Joint Statement of Confederation of Labour of Russia, KTR Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, DİSK

Confederation of Labour of Russia, KTR

Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, DİSK

Joint Statement (click to see the document)

We are concerned about the recent developments in Syria and its effects on the international arena.

Accordingly, the relation between Turkey and Russia entered into an alarming and dangerous process.

Therefore, we the trade unions from Russia and Turkey are compelled to make a joint statement.

We would like to remind on behalf of the workers from Russia and Turkey that the international problems should be resolved by peaceful methods but not by war, violence, or economic sanctions.

We, the workers from Russia and Turkey, support joint struggle against terrorists and similar organizations that are enemies of humanity in the social sphere, but not confrontation of our peoples. This is not only a responsibility for humanity but also a requirement of international law.

Politicians of the both countries should rigorously refrain from implementing policies that suggest the Cold War period and, on the contrary, reinforce neighbourhood relations.

It is well established that deterioration of political, economic, and social relations between the two countries and emergence of a war threat would first affect the workers’ families. The tension would bring nothing but poverty and death.

For centuries labour movement has defended and is a staunch advocate of peace and fraternity against war.

We respectfully announce the same to the people of Russia and Turkey, and the international public opinion.

Kani BEKO, President of DISK, Turkey

Boris KRAVCHENKO, President of KTR, Russia

ANTARSYA FRANCE: The most difficult night in Paris

The most difficult night in Paris

Their war, our dead

A unique attack in European history took place on Friday night. Terrorists related to the Islamic State (according to the information until now) killed more than 129 people with almost 200 injured, a lot of whom are in a critical condition. The testimonies, specifically from the Bataclan concert hall, in the 11^th arrondissement are horrifying. Terrorists shot in the crowd and killed people one by one, whilst they were belted with explosives for accomplishing their aim when police would arrive.

The shock of this attack is greater than ever. The black ravens of the EU and extreme right wing invest on this feeling of mourning and anger. Marie Le Pen, seeking for a way to appear as the only reliable power of security, referred to the ‘right but belated’ borders’ closure asking for its permanent expansion and for the rearmament of the French police and army. This is the centrepiece of her political party campaign of intimidation and islamophobia. The failed and respondent to financial scandals, ex-president Sarkozy referred to the war that terrorists declared and highlighted the need for response, apparently military response in and outside France. The big winner, president Hollande, whose popularity was in the lowest post-war rates, stated that he was devastated, declared the French State in emergency starting strict controls in the borders and highlighted the need for national unity. Contrary to this ‘holy alliance’, the French political parties have already begun to juxtapose the Syrian refugees who constitute the direct reason for borders’ closure. The victims of ISIS, who defied many hardships in order to escape from them, are equated to terrorists.

These attacks, ten months after these on Charlie Hebdo, confirm a dreary phenomenon in the French society. The perpetrators have not been identified, however it seems that most of them were French citizens. French citizens of a lower level, excluded, poor, recruited by the Islamofascists of ISIS either to fight in the Middle East or to prepare attacks in the countries of unbelievers. A cycle of blood that is fed by the imperialist interventions which are greatly supported by the latest ally of Tsipras, Francois Hollande. During a period in which the French army is interfering in more countries than the USA and that after the attacks of November 13^th is expected to increase its forces. ‘Social-democrat’ Hollande struggles to become the bloodiest president of post-war France, having already interfered in Mali, Libya, the Central African Republic and of course in Syria. In Syria, the blind air attacks against the Islam fascists of ISIS, partisans and Assad sympathizers have started again in the last days after the arrival of the Charles De Gaul aircraft carrier in the area.

The military arm of European imperialism is fully expressed through the militaristic development of France in recent years. In perfect harmony with Germany which has undertaken the role of policing the EU’s internal and financial affairs, France has followed a policy outlined by Sarkozy since 2007 and has strengthened the French army so that it can intervene abroad. The direct interventions in Africa, M. East and the indirect intervention in the Ukraine show the trend of European Imperialism which is becoming increasingly aggressive, within and outside EU borders.

Another element that has met an enormous increase after Charlie Hebdo is the counter-terrorist action of the police and the army. An action whose only effect, as was demonstrated in the most tragic way, apart from costing the French taxpayer is to reduce freedoms and to target the most excluded parts of the population even more and is considered as the only mode of action against the collectively “evil”. In fact, in his statement after yesterday’s tragic events, President Hollande warned that the implementation of the emergency status, will free police to raid homes without need for judicial intervention.

The stance of the Front de Gauche is also sad. Its two main components, the Parti de Gauche and the PCF have aligned with the wave of national conciliation. The first by postponing the conversation about the causes and highlighting the issue of defending the Republic, while the PCF, more vulgar as usual, backs the emergency status.

Fortunately, the honor of the left was saved by the Lutte Ouvriere and the NPA when they refused to leave aside the enormous responsibility of the policies of the French State. The slogan of the announcement of the comrades of the NPA “Vos guerres, nos morts”, “Your war, our dead” expresses us perfectly. As in Ankara a little while ago, as in Syria every day, we do not tolerate any national unity with those who conduct wars. The islamofascism of ISIS has faced a much more dynamic response from the Rozava guerillas than from those who nurtured it and no longer control it.

But, the hardest, most difficult and timely task of the revolutionary left is to reverse the tide of Muslim youth towards the Islamofascism of ISIS. This cannot be done by wishing it and the French left has moved away from these segments of the population. Once again it is shown that radical events like the uprising of the suburbs 10 years ago do not necessarily lead to a shift to the left. Today when ISIS volunteers throughout the civilized West multiply, we know very well that the imperialist centers cannot and do not want to reverse this climate. Today, we must become the stanchion of the refugee, the immigrant, the excluded, by putting forward class solidarity, thus removing him from the vortex created by the state repression and the semblance of significance offered by the fascists.

Neither Islamic nor European, no fascism shall pass

ANTARSYA FRANCE

General strike 12th of November in Greece. We fight back!

General strike 12^th of November

To overthrow old and new Memoranda

Defending workers’ rights against the Government-Capital-EU-IMF

We struggle in order to beat the SYRIZA-ANEL government by the popular movement.

Government-Troika escalate the war against the people

The new SYRIZA-ANEL government implements the barbarian measures of the third memorandum starting the war against the workers, the farmers, the youth.

National budget of poverty. Destruction of pension system. Huge taxes for the people and provocative tax-exemptions for businessmen and ‘investors’. Seizures-auctions of houses. Clearance sale of public property, starting from the ports, airports, railway, energy. New payroll in the public sector with reduced wages, definitive abolition of contracts in private sector. Destruction of small and medium farmers and self-employed people.

These policies aim at supporting capital profitability in order to overcome the historical crisis of capitalism destroying every popular and working right. Their goal is also the continuation of speculation of borrowers and bankers. All these against a society that suffers.

NO TO THE NEW PENSION SYSTEM THAT CONVERTS SOCIAL INSURANCE FROM A COLLECTIVE RIGHT TO AN INDIVIDUAL OBLIGATION

Specifically, with the new pension system the new government aims at applying the full abolition of the social character of insurance and its retributive function. Each of us will pay for his/her insurance. Their plan for the new pension system releases the state from its liabilities, securing just a national pension of 200 euro, leading to super-low pensions. It releases capital from its contribution. After 40 years of employment, the retirement age increases to 67 years old, leading the workers to work until they die and the youth to permanent unemployment.

We will not wait, we do not have any illusions! All workers and people need to resist! In order to impose our ‘NO’!

Tsipras’ lies about a ‘parallel plan’ and that he will apply the Memorandum with ‘social character’ collapse, as from now until December they are in a hurry to implement these austerity measures which will determine a lot of things for the next decades.

They are forgetting something. Against the climate of “there is no alternative” and of disappointment which the government and media are promoting, the resistance has already started at seaports and hospitals and by seamen, shopkeepers etc.

We must fight for the overthrow of the attack by the government- capital – EU – IMF. For the abolition of all the memoranda and the reactionary “reforms” of the capital. For the defeat of the SYRIZA-ANEL government through the struggles of a popular – labour movement. To open a new path to Greek society.

Let’s make the 12^th of November strike a defining moment in our struggle. A stepping stone for the next step. So that the battles are strengthened in each industry and every space. We continue and escalate after the 12^th of November in order to beat back all attacks!

WE FIGHT FOR:

• An exclusively public sector insurance scheme, on the basis of social needs with insurance for everyone. Pensions at the age of 60 (55 for women) or after 30 years of work. Full insurance for all kinds of flexible employment and periods of unemployment paid by the employers and the state. No pensions bellow 900 euros. Abolition of all reactionary insurance laws. A return to the public funds of everything that was stolen from them (like the 11 billion euros of the PSI, the reserves which were taken during the first half of 2015, the 70 billion euros which were looted until 2010 with structured bonds etc.)
• Measures against the nightmarish unemployment here and now. Unemployment benefitswithout preconditionsat the heightof the minimum wage. At least 40 thousand recruitments in the education and health sectors so that the gaps are filled and they don’t collapse. Regular recruitments to stop the outrage of the employers grants and the unemployment recycling programs. Nationalization of all closed factories and their reopening under workers control. Reduction to the retirement age and working hours.
• Increases in wages. Immediate enforcement of a minimum wage of 751 euros. Restoration of collective agreements and wages in the public and private sector to 2009 levels. Against discrimination towards younger workers.
• No privatizations. Nationalization without compensation and operation under workers control of banks and strategic enterprises.
• The defense of farmers from the EU and landlords. The protection of the self employed from tax plunder, the liberalization of markets and the advance of multinationals.
• Asylum and housing to immigrants and refugees. Legalisation of all immigrants and refugees, no to ‘Europe fortress’. Frontex out of Greece. We demand the abolition of Frontex. We demand the end of the Evros fence. We demand safe and free border crossing. We demand the abolition of the Dublin II Treaty. Stop the imperialist wars. No participation of Greece in these wars. We demand the conviction of fascist murderers of Golden Dawn.

We can impose these goals by rupture with the capital, the one-way of exploitation, the EU and IMF. We need to continue by no-legitimation, stopping payments and writing off the debt. We need to struggle for exiting the Eurozone and EU.

With the organised people for the overthrow and rupture up to the end!

The government has proven that it is hostile for the working class and the people. They make efforts to convince us that there is the only one way, this of Memoranda, as Samaras, Venizelos and Papandreou did, otherwise the country will collapse.

In reality, what are collapsing are the illusions cultivated by SYRIZA that it will abolish the memoranda without breaking with the capitalists, the creditors and their state, inside the Eurozone and the EU. The “neither rupture, nor subjection” policy.

In this new round which is starting, we must take our struggle to the end. Without retreating to the blackmails of the creditors and employers which we will find before us, as in the battle for the “NO”.

The battles to come can be won by a class reconstructed workers movement and the organized people. With assemblies and comities of struggle in the workplaces. By building our own coordination from bellow with the comities of struggle and grassroots unions, with popular assemblies in the neighborhoods. With common action with all the fighting forces of the movement and the left.

Against the new government and employer unionism which sees struggles as ceremonial rifle shots. With a plan, coordination and escalation so that our battles are won, so that Tsipras has the luck of…Giannitsis!

ANTARSYA