The Socialist 22 February 2002	Blair - the Bosses' Puppet	Cartoon by Alan Hardman
Blair - the Bosses' Puppet	NEW LABOUR came to power in 1997 promising to clean up politics.  This empty promise was never going to be realised - New Labour had made another, more serious, promise to the City of London and the unelected multinational corporations. By Hannah Sell
Support Postal Workers	Strike for the full claim: THE POSTAL workers' union CWU is negotiating with Royal Mail management for a 5% pay rise. The negotiations are against the background of a 64% majority in favour of strike action. The Socialist spoke to a postal worker about the pay talks and the attacks on jobs and working conditions.
Trade Unions' Leftward Move Worries Blair	BOB CROW'S election as general secretary of the rail workers' union RMT is good news for railworkers and all trade union activists.
Time To Break Unions' Links With Labour	IN THE Guardian (19 February) anti-capitalist commentator George Monbiot declared that: "The Confederation of British Industry, which does not give the [Labour] party a penny, swings far more weight with Tony Blair than all the hard-earned millions scraped together by the people whom Labour is supposed to represent. It would make as much sense now for workers to give their money to the Tories."
Left Victory In Northern Ireland Union	THE LEFT has won an historic victory in elections for the executive of Northern Ireland's largest trade union NIPSA.
Socialist Party Congress 2002	THE CONGRESS of the Socialist Party on 16-18 February brought together 250 delegates and visitors, with a wealth of experience in trade union work, in building the party, in campaigns amongst young people and international campaigns.  Britain: Growing anger at capitalism: THE CONFERENCE opened with Socialist Party general secretary Peter Taaffe explaining the background to current events in Britain.  Trade Unions: SOCIALIST PARTY industrial organiser BILL MULLINS, reported on the party's activity in the trade unions.  Build the Socialist Party: HANNAH SELL from the Socialist Party executive committee introduced the party-building session. Young People Are Fighting Back: OPENING THE session on work amongst young people CLARE JAMES reviewed the development of the anti-capitalist movement, and our role within it, since 11 September and the war in Afghanistan. New World Order Mk.II  THE FINAL session of the Socialist Party 2002 congress dealt with the world situation.
Revolt From Below At Berlusconi's Attacks	Thousands march in Rome: THE WORKERS and young people of Italy are locked in a mighty battle with the right-wing Berlusconi government. 100,000 marched through the centre of Rome last Friday, 15 February, in a demonstration organised by the radical, independent unions - Cobas, Cub, Rdb and others. By a CWI member, Rome
Linking Up The Workers' Struggles	CWI MEMBER Dimitri Silveira from Brazil spoke at the meeting of the Inter-Barrial Assemblea Popular of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 February. This was attended by 2,000 people, mainly delegates from the local assemblies.

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Mittal scandal exposes sleazy Labour

Blair - the Bosses' Puppet

NEW LABOUR came to power in 1997 promising to clean up politics. This empty promise was never going to be realised - New Labour had made another, more serious, promise to the City of London and the unelected multinational corporations.

By Hannah Sell

In 1998 Peter Mandelson declared: "We want Britain to be the most business-friendly environment in the world." New Labour kept this promise - they've followed every whim of big business.

Whose interests are served by privatising our public services? Not ours - for us it means the destruction of the NHS, less secure, more expensive housing and unaffordable, unsafe transport.

But for the finance companies New Labour asked to 'investigate' the case for privatisation (PriceWaterhouseCooper and Andersen) and who unsurprisingly concluded privatisation was a great idea, it has meant millions of pounds extra profit.

Blair says that he suggested to the Romanian government that they sell their steel industry to steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal because it was good for Britain's steel industry.

Presumably that's also why Britain's representative at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development was instructed to support Mittal's application for a £70 million loan to buy the Romanian steelworks!

Never mind that Mittal's company only employs around 100 workers in Britain, and has heaped cash on US politicians to 'encourage' them to support higher tariffs on steel imports to the US - which would further weaken Britain's enfeebled steel industry.

Never mind either that Mittal pays no income tax or capital gains tax on his worldwide income, using a loophole which Blair said he'd close in 1997!

Mittal became a billionaire by buying up steel plants and sacking thousands of their staff. Blair recommended him to the Romanian government. Mittal is bad for workers in Britain, Romania or any other country.

But New Labour puts the interests of fat cats like Mittal first. The inevitable result is corruption and sleaze. In this society the only kind of political party that can be truly free from sleaze is one that fights, not for the millionaires, but for the millions.

The socialist alternative

The Socialist Party is fighting to build a party made up of, and representing, working class people. Our elected representatives get no privileges - they live on the average wage of a worker.

BY CONTRAST to the big business politics of New Labour and other establishment parties, the Socialist Party's national conference last weekend had ordinary people as its delegates.

Low-paid workers, school students and the unemployed came together to discuss how to fight for a socialist society.

At the conference we raised £7,367 from 250 delegates and visitors. It's a small sum compared to the £125,000 that Mittal slipped New Labour - but it was donated from the hard-earned cash of working-class people instead of given by a fat cat to buy influence.

If you're fed up of all the sleazy big business parties - join the Socialist Party.

• Go to Socialist Party conference

 

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Strike for the full claim

Support Postal Workers

THE POSTAL workers' union CWU is negotiating with Royal Mail management for a 5% pay rise. The negotiations are against the background of a 64% majority in favour of strike action. The Socialist spoke to a postal worker about the pay talks and the attacks on jobs and working conditions.

"There's a lot of public sympathy which could be utilised in our support. The union should link the threatened redundancies with the wage issue. Royal Mail just declare that people will be getting their mail late in the day and there's nothing to counter it. All the propaganda has been coming from Royal Mail with not much from the union. The business mail subsidises the 27p stamp, so if they sell that off, the cost to ordinary people is bound to go up.

Royal Mail has agreed a £300 a week basic wage by October 2003, but they don't offer any realistic way of getting it. That's why we're campaigning for 5%.

Strike days should be named now, utilising the big ballot majority. This would strengthen the hands of the union negotiators.

Some postal workers may believe that Royal Mail is losing so much money that they can't pay us. But if we accepted a low pay rise, Royal Mail would just take advantage, saving money by making redundancies. We don't want the 5% rise paid for by job losses.

The Post Office is a public service. We shouldn't be pandering to big business, ordinary people have as much right to their mail in the morning as big business. The service will also deteriorate if fewer postal workers are delivering bigger rounds, later in the day. We won't have as much contact with the public."

Consignia has warned the postal regulator Postcomm that the price of a first class stamp will have to rise from 27p to 40p when private companies are allowed to take over lucrative business post. Second class stamps would go from 19p to 30p.

 

The Socialist demands: End low pay and long working hours. For the full pay claim of a minimum wage of £300 for a 35-hour week. Stop the break-up and privatisation of the Post Office. Renationalise what has already been hived off and run the Post Office as an integrated public service under democratic workers' control and management. End all closures, redundancies and 'rationalisation'. Use improved technology to benefit postal workers and provide a better service.

 

 

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Trade Unions' Leftward Move Worries Blair

BOB CROW'S election as general secretary of the rail workers' union RMT is good news for railworkers and all trade union activists. It has thrown the Blair government into a spin. Crow is the latest in a series of younger, more left-wing trade union leaders to be elected.

The capitalist press, from The Sun to the Times, did everything in their power to prevent Crow's election, conducting a campaign of vilification that is unprecedented since the campaign against our party (then called Militant) and Scargill in the mid-1980s.

It is not accidental that Tony Blair, during his 'wreckers' attack on trade unionists who oppose privatisation, compared his struggle to Kinnock's against Militant.

Blair is worried about the prospect of growing industrial militancy and, like Thatcher before him, is preparing to take on the trade unions. But, if Blair imagines he faces an easy task he is making a huge mistake.

Crow's victory follows the election of other left trade union leaders, most notably Mark Serwotka of the PCS, and marks a watershed in the relations between the trade unions and New Labour.

When they were first elected New Labour said that their relationship with the trade union leaders would consist of 'fairness not favours'. In reality this meant continuing Tory attacks on trade unionists and keeping trade union leaders at arms length.

Despite this the right-wing union leaders have been the main cheerleaders for Blair and his policies and have done all they can to prevent their members taking action against New Labour.

But so blatant is the Labour government's support for big business that it has alienated even many of these right wingers.

It's not that these leaders, such as John Edmonds of the GMB, or even John Monks of the TUC, have fundamental differences with the government's pro-big business agenda but because the union leaders feel the ground shaking under their feet.

Blair and Brown's brutal privatisation of public services has caused a major shift in public sector workers' attitude to New Labour. Union leaders promised their members that, if they were patient, the moderate anti-strike policies of their leaders would bear fruit in time.

But workers' own experience of daily life under New Labour is increasingly leading them to draw the conclusion they will have to take action to defend both public services and their own pay and conditions.

Not all of those whom The Sun calls 'new left leaders’ are quite so left in reality. Dave Prentis of Unison, for example, was the right-wing's candidate. Nevertheless the perception of many workers is that new more combative leaders are in power and that their election is a rejection of the previous leadership's 'do nothing' moderate policies.

In the 1970s a shift to the left took place in the unions when Jack Jones and Hugh Scanlon (of the TGWU and the AEEU), were elected following a wave of struggles that began in the 1960s.

Their election led in turn to an even greater radicalisation of the whole trade union movement, that culminated in the Tory government's downfall in 1974.

Similarly today the election of a new generation of left leaders shows that rank and file union members are moving in a left direction and in the process rejecting the policies of class collaboration.

In his first term Blair was lucky but now, before the first year of his second term is even out, it is clear that New Labour will face massively increasing opposition to their Tory policies.

 

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Time To Break Unions' Links With Labour

IN THE Guardian (19 February) anti-capitalist commentator George Monbiot declared that: 

"The Confederation of British Industry, which does not give the [Labour] party a penny, swings far more weight with Tony Blair than all the hard-earned millions scraped together by the people whom Labour is supposed to represent. It would make as much sense now for workers to give their money to the Tories."

George is 100% correct on this issue. Socialist Party trade unionists support a breaking of the link between New Labour and the unions.

By Bill Mullins

We campaign for every step that increases the possibility of trade unionists supporting candidates who, unlike Tory Blair, genuinely represent their interests.

At last year's UNISON conference, Glenn Kelly from Bromley UNISON and a Socialist Party member, successfully moved resolution 131, calling for the union to consult with its branches and regions about opening up the political fund.

At this year's conference Bromley branch are moving a motion calling for a 'third fund' to be set up, which would open the way to UNISON members supporting non-Labour candidates.

UNISON's right wing leadership opposes any steps towards supporting non-Labour candidates. Nonetheless, in the leadership's consultation document on the issue, they have been forced to suggest that creating a third section of the political fund is a viable possibility.

The Socialist Party and the Free the Funds campaign (see page 8) will campaign for the third fund option at this year's UNISON conference.

In his article George Monbiot says that: "It doesn't really matter which of Britain's small progressive parties - the Greens, the Socialist Alliance, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, even the Liberal Democrats - [trade unionists] choose to support instead."

We believe that trade unionists transferring their support from one pro-market party to another (eg Liberal Democrats, SNP, or Plaid Cymru) would be a mistake.

Although all these parties have some policies that are more left-wing than New Labour, they have all - when in power in local government - carried out the same cuts and privatisation as the Blairites.

We argue for trade unionists to support credible socialist candidates (including Socialist Party candidates - we are the only socialist organisation in England and Wales to get councillors elected). Crucially, however, we argue for a new mass workers' party.

George points out that it was trade unionists who built the Labour Party 100 years ago, and suggests that "only by building a new one can they hope to win [the Labour Party] back".

We believe the time for trying to win the Labour Party back is long gone. But by standing in elections themselves, and by building a new party of working people, trade unionists could find a mass voice that truly represents them.

 

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Left Victory In Northern Ireland Union

THE LEFT has won an historic victory in elections for the executive of Northern Ireland's largest trade union NIPSA.

In a vicious election campaign NIPSA's old conservative leadership used black propaganda and dirty tricks.

But the left, organised in a loose alliance under the name 'Time For Change, Time For a Fighting Democratic Union', won 13 out of a possible 25 seats on the Executive.

Of 13 left candidates elected, six are members of the Irish Socialist Party.

The result has sent shock waves through the bureaucracy of Northern Ireland's unions - the old failed policies of compromise and retreat from struggles are increasingly being rejected.

Union members demand a leadership that can make real gains for workers. In NIPSA the key issues have been the old leadership's failure to support members in struggle.

The development of 'Time for Change' was accelerated by a rebellion in NIPSA's ranks when the old leaders tried to sell out the struggle of term-time workers in education.

The term-time workers' struggle defeated the union bosses, education employers and the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was a huge victory for thousands of workers.

After this victory the old leadership tried to take control of pay negotiations from the union members. Again members fought back demanding that they be consulted.

These attacks are linked with attempts to destroy union democracy by attempting to stop conference, using legal moves to rule conference motions out of order and taking the union to the government certification officer.

Members have clearly learned from these experiences and now demand a leadership that will lead a fight for improved living standards and will defend union democracy.

The implications of the left vote in these elections will very quickly impact on the Northern Ireland Assembly as the Assembly parties are preparing for the biggest attack on public services in years.

The NIPSA vote will be enough on its own to make the politicians more cautious. NIPSA is a potentially powerful union, organising workers in both the civil service and the public services.

NIPSA covers the same sections of workers as organised by UNISON and the PCS in Britain.

NIPSA has the strength to bring Northern Ireland's public service to a halt. The real test now will be "can the new union leadership put the Assembly into full retreat?"

 

 

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Socialist Party Congress 2002

Congress Documents

THE CONGRESS of the Socialist Party on 16-18 February brought together 250 delegates and visitors, with a wealth of experience in trade union work, in building the party, in campaigns amongst young people and international campaigns. 

Alison Hill, Dave Carr, Ken Douglas and Roger Shrives report on the discussions and decisions.

Britain: Growing anger at capitalism

THE CONFERENCE opened with Socialist Party (SP) general secretary Peter Taaffe explaining the background to current events in Britain. 

The attacks of 11 September and the brutal war which followed illustrates the bleak prospect which capitalism has for most of the planet.

Refuting claims by leading establishment economists that the worst of the economic crisis is over, Peter explained how serious the world crisis is, notably Argentina's record debt default and the biggest corporate collapse ever by Enron.

Blair and Brown try to claim that Britain has somehow escaped the world crisis, ignoring the attrition of manufacturing industry. Anger is building up from below at the job losses and the disgusting inequalities between the bonuses paid to the bosses and the poverty wages of many workers.

MANY DELEGATES referred to the shift to the left from below. SIMON DONOVAN from Waltham Forest in east London explained how public-sector workers were gaining confidence. A strike to defend jobs and social services in the local council saved 22 jobs and built the workforce's confidence for action to save every job the council wants to cut.

BILL JOHNSON, a London Underground worker, spoke on the breakthrough for the left represented by Bob Crow's election as leader of the RMT rail union. London Underground workers now want more action to defeat Blair's privatisation scheme. 95% of the money for the scheme will come from government yet the private companies involved will own the infrastructure for 30 years.

Strike action extracted the promise of no compulsory redundancies but SP members on London Underground will keep fighting in the unions for a public campaign against privatisation, including a demonstration and for renationalisation of the whole railway network.

He said many RMT members had concluded that the union should disaffiliate altogether from the Labour Party.

MATT WRACK a visitor from Tower Hamlets branch argued it was premature to campaign for trade union disaffiliation from the Labour Party. Instead we should campaign to democratise the political funds and demand that union leaders put pressure on New Labour.

His opinion was that we should not have left the Socialist Alliance (SA). Some workers may still look towards the Alliance including FBU members.

Later in the discussion, GLENN KELLY replied to Matt Wrack. Our principled position is for disaffiliation from the Labour Party, now that it's a big business party. But how the campaign develops may be tactically different in each union.

Many council workers hate New Labour locally but on a national basis they cannot see an alternative. That is why we call for the formation of a new mass workers' party and at the same time support all steps towards such a party, such as campaigning in UNISON for the formation of a third fund.

In reply to Matt Wrack, DAVE NELLIST, leader of the Socialist group on Coventry city council, stressed that a genuine alliance needs more than just a name to mean anything to workers - amongst other things it must have a democratic approach.

The forces for a new workers' party will come through the trade unions and community campaigns and workers will demand open and inclusive organisations to fight for their demands.

NAOMI BYRON warned of the possibility of some electoral success for fascist parties like the BNP in May's local elections. This is a direct result of New Labour's policies creating pockets of deprivation and decline.

DAVE REID from Cardiff said that contempt for all politicians is so great in Wales that even the poor 35% turnout in the Ogmore by-election is being celebrated. New Labour are worried about the turnout in next year's Assembly elections.

JIM McFARLANE, a visitor brought greetings from the Socialist Party's sister organisation in Scotland. The Scottish economy has suffered many blows recently, like the 4,300 jobs lost at electronics firms NEC and Motorola. 700 have been sacked from Levi's and many call centres are threatened with closure.

But workers have been fighting back, train drivers, council workers, NHS staff amongst others. Reflecting this upturn, the Scottish paper International Socialist is being relaunched as a monthly paper (see page 8).

The government have turned a dispute over a simple industrial demand for safe working conditions into a political trial of strength. TERRY ADAMS spoke on the Jobcentre-plus dispute, affecting thousands of civil service union PCS members. He explained how over the last six months 320,000 days have been lost in strike action in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Trade Unions

SOCIALIST PARTY industrial organiser BILL MULLINS, reported on the party's activity in the trade unions. With the election of a layer of new trade union leaders the confidence of many activists has been raised.

As ROGER BANNISTER explained, workers see the possibility of changing union policy. Despite years of anti-union legislation and spin, workers' class instincts are coming to the fore.

With significant groups of Socialist Party members in many unions, we have scored a number of victories in disputes over the last few months. The defence of the 35-hour week in Knowsley council, the pay rise for education support workers in Kirklees and the restoration of ancillary workers to NHS employment in Wakefield are just some examples.

In summing up, KEN SMITH pointed out that Blair sees his battle with the 'wreckers' as like former Labour leader Neil Kinnock's battle with Militant, (which the Socialist Party was formerly known as).

The national committee's resolution on trade union work was passed unanimously. The resolution on Britain was also carried with a few additions.

Copies of the resolutions have been distributed to Socialist Party branches but more copies are available. Ring: 020 8988 8777.

 

Build The Socialist Party

HANNAH SELL from the Socialist Party (SP) executive committee introduced the party-building session. She said the pace and scale of working-class struggles in Argentina shows the urgency of our 'dual tasks' i.e. building a new, mass workers' party and our Marxist party.

Summarising the SP's performance over the last 12 months, Hannah spoke of the many working-class struggles we've led. She also listed the many national campaigns and events the party has conducted. This included a general election campaign and building an anti-war movement, while raising a programme of socialist internationalism against imperialist intervention.

Last year we helped launch a broad-based, democratic socialist youth organisation, International Socialist Resistance (ISR) - to inject socialist ideas and methods into the anti-capitalist movements. In December, ISR's 500-strong conference in Brussels brought together similar organisations within Europe.

The SP also held a successful weekend educational event - Socialism 2001. Socialism 2002 (26/27 October) will aim to be even better attended.

In December, SP members promoted an anti-privatisation conference, bringing together trade union "broad lefts" in UNISON, CWU, PCS and NUT.

Our party structure rests upon our party branches. As working-class struggles accelerate in 2002, and with elections due in May, we must increase the number and strength of our branches. (Conference agreed new national recruitment targets.)

"Persistence and patience" said Hannah, are key words in reaching the targets, as is structuring branch meetings and activities to attract and retain new members.

"Recruitment is every member's responsibility", she emphasised, "from the longest standing member, for party officers, to the newest member."

 

IN THE discussion, ROB WINDSOR, Coventry SP councillor, showed how our party's "specific weight" is often greater than our numbers in leading local campaigns on housing, fighting PFI, defending trade unionists, etc.

ELEANOR DONNE, NC, dismissed New Labour's idea that women have achieved equality under capitalism and explained how SP members have brought social issues such as domestic violence onto the unions' agenda.

KEN DOUGLAS explained The Socialist's crucial role in party building. The SP's successful intervention in the anti-war movement was aided by the paper's analysis and programme which promoted our socialist ideas.

A new party member in Exeter used The Socialist to approach trade union activists and union members in the PCS, the TGWU and UNISON. (A day school for party members on The Socialist will be held on 16 March.)

PHILIP STOTT, guest speaker from the CWI in Scotland (International Socialists - IS), spoke of their progress in rebuilding the forces of Marxism.

IS members recently organised a successful speaking tour (including speaking to Edinburgh postal workers) by a CWI member from Northern Ireland on fighting sectarianism.

IS members are building support in trade unions such as UNISON and the PCS union. The RMT rail workers' union in Perth invited the CWI to speak on the Afghan war.

STEVE WOOTTON from Bristol explained what lay behind the explosive growth in the South West region's membership - door-to-door petitioning in the election, intervening on the war issue at the freshers' fairs and rapid response ("within 48 hours") to follow up names of potential new members.

VASEEM KHAN, Tower Hamlets, raised the importance of the SP Black and Asian caucus in developing a socialist programme to combat racism.

CATRIONA WILLIAMS, Cardiff, successfully moved a resolution on strengthening the party's structures to build our ideas amongst women.

Young People Are Fighting Back

OPENING THE session on work amongst young people CLARE JAMES reviewed the development of the anti-capitalist movement, and our role within it, since 11 September and the war in Afghanistan.

Demonstrations in New York and Brussels showed that young anti-capitalists were still determined to show their opposition to the system but, in the words of one protester, "nobody really knows where we're going yet."

Worldwide 60% of the population are under 25 and a third of these under 15 but capitalism has nothing to offer most of these young people. In Britain, most young people are already in low paid, casualised and temporary jobs.

International Socialist Resistance (ISR) can tap into the anger that is building and become the socialist wing of the anti-capitalist movement. The main international campaign - fighting education privatisation - will be marked by a day of action on 15 March with half-day walkouts and strikes in schools and colleges across Europe.

Consistent work can create a mood in a school or college, encourage students to talk to their friends and put material up. A democratic youth organisation is built from the grassroots and this provides an opportunity to build bases in schools and colleges.

Many young members of Socialist Students and Save Free Education (SFE) have joined the Socialist Party.

 

ALIX from Cardiff spoke of how the Welsh Assembly had made concessions on tuition fees but only for parents on a joint income of below £15,000! Nevertheless it showed that they were susceptible to pressure.

PAUL HUNT from Coventry reported on the success of Socialist Students' campaign against the war. Students are signing up at every stall and a lecturer has joined who now sells The Socialist in his department.

ZENA AWAD, London, reported that youth in the Black and Asian caucus would be campaigning to get Lewisham Socialist Party councillor Sam Dias re-elected and taking up campaigns against police harassment and for youth facilities.

MANNY DOMINGUEZ from Bradford spoke of the support amongst Asian youth for the 15 March education shutdown.

MIKE GOODWIN from Manchester stressed the continuing role for Youth against Racism in Europe (YRE) and the work they'd done in Oldham and Burnley after the riots. 20 local trade union branches had affiliated to YRE and they had attended a UNISON black members conference. They had launched a campaign for facilities for young people in Oldham.

JOSIE NICHOLLS from Leicester said we must aim to recruit young workers. Three young PCS members who she had met on the picket line were now coming to the branch.

Replying to the discussion KIERAN ROBERTS urged every area to help set up an ISR branch and build for the 15 March education shutdown. ISR aimed to have 500 members by July and 1,000 by December.

---

 

ALIX and ELEFERIA, two students from Cardiff university.

"The conference was very good. On industrial work delegates spoke about involving young people in fighting through the trade unions. That's very important. Some contributions on what's happening in local areas were very exciting. It's not something that you get from the media."

---

 

FIONA PASHAZADEH, a student from Bristol university.

"I've been a Socialist Party member about a year and this is my first conference. It's a really good education, especially the discussion on the trade unions. Being a student and not involved in unions, it's very interesting to hear what's going on."

---

 

BILLY VALDES, a removal worker from South London:

"I was impressed with the commitment of the members I've met and spoken to. I believe in the need for a revolutionary party to end the nightmare of capitalism. That's why I joined the Socialist Party at the Congress."

---

 

New World Order Mk.II

THE FINAL session of the Socialist Party 2002 congress dealt with the world situation. LYNN WALSH, editor of Socialism Today, stated that the rapid victory in Afghanistan was a major but temporary and limited victory for US imperialism. 

By Manny Thain

The volatile situation in Israel/Palestine, the India/Pakistan stand-off, and instability in Colombia - to name but a few - mean that to say the US enjoys unconstrained power would be a big mistake.

The recent slight upturn in the US economy contains no new factors. Consumer spending has expanded with cheap credit, one-off tax rebates and low oil prices. Profits and investment are falling. There are record levels of debt.

The delegates at this year's World Economic Forum spent $100m on entertainment - $33,333 each, 14 times the average annual income of South Asia and 74 times that of Sierra Leone. Bush plans increased US arms spending of $48bn. The capitalists fear meltdown in the world's second-biggest economy, Japan.

Meanwhile 60,000 activists took part in the Porto Alegre social forum. Many anti-globalisation leaders are drawing back from radical positions, but young people and workers increasingly want alternatives to the capitalist system. In Argentina, demonstrations and general strikes show the growing combativity and working-class strength.

In October in the US, despite the patriotic propaganda, 30,000 public employees in Minnesota took action. The 'liberal' mayor, Jesse Ventura, sent in the National Guard. In New Jersey, 1,000 teachers were denounced as Taliban for taking action in November and 200 teachers were jailed. We are seeing the re-emergence of the working class. The Committee for a Workers' International has an important role in helping to develop the programme, tactics and strategy to revive working-class struggle.

Mariam Kamish commented on the war psychosis promoted by Bush to muffle working-class opposition, with much protest action being made unlawful.

Debbie Morano detailed the corruption in Italian politics under Silvio Berlusconi. Mass protests and strikes have resulted in hundreds of requests for information about the CWI.

Jared Wood countered the claim that military supremacy alone led to the rapid defeat of the Taliban. The US had vastly superior military resources in Vietnam, too. The primary question is political and the Vietnam regime had popular backing.

Angelika Teweleit said there is huge disillusionment with the Red/Green government in Germany with unemployment over 10% (20% in the East).

The IGMetall union is demanding a 6.5% wage increase, under immense pressure from the workers.

Bill Hopwood explained that Bush's hypocrisy will reinforce the anti-capitalist movement. While Bush demands a worldwide coalition 'against terrorism' he refuses to sign any international agreements, e.g. the Kyoto protocol on global warming.

JUDY BEISHON, Socialist Party National Organiser, replied to the discussion. The anti-capitalist movement is regaining momentum. Establishment political parties are losing support, anger against US imperialism is increasing. Support is growing for any party that is even mildly radical.

Therefore, imagine the allegiance the working class will have to parties which wholeheartedly represent their interests.

Our programme can help such parties develop and play an indispensable role in providing a socialist alternative internationally.

 

 

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Revolt From Below At Berlusconi's Attacks

Thousands march in Rome

THE WORKERS and young people of Italy are locked in a mighty battle with the right-wing Berlusconi government. 100,000 marched through the centre of Rome last Friday, 15 February, in a demonstration organised by the radical, independent unions - Cobas, Cub, Rdb and others.

By a CWI member, Rome

This was more than twice the number expected, after the leaders of the three major union federations (Cgil, Cisl and Uil) had called off the public-sector general strike originally planned for that day. If they had gone ahead, it was anticipated that no less than one million people would have been on the streets of the capital.

A deal signed by the union tops, over the heads of the members, left most grades of workers with inadequate wages, conditions and job security.

As the colourful and noisy procession made its way out of Piazza Repubblica, it was clear that its ranks were swelled by large numbers of discontented members of the largest trade union federation - Cgil.

There were not only rank and file members of Cgil from the public sector, dissatisfied with the deal done behind their backs. A representative of call centre workers organised in its telecommunications section - Rsu - spoke from the platform at the end of the demonstration, demanding a fight over the scourge of "precarious" short-term contract working that is sweeping Italy.

The congress of the Cgil in Rimini less than a week before had agreed to follow up on the recent two-hour and four-hour general strikes with all-out general strike action.

On Tuesday, February 19, a joint meeting with the other trade union federation leaders will try and get agreement over how to fight the wholesale attacks of the Berlusconi government.

Labour law

ONE OF the biggest issues is the attempt of the reactionary bosses' government to abolish article 18 in the 1970 labour law - won through the struggles in the late 1960s. Article 18 gives workers at least a modicum of defence against unfair sackings. With a recession hitting Italian industry hard and the cuts proposed in welfare and education, this article has taken on critical importance for both sides.

Whole groups of workers in the private sector, including in Fiat and Mediaset (Berlusconi's TV station), were on the Rome demonstration. There were also firefighters, threatened with a form of militarisation of their jobs. Rome metro workers brought the system to a halt for four hours to take part in the protest. Other demonstrations took place elsewhere - in Sardinia, Sicily, and cities in the industrial North.

Contingents of students from numerous schools joined in enthusiastically with their banners and leaflets declaring: "Hands off public education!". A co-ordinating meeting of their network has been called for 20 February to plan further action.

The tens of thousand of protesters sang, chanted, blew whistles and demanded the resignation of the Welfare and Education ministers and the president of the Cabinet himself.

Cobas, Cub and others have been conducting a militant campaign for a co-ordinated all-out strike action in the private and public sector. They have linked the fightback against ministers Maroni in welfare and Muratti in education with the fight of immigrants and young people especially against racism and against the Afghan war.

The day before the national protest demonstration in Rome, railway cleaners and porters had brought the whole mainline railway system to a halt for four hours by sitting on the tracks. This was part of their continuing struggle against massive redundancies and worsening conditions involved in the outsourcing of their jobs.

Bosses' offensive

THE TRADE union leaders are under enormous pressure to take more decisive action to defeat the Berlusconi government. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (the 'Cavalier'), was entertaining Tony Blair in Rome on the day of the demonstration and said that there was no turning back on article 18.

In their meeting, Berlusconi and Blair agreed joint proposals for a "radical" liberalisation of European labour laws. Berlusconi's aides later spoke of a new "axis" to liberate Europe from "over-mighty trade unions".

It was an interesting turn of phrase as the pre-Second World War alliance between Italy's then fascist dictator Mussolini and Hitler was also called an "axis"!

The rank and file of Cgil are demanding that, if the more moderate union leaders do not come on board, their federation should go it alone anyway - no hiding behind their timidity and their inclination to collaborate with the government and the bosses.

All three union federations have called for a mass demonstration on Saturday, 9 March. This too, must not be allowed to act as substitute for properly prepared strike action. Delay now could let slip a huge opportunity to transform Italian society from top to bottom.

The tycoon prime minister faces growing opposition from inside his own camp and not least from magistrates. They have taken to the streets to demand that the charges against him for large-scale fraud and corruption be allowed to proceed uninhibited.

A concerted struggle now by workers and students alike could unseat the cavalier himself. It would put on the agenda a political struggle on the part of the Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC) and all the forces involved in the present protest movement to replace his rule with a government capable of satisfying every one of their demands.

 

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Linking Up The Workers' Struggles

CWI MEMBER Dimitri Silveira from Brazil spoke at the meeting of the Inter-Barrial Assemblea Popular of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 February. This was attended by 2,000 people, mainly delegates from the local assemblies.

Some of these assemblies have been organising the "cazerolazos" - mass street protests typified by people banging their empty pots and pans - against the financial collapse, political corruption and capitalist recession in Argentina.

Dimitri raised the need to convene assemblies, locally, in workplaces and in schools, to form action committees. These should be developed as an alternative power to the government.

He called for the establishment of a workers' government and raised the need for an international struggle against imperialism.

These points went down very well. However, he had less than four minutes to speak!

He proposed supporting the ISR's international day of action for free education on 15 March. This was agreed as was a call for mobilisations of school students etc on that day.

Workers' assembly

ANOTHER EVENT last weekend was a National Assembly of Employed and Unemployed Workers.

This assembly was in fact a split from the official Assembly of Pickets - los picketeros, which is controlled by the CTA trade union federation and the Partido Communista Revolucionario/Corriente Combativa Classista. The latter is a Maoist organisation that has a few thousand members.

It is in opposition to the CCC and the CTA policy of opening dialogue and discussions with the government that the assembly was called.

6,000 attended this assembly. It is trying to unify with the Assembleas Barriales. However, some of the speakers had a sectarian position towards the CTA rank and file. The assembly agreed to work towards organising a general strike.

• On 20 February there will be a massive protest to commemorate three months since the killings of the 30 youth by the police. Some of the local assemblies have adopted the 30,000 disappeared (under the military regimes of the 1970s / 1980s) and the 30 youth as honorary presidents.

 

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