youth and women has reached catastrophic proportions. Lack of work place
safety, temporary monthly contracts, and blank contracts have become routine practice in hiring workers.
The minimum wages in Iran is four times less that poverty line. Families of millions of workers are
constantly desperate to earn daily substance because of delayed payments for their labors, and the huge
numbers of unemployed and ones in danger of becoming employed workers has created hell on earth for
them and their families and dependants. To them, the only way out of such inhuman conditions is to make
drastic charges in all levels of finances and social sectors. Those inhuman conditions have been imposed
on the Iranian workers when they were denied of all their internationally recognized rights in the past 30
years. Any strike, protest or attempt to organize has been faced with suppression, threats, unemployment
and national security related charges. Despite the clear and present danger of suppression and
unemployment, the Iranian workers filled the scenes with their protest against their backbreaking
conditions. In hundreds of production and industrial centers, they organized many gatherings to show that
they were not willing to continue to live in such inhuman living and working environments. We see some
aspects of their protests in the passed month where many of the participants in the street movements
consist of women, youth and their families. The 7th session of the United Nations’ rotational review of
human rights is being held at the time when the president and vice president of the Syndicate of Workers
of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Ossalou and Madadi, the Syndicate of workers of Haft Tapeh Sugar cane
Company Ali Nejati and Alireza Saghafy along with many other labour activists are in jail and a teacher
like Mr. Farzad Kamangar is sentenced to be hanged. Many participants of the May Day celebrations are
still awaiting court decisions and many other syndicate members are in a limbo of being suspended from
their works. We hope that demands of the Iranian workers of living honorable lives, away from any fear of
suppression and threatening environment, will be considered in your session and is this issue is placed on
the agenda of the 7th session of the United Nations’ rotational review of human rights. The most urgent
and most basic demands at the present time are:
- Abolishment of executions, immediate and unconditional release of labour activists and all other social
movement activists from jails
- Rescinding all charges against labour movement arrestees
- Immediate and unconditional freedom in the formation of labour unions without the need to have
permission from managements , compliance with all labour related international conventions, eradication
of all non-labour establishments from working environments, and to prosecute the suppressors and
deniers of workers’ human rights
- Unconditional rights to have strike, protest, and freedom of speech
- Complete equality between men and women at work and in all other aspects of social, economical, and
family lives
- Total abolishment of child labour and providing educational and medical environment for all children
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company
Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company
Free Union of Workers in Iran

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General strike in Greece

February 24 is a day of general strike in Greece. We support the strike declared from GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers) -ADEDY (the Civil Servants' Confederation).

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Toufan: We Strongly Condemn the Criminal Execution of Ehsan Fatahian!

Once again, the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran acted barbarically and added one more page to its long criminal record. The Islamic Republic of Iran executed the young Kurdish activist Ehasan Fatahian.
Ehsan Fatahian was convicted and sentenced initially to a 10-year prison term by the Islamic courts.
But because Ehsan resisted confessing to the regime's fabricated accusations and chose instead to stand by his belief in social justice, the tyrannical regime of the Islamic Republic changed Ehsan's sentence to the death penalty. Despite strong and widespread domestic and international protests, the Islamic Republic carried out the execution, and consequently faced outrage, hatred, and public anger.
The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) strongly condemns the execution of Ehasan Fatahian and expresses its utmost disgust at the regime of the Islamic Republic. We convey our sympathy to Ehasan's family.

The execution of Ehsan was carried out as the regime of Islamic Republic faced a politicaleconomic-social crises in which the struggle of the masses has intensified, and in which the chants "Death to dictator", "Imprisonment, torture, execution, has no affect anymore", etc are being heard from every corner of the towns.
Under this situation, the regime vainly thinks that imprisonment and execution of the political activists can create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation to frighten the masses and stop the democratic movement from advancing. In this political climate, the execution of Ehsan or Ehsans, as history has shown, has had the opposite result for the rulers. In the final stage of its life, the regime of the Islamic Republic can only drag the Ehsans to the gallows but cannot execute the masses of millions in their struggle.
The people of Iran, Kurd, Baluchi, Persian, Azeri, Turkeman, Arab, etc. turn their grief over Ehsan's death into a force to uproot the violent capitalist regime and continue their united struggle to remove all social inequalities and to establish democracy and social justice. The execution of Ehsan is a sign of weakness of a regime that has reached its dead end.
The fate of this anti-human regime is nothing but its violent overthrow. In tomorrow's Iran, those who ordered the killing of the people and those who had carried out will be put on trial and will be punished.
Death to the regime of crime and the execution of the Islamic Republic!
Long live freedom and socialism!

Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)

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