Mobilizations of Solidarity or Tactics to Confuse the Workers?

http://mltoday.com/mobilizations-of-solidarity-or-tactics-to-confuse-the-workers?utm

In addition to the recent ITUC’s statement of “solidarity” with the Greek people, we witness in the last few days media owned by monopoly groups, international organizations and even imperialist governments promoting a campaign called “solidarity” with the Greek people.

In this campaign a key role is played also by some trade union leaderships that have long gone to the side of class collaboration, who now support the European Union, the IMF, the World Bank and even NATO and the imperialist wars. Such mobilizations are NOT “spontaneous”, but are being organised and coordinated bysocialdemocratic, reformist and even some far-right wing, racist, political parties (eg. in Greece)

The question arises as to When the monopoly groups and the governments, who have shed the blood of the peoples turned into philanthropists and started shedding tears for the Greek people? (And these are the same organizations that had a key role in supporting the imposition of the memoranda and the anti-labor policies that led the Greek people in misery.) How do they wear the mask of “Solidarity” with the Greek people, when they themselves are supporting and imposing anti-labor policies in their own countries?

PAME even before the elections in Greece had warned of the efforts to present the new government of SYRIZA as a new left party that will bring pro-people change. The truth is that SYRIZA is a new party, but a Social Democratic new party, and the Government that SYRIZA formed has in a leading role atleast 10 members of the old social democratic government of PASOK, which for years imposed anti-labor policies to the Greek people.

Also the new government in Greece has been formed with the Social Democratic SYRIZA and the far-right-nationalist party of Independent Greeks (ANEL), the President of which has served as Minister of the liberal Government of the ND party, receiving the appraisal by the toughest part of the Greek capitalists, the shipowners, due to his provocative anti-workers policy.

In its first days of the new Government:

  • Gave vows of submission and support to capitalism
  • Tried to form coalitions with the anti worker governments of Hollande in France and Renzi in Italy
  • Publicizes the support it received by the government of the USA,  the one that still keeps open the Guantanamo Base, continues the imperialist interventions and gives away billions of dollars to the American banks and multinationals, while the people of the USA live in poverty
  • Supported the sanctions of the imperialist European Union against Russia on Ukraine, following the exact same foreign policy as the previous Greek government

The new government declared that it would not abolish the measures of the memoranda and it will keep intact the 70% of the memoranda reforms, and that it will negotiate compensatory measures for the remaining 30%, compensatory measures which will be agreed by the OECD. The “negotiations” that take place between the Greek government and the Troika are on the interests of the profits of the banks and multinationals, not the welfare of the Greek people.

The Greek government negotiates the name — the title of the new measures and not the substance–  the anti-labour policy that impoverishes  the Greek people. It already seems to result in a new package of unpopular measures in a new memorandum, which simply will be given another name (e.g., bridge-agreement).

Under the false label of “left”, the new government has the absolute -official – support of Greek capital to gain time, to disorient workers in order for the workers to co-sign the new unpopular measures,the expansion and stabilization of the anti-labor laws, or at least not to resist to the new anti workersmeasures. In this direction are already utilizing the GSEE, (the General Confederation of Greek Workers) which is well known for its treacherous role towards the working class.

At the same time, at international level, they use actions as the so called “solidarity to the Greeks” to inactivate the movement in each country, creating and their respective “new saviors” (eg PODEMOS in Spain).This situation raises the questions, do the trade union and political forces that organize such solidarity movements support in their country:

  • NATO
  • The policies of the IMF and the OECD
  • The Governments of Hollande, Renzi, Obama

Or to put it in one sentence, are the trade union and political forces that organize such actions infavor of class collaboration and capitalist development or in favor of the class struggle and thefulfillment of the contemporary needs of the working class against capital?

PAME, since the formation of the new Government in Greece has stated: “Our opponent is here! The business groups, industrialists, shipowners, the hotel-owners, shoppingmall owners, all of them along with their governments and the EU burdened the consequences of the crisis and the debt on the backs of the people, and they continue to become richer over the suffering and misery of the overwhelming majority of the people. The opponent did not leave with the change of government.

Using this change the opponent remains here ready and equipped. In all sectors remains and intensifies the employers’ offensive. The layoffs, unemployment, the dominance of flexible labour relations, the unacceptable “employment programs”, the smashing of wages in every way continue to exist under a single goal: to continually reduce the “labour cost”, so as to enrich and multiply the profits of the big business groups. As long as monopolies and big business groups have the economy and political power in their hands, the labour-popular movement must be on permanent alert, ready to fight.

To fight so as to recover our losses and to enforce the fulfilment of thecontemporary needs of the working class.”The “Solidarity” actions are used to support a government that

  • Considers the European Union “our common home”
  • Is in favour of “competitiveness”
  • Is in favour of the “healthy business interests”

That is a government without a pro-people program. The next period the Greek people, the workers’ movement of Greece will face new challenges, newstruggles. In these struggles it will need the massive expression of solidarity with the struggle against thereal enemy, the local and foreign capital, the bankers, the ship-owners, the multinationals.Actual support to the Greek people is strengthening the class struggle in each country against themonopolies and the imperialist organizations, the EU and NATO. Struggle to fulfil the contemporary needs of the working class, struggle for the abolition of capitalist exploitation.

February 2015

PAME, Secretariat of International Relations

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