The 17th World Trade Union Congress kicks off in South Africa

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DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA- Hundreds of workers and employees from 111 countries of the 5 continents are in Durban, South Africa in order to participate to the 17th World Trade Union Congress, organized in the heroic land of South Africa. So far, according to the featured numbers, in the Congress are going to take part:

-1200 trade-union participants
-111 countries from the 5 continents
-340 women trade-unionists
-31% of the delegates are from the Public Sector and 69% are private employees.
The WFTU leadership would like to thank the South Africa working class as well as its militant trade unions for their great initiative to host a great trade union event like this. The 17th World Trade Union Congress is going to be a great democratic, open, internationalist and class-oriented trade union event .

WATCH THE CONGRESS HERE (LIVE STREAMING).
MESSAGE OF THE ALL-WORKERS MILITANT FRONT (PAME) FROM GREECE FOR THE 17TH WORLD TRADE UNION CONGRESS (VIDEO):


http://youtu.be/nA7kLyzt1SU

http://communismgr.blogspot.gr/2016/10/the-17th-world-trade-union-congress.html

The 17th World Trade Union Congress continuing in militant spirit
07 Oct 201617th CONGRESS, AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICA

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In the morning of the 3rd day of the World Trade Union Congress, October 7th, the election Comitee announced the results of the elections for position of General Secretary of WFTU which took place yesterday. Comrade George Mavrikos from Greece was re-elected General Secretary of the WFTU till the next Congress.

The Congress continues in militant spirit with speeches from comrades from all continents. In the afternoon, the Congress will vote the Action Platform 2016-2020 and the Congress’ Resolutions, along with the election of the WFTU Presidential Council and Financial Comittee. The Congress is to conclude on Saturday, October 8, with a rally and the unveiling of the COSATU Monument.

http://www.wftucentral.org/the-17th-world-trade-union-congress-continuing-in-militant-spirit/

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The WFTU Report 2011-2016 is Published
27 Jul 201617 CONGRESS, 17 WTUC, 17th CONGRESS
Today we are sending you the REPORT in English with the whole rich WFTU activity from 2011 to 2016. Spread this REPORT to everyone. Establish the WFTU everywhere. Over the next few days, the REPORT will be sent in other languages as well.

The WFTU Secretariat

WFTU Report Of Action 2011-2016 EN WebWFTU Report Of Action 2011-2016 EN Web
File name: WFTU_Report-of-Action-2011-2016_EN_web.pdf

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July 27, 2016
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Address by Comrade Blade Nzimande, SACP General Secretary at the World Trade Union Congress, 7th October 2016, Durban
October 12, 2016 | 8:59 pm

Towards universal social emancipation: Let us unite and deal a blow to imperialism, our common strategic opponent; Let us intensify the struggle in our respective countries!

Dear comrades, allow me, first and foremost, to thank you for this opportunity, and to convey revolutionary greetings from the South African Communist Party (SACP). Let me also welcome comrades who have travelled from all over the world to come to this great proletarian internationalist gathering, here in Durban.

The global context: our perspectives

Like many countries of the world, South Africa was impacted negatively by the 2008 global capitalist crisis and, consequently, by a politics of periods of capitalist crises. Of course, South Africa is not alone; we have seen recently what happened in Greece where democracy was usurped by the interests finance capital, in Brazil, Venezuela and elsewhere. We have seen the imposition of an openly neo-Nazi government in Ukraine, and the funding of terrorist groups by the Western imperialist states and their allies in the Middle-East – and, comrades, where they feel like using direct military intervention, as in Iraq and Libya – they do it without regard to the destructive consequences.

The Greek example is particularly instructive for Western multiparty democracy because it says that the people`s electoral choices or preferences in referendums do not matter. The Greek example says what matters is the voice of the banks that distorts the meaning of democracy and determines the trajectory of economic development.

The 2008 crisis of capitalism is still in session, but – as it always does – capitalism keeps on searching for new avenues for accumulation. The African continent has now been identified as one such new avenue for capital accumulation. Indeed our continent does need massive investment to build labour absorbing productive economies. However, such investment and development must be to the benefit of the workers, peasants and poor.

But our continent faces a number of challenges, amongst them poor organisation of workers, peasants and other social strata. Under the circumstances, any massive investments are likely to primarily benefit elites. Therefore one of the biggest challenges in the continent is that of building progressive and revolutionary democratic organisations of workers and peasants.

Let us use this historic occasion of the holding of the World Trade Union Congress on our African continent to lay a stronger foundation for building class-oriented trade unions in the continent. The SACP is committed to working with the WFTU and its South African affiliates to assist in this task.

Let us confront imperialism in all fronts of struggle!

Here in South Africa, one of the most important moves taken by the current government was to become a member of the Brics co-operation made up by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The African headquarters of the New Development Bank, also known as the Brics Bank, will be located in Johannesburg and progress is underway. This bank will hopefully offer alternative funding not only to South Africa, but also to the whole of the African continent and unlike the Bretton Woods institutions hopefully in a manner that is beneficial to poorer countries.

This, of course, has not gone unnoticed by our strategic adversaries, those who in the name of “Defending our Human Rights” bomb our cities and massacre our families. They are already busy with their regime change agenda in the Brics countries and, indeed, against all those countries which do not wish to be controlled by the dictates of their bankers, their oil and mining companies and their transnational corporations.

Yet we must not look only at the attack by the main enemy. We must also look at those internal and domestic weaknesses that often give our main enemy an entry point.

Our domestic challenge: fight monopoly capital as our main strategic enemy and the parasitic bourgeoisie as our most immediate threat!

Our struggle against colonialism in the global South, in particular in South Africa and in our region, was not a struggle for the replacement of the White or colonial elite by an African or Black elite.

We came together and united in the struggle because of our shared perspective that our struggle was both a struggle for political liberation and social emancipation.

We clearly understood that political liberation alone will have no meaning without the return of the wealth of our lands to the people as a whole.

We were united that our struggle was not a struggle to elevate sections of individuals or elitist groupings, be they locals, White or Black, to manipulate or pilfer our basic wealth and national resources.

Our struggle was not a struggle for a few individuals operating in our name as Africans or Black people to become a new class of exploiters in the place of, or working together with old, or established, sections of capital as well as foreign monopoly capital.

Without dislodging and defeating imperialism, our liberation will remain incomplete.

It was for these reasons that the SACP, together with the ANC and the progressive trade union movement, became part of the liberation movement as currently expressed by our Tripartite Alliance.

The April 1994 democratic breakthrough in South Africa marked a decisive advance against colonialism in Africa. It is a democratic breakthrough on the back of which we have made enormous progress in transforming the lives of ordinary workers and poor in our country.

We have progressive constitution and labour legislation, reflecting the many advances made by the struggles of the South African working class over more than a century of labour struggles.

We have made enormous progress through a number of redistributive social programmes. This includes providing free housing to the poor, expanding educational opportunities, electricity connections to millions of South Africans, social grants for the vulnerable and expanded access to health care, to mention but a few. Some of these programmes are unprecedented in recent history of the world.

But our major problem is that we have a semi-colonial, capitalist economic trajectory characterised by stubborn structural crises of unemployment, inequality and poverty. It is also an economy that is highly monopolistic, and hostile to the development of small and medium enterprises or co-operatives.

Without defeating imperialism on a continental and wider international basis, our liberation will remain incomplete. Conversely, we will not be able to defeat imperialism unless we defeat the internal class forces and strata that merely seek to replace for their own profit or join hands with the colonial era owners of means of production and monopoly capital in the exploitation of the masses.

In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engels identified the lumpen proletariat as the “dangerous class”. Today in Africa, and in many other developing countries, the dangerous class is the parasitic bourgeoisie.

The parasitic bourgeoisie comprise of that section of the elite whose modus operandi involves establishing political connections in return for business connections with some sections of the leadership in governing parties. This is then used to call for the so-called empowerment and to ride on the back of the former liberation movements searching for plunder.

Of course ALL capitalism is to a greater or lesser degree parasitic, but the classical bourgeoisie exploits labour power by paying workers regularly so that they may keep coming back to work and continue to produce surplus value for the capitalist based on industrial development. The parasites, on the other hand, do not necessarily produce industrial development and, of course, they are at times the worst of exploiters.

There are different variations of the parasitic bourgeoisie, but their general characteristic feature is that they function, among others, like the so-called middleman.

Despite that some strata of the parasitic bourgeoisie could in varying respects be involved in industrial activity on a compradorial or other more or less similar bases, they mainly operate between the state and established sections of domestic and foreign capital. They prey largely on the very problematic (i.e. bourgeois) organisation of the state through concessions to the private sector, as well as through privatisation, outsourcing, out-contracting and generally through the procurement and delivery of public goods and services respectively from or through the private sector. This is one of the major causes and drivers of political and ideological deviation from revolution to reform, as well as of fierce competition for ascendency to positions of power and therefore increasing internal divisions or even factional splits.

This phenomenon is not new. Frantz Fanon, a young African progressive writer noted and discussed it and its dangers as far back as 1961 in his book The Wretched of the Earth in the chapter entitled `The Pitfalls of National Consciousness`. He interchangeably used the notions of the “national bourgeoisie” or “national middle class” to describe what we now call the parasitic bourgeoisie.

When we as the Communist Party, or other revolutionary or progressive forces in their respective countries, challenge the activities of the parasitic bourgeoisie, including favouritism, corruption, rent-seeking and corporate capture, we are told that is to be on the side of imperialism or against African or Black empowerment or the so-called indigenisation. This is, of course, gibberish. The fact is that the parasitic bourgeoisie empower themselves by disempowering the workers and the national democratic revolutionary process of social transformation.

The parasitic bourgeoisie is serving its own private interests as a class. The wealth they accumulate in the name of all of us as the formerly oppressed and historically disadvantaged is theirs privately. It does not belong to the people as a whole. It does not belong to the working class. That wealth does not belong to the people who continue to experience class inequality, economic exploitation, unemployment and poverty.

It is NOT for, but AGAINST, the people that the parasitic bourgeoisie are hollowing out the strategic capacity and strategic discipline required by the democratic developmental state that the people need to serve their immediate material and cultural needs.

Also, the activities of the parasitic bourgeoisie and their collaborators, particularly corruption, rent-seeking and corporate capture are the entry point for the imperialists with their regime change agendas. Corruption within governing parties frequently repels sections of the working-class and pushes them either towards demoralisation or to start supporting right-wing parties that are in many respects even more corrupt.

We have just witnessed a parliamentary coup recently in Brazil supported among others by public representatives and businesspeople who are facing serious corruption allegations and were only interested in saving their own skins.

The corrupt champions of the neo-liberal agenda are often more sophisticated in their corruption. The perception being promoted is that those parties pursuing the neo-liberal agenda are less corrupt than the parties of liberation and more likely to run the economy efficiently and create jobs.

We must also understand that the basic organisations of the working-class itself, the trade unions, can, and frequently are manipulated in the interests of imperialism to bring down progressive governments. There are parasites and business unionists in this sphere of social organisation as well.

How the division in the international trade union movement came about is no secret. It is in fact a typical example of imperialist capture, as the highest form of corporate capture. In this regard, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the WFTU: You have resiliently stayed the course of class oriented trade unionism, with the objective interests and wider historical mission of the proletariat at heart, while others chose to collaborate with, or even to serve as the appendage of, imperialist forces or apologists of its system of capitalist exploitation.

Despite the many challenges that our country and alliance face, including our own internal contradictions, the SACP still remains of the view that our liberation alliance still remains an important vehicle to deepen our revolution. For us as the SACP it is the deepening of our democratic revolution that will lay a stronger foundation for a transition to socialism.

Comrades, it is because of the kind of things about which I have just spoken that, more than ever, we need the WFTU, the true international representative of the interests of the organised workers.

Class oriented trade unionism is important in the struggle to take forward global working class struggles!

Now let me come back to perhaps the most tragic event in South Africa since the democratic dispensation which began in 1994. I refer of course to the killing of workers in 2012 in the Rustenburg platinum belt and the “Marikana Tragedy”.

Capitalism has a history of using its own system crisis to seek to roll back the advances of the progressive trade union movement. Among others there has been an intense capitalist attack by the bosses in the mining industry, which was the spark to the Marikana tragedy, a tragedy that must squarely be placed on the shoulders of the bosses.

What started as an offensive against our ally Cosatu`s affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), has now spread and threatens to engulf the whole of federation. It is our considered view as the SACP that the only way to strengthen Cosatu is by strengthening its class-oriented character, and hopefully for the whole federation to affiliate to the WFTU.

How could the Marikana tragedy happen in a country like South Africa with its progressive government?

Let us look at this question based on what happened thereafter.

After the strike was over, some of those who found their way in and used it to build their own trade union or political organisations were flown to London and New York where they were wined and dined by sections of the mining monopoly capital.

No why would the mine bosses wine and dine leaders who had led a strike which was against their interests?

As a result of the ongoing 2008 global capitalist crisis, at the time of the strike platinum prices had plummeted because of a production meltdown in major platinum consuming manufacturing sectors, among them, notably, the global automotive industry.

Workers are frequently placed on short time, temporary layoffs, or are permanently dismissed from work – all based on the so-called employer`s operational requirements, referring essentially to the single-minded motive of profit maximisation, protection of profitability or the rate of profit. This intensifies in the same manner that capitalist competition heightens during the system`s own crisis and decides which capitalist stays in or goes out of business and in addition produces monopoly capitalism. Every capitalist tries to stay afloat, reduce their share of loss and shove it upon their competitors.

As the increasing incidents of short time, temporary layoffs, retrenchments and other forms of workplace restructuring undercutting the total value of wages and eroding workers` hard-won gains show, capitalists not only seek to shove off loss upon their competitors. They do everything possible to shove off loss at all cost upon workers in particular as at all the times, but on an intensified scale during crisis. At the end of the day, it is the degree to which each capitalist is able to extract as much surplus value as possible from labour and therefore impose maximum loss upon workers that basically determines their competitive advantage over their competitors.

This is the general character of the situation that was going on, including the old capitalist strategy of divide and rule. In this regard, the mining bosses gave one section of workers wage increases outside of collective bargaining agreements and deprived the rest of the workers thus effectively igniting the strike and setting workers against other workers. Rape, killings, displacements and other forms of workers` or human rights violations took place in this context until the tragic 16th August 2012 police intervention occurred and even thereafter.

Further, the NUM in South Africa had, and still has, a long established campaign towards beneficiation and socialisation of the mining sector. This was obviously another danger to monopoly capitalist interests that then sought an alternative trade union organisation.

Current struggles taking place in the sphere of education: what are we faced with?

Dear comrades, please allow me to conclude by touching on the topical issue of both interest and concern, the ongoing disruption of the academic programme in South African universities and the genuine concerns of student relating to the all-important need to accelerate our ongoing progressive rollout of free higher education for the working class and poor who cannot afford student fees.

At the heart of the current student struggles in South Africa, is the fact that capitalism is refusing to fund the education of the workers and the poor. South Africa has enough money to be able to fund higher education for the working class and the poor, but the money that is required is largely concentrated in the hands of capital. This comes against the backdrop of decades of underfunding of higher education for black people.

The unaffordability of higher education by South Africa`s working and lower middle classes also has to do with these classes being heavily indebted as they are wooed by capitalist finance institutions to borrow for consumption and not lending for investment into productive activities. Interestingly, it was this sort of indebtedness that also played a huge role in the kinds of wage demands made in the platinum industry.

There can be no doubt that, post-apartheid, South African has delivered a massive progress in expanding access to both basic and higher education and training. There can also be no doubt that, notwithstanding the progress achieved, a lot still needs to be done and that the pace of change is unfortunately also decided by the amount of resources available and the balance of priorities.

It was after taking into account these conditions that the government recently announced that it will, through the policy of the National Student Financial Aid, pay fees and fee increases for the working class and poor who cannot afford.

In addition, for the first time the government will pay fee increases for lower sections of the middle class, covering households earning below the fairly high amount of R600 000 per annum. This is progress.

In other words, there will be no fee increases in 2017 except for those from rich families who can afford to pay but capped at 8 percent fee increase.

What we are dealing with, however, is a global problem not only in respect to student debt but also the material basis of the problem and its essential content.

The bourgeoisie are disproportionately the only consumers – on a capitalist private basis – of the professional and skilled labour power of graduates. Yet the bourgeoisie`s contribution in expanding access to higher education and training is almost invisible. It is the very same bourgeoisie who are opposed to corporate tax on a global scale and are campaigning against any increase in corporate tax needed to augment public resources and finance social programmes such as facilitating access to higher education.

In other words, we are faced with a challenge of having to subsidise the exploitative bourgeoisie from the meagre public revenue that is facing multiple priorities compared to capital`s massive accumulation of profit without regard to the needs of society including education but for greed and nothing else.

In addition, the ongoing capitalist crises that erupted in 2008 shrunk the tax base and continue to impact negatively on public revenue.

Let us work together as comrades in struggle and confront imperialism, our common strategic opponent!

Working people of the world will not be free unless we unite and defeat imperialism!

We hope your Congress will conclude successfully, and we look forward to your resolutions!

Issued by the SACP

http://houstoncommunistparty.com/address-by-comrade-blade-nzimande-sacp-general-secretary-at-the-world-trade-union-congress-7th-october-2016-durban/

Speech given by Cherrene Horazuk for the US delegation to the WFTU 17th Congress
October 12, 2016 | 8:53 pm

On behalf of the US delegation, thank you to the WFTU for inviting us to observe this 17th congress. It is an honor to be among so many leaders and fighters for our class. Thank you also to COSATU and all of our South African hosts. Many people in the US of my generation became anti-imperialist activists during the struggle against apartheid, inspired by your liberation movement. Your struggle helped us to build our movement. Thank you.



In the US, we are working to put our unions on a class-struggle orientation and to transform them into weapons for our fight. Not enough of our unions are willing to stand up and fight back against capitalist barbarity, but there are several shining examples that point the way forward.



Nearly 5,000 nurses in Minnesota have been on strike for over a month against a corporation that made $1.3 billion last year but still demands concessions from its workers. The nurses bravely voted overwhelmingly on Monday to continue their strike indefinitely.



750 dining service workers started a strike yesterday against Harvard University, the richest University in the world. Harvard has $35 billion in savings, has 47 Nobel prize winners, and educated the world’s bourgeoisie, yet it’s workers live in poverty. But Harvard workers are rising up and saying no to concessions. They are rising up and demanding a guaranteed annual income that allows a dignified life.



28,000 teachers in Chicago just voted to go on strike once again. They plan to start this strike on October 11 and are fighting back against concessions and to defend the services their students need. They are striking against Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a billionaire who was President Obama’s Chief of Staff. The Chicago teachers have inspired teachers and students around the country to resist the corporate takeover of education.



A small but growing number of unions are joining the struggle of the black liberation movement against police terror. In the last two years alone, more than 2,000 people have been killed by the police. Young black men are five times more likely to be killed than whites. Working class men like Philando Castile, a union brother from my city who was gunned down by police in June in front of his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter when he was pulled over for a broken taillight on his car. His murder was captured on video by his girlfriend and horrified the country. People are rising up against these racist atrocities and unions are finally joining in.



Some unions are also joining the struggle of indigenous people against expansion of oil pipelines through their sacred lands of Standing Rock. The AFL-CIO has taken the backwards position of supporting the pipeline because it creates a few hundred jobs. But our best unions have the joined the struggle against the pipeline and in solidarity with native peoples.



Our best union fighters have also joined the struggle for the release of political prisoners Oscar Lopez Rivera, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal and others.



I live near Chicago, the home of Haymarket, where the fight for the 8-hour day was born. In 1886, workers rose up to demand an 8-hour day and were brutally attacked by the police. The leaders were convicted and executed. Around the world, the working class honors these martyrs every May 1st – International Workers’ Day. But not in the US, because conservative trade union leaders have buried the radical and communist history of our movement. However, May Day was reclaimed as a mass workers day in 2006 by immigrant workers, mainly from Mexico, and we now join the world in celebrating our heroes and struggles on May first.



For decades, a statue honoring the police stood on the Haymarket site. It was blown up several times and finally moved offsite. Now, a workers’ monument stands on Haymarket Square. The trade union movement in Chicago cares for the monument. Each year, they invite one international union to place a plaque on the monument. This year, the invitation was given to the WFTU in recognition of the WFTU’s role in leading the global working class movement. Comrade Valentine Pacho was supposed to travel to Chicago for May Day to place the plaque, but was prevented by US imperialism from obtaining a visa. A statement from the WFTU was read by Kay Tillow, however, and was received enthusiastically.



The WFTU is honored with a plaque at Haymarket. The ITUC does not have a plaque. The WFTU had a plaque because it is the international embodiment of the spirit of Haymarket. One of class struggle, workers’ unity, and internationalism.



Long live the WFTU!

Long live the international working class!

Down with US imperialism!

Amanda!

http://houstoncommunistparty.com/speech-given-by-cherrene-horazuk-for-the-us-delegation-to-the-wftu-17th-congress/

Message of the Communist Party of Switzerland for the 17th World Trade Union Congress
10 Oct 201617th CONGRESS
Dear comrades,

on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Switzerland) we express to all the delegates and friends in Durban all the best for this important 17th World Trade Unions Congress.

After the great Congress of WFTU in Cuba and in Greece, unfortunately we weren’t able to send a delegation in South Africa, but we are sure that this Congress will help also us in our struggle for social justice and against imperialism in a capitalist centre as Switzerland.

With this short message of solidarity we will inform you, that we will continue to support the activities and the presence of WFTU in our country, thanks to our comrade Esteban Munoz.

We would like to send also to the south africans comrades of COSATU and SACP our congratulations for the organization of this historical event and a special thanks for its hard work to general secretary comrade George Mavrikos.

In solidarity

Communist Party (Switzerland)

General Secretary

Massimiliano Ay

MP of the Republic and Canton of Ticino – Switzerland

http://www.wftucentral.org/message-of-the-communist-party-of-switzerland-for-the-17th-world-trade-union-congress/

Communist Party of Switzerland, who knew? Bet CPUSA didn't even show up, too busy shilling for Hil.

Statement by PAME, WFTU Affiliate
October 13, 2016 | 6:49 pm
http://www.pamehellas.gr

Call to the Great Demonstration of the Unions on Monday, October 17

More than 400 trade union organizations, federations, labour centres, industrial

unions, etc from all branches and sectors, all over Greece, we coordinate, demand and

fight for the cancelation of all anti-workers laws and measures of the recent years. We

fight for the signing of National Collective Agreement and sectoral Collective Contracts.

We demand the reestablishment and the signing of sectoral Collective Contracts, the

recovering of all of our losses! No worker without the minimum wage! All in the struggle for full

time steady jobs, with full rights, higher wages, pensions and social benefits!

We Call to the Great Demonstration of the Unions on Monday, October 17

We cannot live with starvation wages, without social security, without labour rights! On

October 17 we will submit to the Greek Parliament, to all parties (except the Fascist Golden

Dawn) our Resolution!

We demand it to be discussed and legislated! We demand the life we deserve!

No worker, no branch, no union alone can stop this unified and planned attack of the Greek

Government and the Employers. We strengthen the front against the employers of each sector

who want us to be cheap, flexible workforce, without any rights. Against the planning of the EU,

IMF and the big capitalists, who aim to make new cuts in our wages and social rights, we must

give our response!

The SYRIZA Government talks about implementing in Greece the “best European practices”.

That is, to impose contemporary slavery, exploitation based on the demands of the big business

groups, work without rights, starvation wages, zero hour contracts, mini jobs, no obligations for

the employers. So them to be free to pay the worker whenever they want, to layoff with no

costs, with no obstacles from trade union organization and action of the workers.

They must receive massive, militant, fighting response, with all forms of struggle and General

Strike! No more Sacrifices for the Profits of the Capitalists! Their “growth” and

“development” is not for us and our children! We witness and live this. Their growth is built over

the ruins of our rights; it is based on cheap labour. We do not compromise with poverty and

wretchedness!

We organize the great front of struggle to demand the recovering of all the losses we had in

wages and pensions. But most of all, to demand the abolition of all anti workers’ measures

imposed the last years that have cancelled the Collective Contracts.

We demand our Rights in Work and Life based on our Time, the 21st Century, our

contemporary needs. We will not live as slaves!

Signed by more than 450 National Federations, Labour Centres, Unions to demand

Collective Contracts

Athens, October 13, 2016

http://houstoncommunistparty.com/statement-by-pame-wftu-affiliate/

“Long live the international working class!”: Closing remarks by George Mavrikos at the 17th World Trade Union Congress
https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/10/long-live-international-working-class.html

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Closing remarks by George Mavrikos, General Secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), at the 17th World Trade Union Congress held in Durban, South Africa.

Dear friends and militants,

First of all, I want to express my appreciation for the trust you demonstrated towards me by electing me as General Secretary of WFTU. On behalf of PAME and the class-oriented trade union movement of Greece we thank you for your repeated support. With my reelection, I feel an ever greater responsibility towards you and I commit to give all my best efforts to the struggle for the strengthening of the WFTU and the emancipation of the international working class.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Since my election in 2005 in the position of General Secretary, I always tried to maintain with you a comradely, honest, straight and clear relation. This is how I want to continue to be today and therefore I inform you that this will be my last term as General Secretary of WFTU. In the next Congress, we will elect a younger comrade with the appropriate criteria. We have capable, worthy and dedicated fighters in the WFTU family. One such militant we will select collectively and we will trust upon him the leadership of our Organization for the years to come.
It is our duty, our obligation to actively help – not only in words – for the development of new cadres. And it is an obligation, at the same time, for the leadership to know, to understand, to realize when it is time to step down. A leader of the class-oriented trade union movement must step down and not be thrown out. When time comes he must give space to younger comrades. Our movement has many worthy cadres. No one is irreplaceable. Irreplaceable are only the ones lying in their graves.
Dear colleagues,
Allow me to express my gratitude to all those behind the scene who worked hard for almost a year for the organizing of this Congress. I want to thank our South African Comrades, Zola, Lucian, Lulamile, Zanele, Scumbuzo, Ntombi, Luphert and so many others as well as the the staff of the Central Offices of Athens, the translators, the drivers, journalists who are here today and all the staff of the ICC and the hotels. On behalf of all the delegates and the observers we express our appreciation and love.
Allow me now to move on to the Conclusions of the Congress.
My first conclusion: Is that this was a Congress that was open, democratic, class-oriented and internationalist. A Congress that befits and reflects the history of the 71 years of the WFTU. We heard 112 speakers from 103 countries. They spoke freely. They made their proposals; they made their criticism, some of them also made self-criticism. Self-criticism has a special value because it needs courage to make honest self-criticism and self-criticism together with comradely emulation and criticism are the basic tools for the improvement of the militant.
Our Congress works during all days were open to all Mass Media, to all observers and guests, The Administration of the Congress and the operation of the Committees were in good level.
We voted yesterday with secret ballot organized by the IEC (Independent Election Committee) and we elected a General Secretary. We voted democratically and freely for over an hour and we elected as new President of the WFTU, comrade Mzwandile Makwayiba. His election is a new positive step for our organization and also underlines the priority we give to the African Continent and our effort to strengthen the trade union movement. Also in about an hour there will be a second secret ballot also organized by the IEC of South Africa to elect the new Presidential Council and the new Financial Control Committee.
A little while ago we approved all together by vote the new Program of Action, the Platform of Action 2016-2020 which was presented on behalf of the Resolution Committee by comrade Swadesh Devroye. A resolution which is ambitious and realistic, it is contemporary and necessary. A resolution which is a result of the pre-Congress proposals and the discussions held during our Congress.
What does this general picture prove?
The democratic character, the open, unifying character of our Congress.
The Second Conclusion by the Congress is: There are new organizational duties for all of us. Even greater responsibilities for our cadres. Greater tasks, more serious expectations for the organizational strengthening of the class-oriented trade union movement. Because only a movement which is organizationally solid, massive and militant can effectively and successfully defend its members and all the workers.
Therefore we commit at the organizational Level to:
New members in the WFTU
New sectors in our TUI’s
New countries and regions in our ranks
Just now we approved the affiliation of three new trade unions in the WFTU from Russia, from Angola and from the USA. The affiliation of these particularly important trade unions has a great symbolism for the WFTU but most of all it opens new paths for today and for tomorrow.
Therefore, all of us here today we vote in a unanimous voice that the decision that we will put all our efforts so that in our next Congress, the 18th Congress, we will have 100 million members in our ranks. We will all work will plan, with supervision for this target. We can achieve it.
Our aim is to strengthen the trade union movement in the base. Inside the workplaces, in the multinationals, in the sectors, in the regions, in each country in every corner of the planet.
We need trade unions that are lively in the base, massive, uniting workers against exploitation and bourgeoisie. We want trade unions of the base which will be real schools for the working people teaching them everything that has to do with class struggle. We want trade unions that can operating within the wide masses. Not closed clubs, not bureaucratic leagues or small elites but open militant schools.
I continue in the organizing level, for us to underline the need to improve the function of the Presidential Council and the Secretariat. Our meetings need to be more substantial, more specific, thematic and to avoid generalities and simple description of problems. We are not writers for describe the situation in our countries and our sectors. We are cadres, leaders bearing the duty to accumulate forces and to organize class struggles in order to change the world and make it socially just.
We have the same expectations from the Regional Offices and the TUI’s. Many speeches mentioned the role of the sectoral organization and gave valuable and correct examples. All claimed that today with the multinationals, the cartels, the merging of companies and the privatizations, the role of the TUI’s becomes more enhanced. Hence, more help, more attention, more care must be given.
The women who spoke, the young comrades, the migrants presented vividly the organizational need to enhance and to operate the relevant Committes. Working women, working youth, migrants and refugees are right to have many expectations from the WFTU.
We also propose to decide to formulate a Committee of Lawyers and Scientists who will defend the trade unions and the workers in need.
Furthermore, we all agree to authorize the new Secretariat to study, analyze and bring an informed proposalfor the foundation of new TUI’s and new Regional Offices. From today on we will give our approval for the foundation of the Office of WFTU in the Eurasian Region based in Moscow.
The third conclusion that comes from the Congress and many speeches is the need for the enhancement of our trade unions in ideological and political level. We do not operate in a sterilized environment. We live and struggle amongst friends, opponents and enemies. Therefore we need our Organizations and our leadership to have a clear understanding who we are and where we go.
We are correct to struggle for better wages. We are correct to strike against privatizations, we are correct to demand collective bargaining agreements, conditions of health and safety, public and free education, Health, better environment. All these are within our basic role. We have to continue to fulfill this role.
At the same time, as trade union movement – at the same mere moment – we have to radicalize our demands. We have to uplift the content and the forms of our struggle with the direct aim of the emancipation of the working class from the capitalist exploitation. To make the working class the pioneer and leading class ready to fulfill its strategic purpose.
It is a form of art to combine the struggle for the daily problems, for the direct and imminent needs of the popular family with the struggle that will uplift the level of consciousness of the popular strata who will not stand to live any longer in this filthy regime of exploitation.
Hence, if there are any who think “let’s fight today for the wages and later I will fight to enhance the consciousness of the masses”, they are making a great mistake.
You cannot fight against the privatization of the mine on the one month of the year and the next year struggle to convince the workers that wealth belongs to them.
It is impossible to fight this year for collective bargaining agreements and a year later to say that you will fight for emancipation. Class struggle divided in sterilized boxes does not exist.
Our main instruments for the empowerment of our ideological objective is internationalism, the unity of our class and our militant line of struggle. We think that all the speeches supported and enriched all we topics we mentioned in the opening speech. Therefore we are in agreement and we move forward.
In this point, I would like to highlight the good and clear ideological and political level will help us in our confrontation with the international bourgeoisie and its mechanisms, its puppets inside the Media and the leaderships of trade unions.
The capitalists today are better organized in their own associations; they have stronger mechanisms everywhere, they have controlled all the International Organizations, they have intensified their aggressiveness against the trade unions and the militants of the trade union movement.
To correctly confront the attack of the employers we must be equipped with theoretical and ideological knowledge so that in combination with our organizational power we can defend and attack. Each time with success in the time and place.
The fourth conclusion: We must believe in our own power, in the power and the superiority of the class-oriented trade union movement against the tactics of the yellow trade unions. The yellow trade unions are a danger to the trade union movement because in reality they divide the working class, they support the capital, the multinationals and the monopolies. They are allies and puppets of imperialism. The yellow trade unions have many financial resources to corrupt trade unionists, to buy-off consciousnesses.
We, as the family of WFTU, we have to convince the new generation that the struggle is worth it. We have to be the positive example in order for the trade union movement to regain its prestigious position. Only the militants of the class-struggle can undertake this role and bring back wide popular masses in the trade unions.
We have moral, ideological and political superiority over the yellow trade union leaderships.
We have moral, ideological and political superiority in human resources, our cadres.
We have cadres who they cannot buy-off even if they spend all the diamonds of the African land. We do not sell-out our ideology. We do not sell-out our history. We do not betray our Class.
I see here in front of me comrade Nazario from Peru and I recall how much blackmail he received in Geneva during June in order to withdraw the statement of condemnation of WFTU against the Government of Chile! In the middle of the nights Embassies of Peru and Chile, Ministers, bureaucrats and yellow trade unionists would call him and threaten him! Nazario did not bend. He did not give up. “I am with WFTU” he said on and on with pride.
Well done Nazario! Congratulations! We thank you for the message you gave with your stance.
And down there on the back is Emil Olsen, this young comrade from Denmark. He was kicked out from the committees of his union because he is in the WFTU. He was asked to abandon the WFTU or he would lose his job. He remained with the WFTU. He lost his job but gained tremendous respect in the sector of Construction workers in Denmark who acknowledge him as their true leader.
These are our cadres. This is our treasure. This is the response of the WFTU to all those subordinated trade unionists who supposedly give us a friend pad on the shoulders saying: “My heart is with the WFTU but…”. Collaborators, you lie! You even try to kid yourselves.
Both your heart and your pockets are with the yellow trade union leaderships.
I conclude my dear comrades with an appeal to all of you to circulate openly, widely to the masses the message and the resolutions of our Congress. We must struggle all together for the implementation of the resolutions. We must project the value and the need of the struggles in the modern world. To defend with all our means the sacred right of Strike.
To become genuine followers of the glorious history of the 71 years of the WFTU. To tell the workers that when we mention the History and the Struggle of the WFTU we do not do so out of nostalgia. We do this to utilize the positive and the negative lessons and to build the strong class-oriented trade union movement of the future.
And without a yesterday you cannot build the today and the tomorrow.
We honor our history!
We honor the martyrs of our struggles.
We have our feet grounded on the earth and we are looking ahead.
All of us here, we commit ourselves that with our action we will put our signatures, we will write our names in the new, contemporary, militant pages of the history of the WFTU.
Long live the working cass of Africa!
Long live internationalism and solidarity!
Long live the international working class!

http://houstoncommunistparty.com/long-live-the-international-working-class-closing-remarks-by-george-mavrikos-at-the-17th-world-trade-union-congress/

17th World Trade Union Congress: WFTU Video Report


http://youtu.be/9ODeealC-pc?list=PLABSCKNIp79CHQBdAs10698TLLhkADp2_

Athens, Greece: The WFTU laid wreaths at the monument of “Polytechneion”
worker | November 17, 2016 | 7:48 pm | Announcements, Fascist terrorism, Greece, WFTU

Athens, Greece: The WFTU laid wreaths at the monument of “Polytechneion”

16 Nov 2016
EUROPE, GREECE
The WFTU General Secretary George Mavrikos and the WFTU Secretariat in Sweden headed by colleague Lars laid wreaths in the monument of “Polytechneion” in Athens, Greece honoring the struggles of the Greek working class against the dictatorship 1967-1974.

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http://houstoncommunistparty.com/athens-greece-the-wftu-laid-wreaths-at-the-monument-of-polytechneion/

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Speech of B.V.Vijayalakshmi at the International Seminar on “The Trade Unions against anti workers policies, imperialiast interventions and wars” at Athens
19 Nov 2016AITUC, ASIA, EUROPE, GREECE, INDIA
Dear Comrades and Friends,
Good evening to all.

At the outset I would like to express my proud pleasure to be a part of this most important seminar. Most important it is in the prevailing grim state of affairs around the world. A seminar to perceive the immeasurable sway of imperialism across the globe and the portending dangerous wars is imminent for the international trade union movement, particularly the class oriented revolutionary trade unions like us. For, it is the working class that are the ‘grave diggers’ of capitalism and history now beckons us to advance ahead to demolish the system of barbarism to usher in an era of peace and equality.
Our topic for the seminar is so thoroughly thought out that it lays down the matrix of the socio political and economic constrictions that imperialism employs to strangulate its subservient nations in order to establish its political hegemony. To approach this topic it is only the most appropriate to turn to Comrade V I Lenin who has given the most precise and the fullest ever definition of imperialism as, “Imperialism is a specific historic stage of capitalism. The imperialist epoch of capitalism of the 19th and the early 20th century has now grown into gargantuan proportions as humanity never had witnessed before. We are here to perceive the draconian dimension of the 21st century imperialism characterized by the twin onslaughts of economic repression and military aggression exercised by the gripping political influence that the imperialist power of the day, the USA has over the growing economies of the world.
One of the most visible successes of imperialism in the post cold war period was the defeat of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the post-capitalist property relations in the former Eastern Bloc states as well as in China and Vietnam. The planned economies implemented here had brought not only social progress but also had successfully restricted the scope of operation of the global capital. But the resurgence of capitalism in the later part of the 20th century came with revengeful vigour. The bourgeoisie succeeded in an enormous geographical expansion after it had been excluded from these regions for decades and strengthened itself internationally in relation to the working class and oppressed people in the third world.
At the beginning of the 1980s, the imperialist bourgeoisie began a concerted offensive against the social and political gains of the working class and the oppressed peoples that were made during the years of economic boom which lasted till the 70s. The rise of the East Asian economy, the Greek economic miracle, the Italian economic miracle, the economic growth stories of Japan, West Germany, France had experienced the unprecedented jolt with the collapse of the Bretton Woods monetary system in 1971 followed by the oil crisis in 1973, 1973-74 crash of the stock market and the worst economic recession of the 1970s. The growing economies were brought down to their knees for further structural adjustment dictated by the dominant power of USA. United States of America used its political and economic superiority to weild its power through the World Bank – IMF and the WTO. Debt trapped developing nations like walked willingly into the contrivance of the Structural Adjustment Programmes that came as the dictates of the financial masters. Capitalism began to hit back with more vehemence thereafter.
Economic repression of imperialism
Growth of monopoly capital is the quintessence of imperialism. USA moved decisively in this direction to monopolise and weild its power to influence the political and economic spheres of the beneficiary nations. Lenin saw the growth of monopolies as the most fundamental defining feature of imperialism. This process of monopolisation is advanced dramatically in the period of capitalist globalisation. Through the dictated philosophies of neo liberal economic globalization in the last two to three decades USA holds its grip over the political and economic spheres. This has caused untold miseries and enormous hardships to workers across the world.
In India as anywhere else in the rest of the world, capitalism plays havoc into the lives of the people. The Welfare state character of our country is given a go by to summarily adopt a full fledged laissez faire concept. Market liberalization and privatization has choked the economy rendering several crores of workers jobless. Unemployment, wage cut, wage freeze, retrenchments, layoffs, closures all at once have made the lives of workers absolutely miserable. Laying seize over the fertile middle class market of over 450 million, the MNCs and TNCs have captured the Indian market thereby killing the indigenous market. The consecutive governments since the 80s, paying obeisance to the imperialist powers have been making policies that cater to the needs of the super powers. FDI in the banks, insurance, defence, retail trade, real estate, pharmacy, farming etc,. have spelt the worst disaster on the Indian market and the Indian worker in turn. To cap it all, the present government at the center with its lenience towards extreme right is all set to amend the labour legislations in favour of the capital.
This, I am sure is the onslaught of capital in all the other parts of the world as well. In India, we have the trade union unity emerging and concretising against the policies of the government. But politicalisation of the workers is in a pace not in resonance to the spiralling speed of the capital. Politicalisation of the workers is the most imperative task, for the workers are the battalions to fight and finish the barbaric advance of the capitalists.
Finance capital is a new form of capital, in which the owners of capital in the form of stocks own not only banks and other financial institutions but industrial corporations as well. Even more remarkable however, has been the increased importance of multinational corporations, that is, globally active monopolies. Today, these firms, together with their affiliates, control two thirds of world trade. The 300 biggest companies own one quarter of all productive assets worldwide and control more than half of the world market in consumer durables, steel, airlines, electronics, oil, computers, media, aerospace and cars.
Such is the scale of accumulation of capital. The theory of imperialism attributes these asymmetries to the systematic transfer of the value created in the dominated regions to the dominating capitalists. This transfer is concretised through the deterioration of the terms of trade, the extraction of financial resources and the transfer of industrial profits. The net political effect of this drainage is the loss of the political autonomy of the ruling classes and the increasing level of US military intervention. This is the concerted and calculated economic imperialism of the US exercised on the nations.
Economic imperialism of more sophistication and surrogacy is evident in the movement of around 4 trillion US dollars as foot loose fictitious capital that is involved in the speculative market. This gargantuan amount used for economic maneuvering is deprived to the world for industrial capital. India is no exception to such economic imperialism.
Understanding such as this economic imperialism is imperative for us to comprehend the historic thirst of the United States of America for global power. American foreign policy is governed by the doctrine of “full-spectrum dominance”, which means .that the US should control military, economic and political development worldwide. Fullest expression of this dogma is expressively illustrated in the divergent form of US imperialism during the past three decades: military driven intervention, occupation and domination; and economic expansion and exploitation of resources, markets and labor should be understood as a ‘unified whole’ in which the two basic components, military and economic are always complimentary.
Full spectrum dominance of the US imperialism encompasses not only the illegal domination it exercises over the nations but also the dominance over planets and satellites. Amazing growth of Information and communication technology during the past decade is best appropriated by the US imperialism to serve its purpose. This is media imperialism which is used to manufacture consents and manipulate the conflicts. Media engineers the consent of the people for the capitalist barbarism and manipulates to glorify the US wars in the name of peace.
Self proclaimed economic might of the US justifies its right to exercise military control over the other nations. US stamp its boots in any part of the world with utter disregard to the UN charter and violate the international laws with unparalleled arrogance. This is done in absolute impunity to expropriate the land, labor, capital, natural resources, commerce, and markets of that other country.
Military aggression of Imperialism
Permanent war is the official US policy.US has a complex economy termed as the ‘War Economy’.. Economists even opine that US economy is essentially needs a war every four years to sustain and grow. US imperial state invested trillions of dollars in military expenditures, hundreds of thousands of military personnel into wars in the Middle East -Iraq, Yemen, and Syria; North and East Africa Libya, Somalia;, Afghanistan in South Asia. Etc,. Comprising only just 5% of the world population, the US accounts for 40% of total military spending. US’ war history is notorious to the fact that US instigates wars between neighboring countries and sells its arms and ammunition to both the combatants. We experience it in India where the US provokes war like situation between India and Pakistan and sells its arms and missiles to both. Defence budget of India is so huge that to that extent growth is deprived.
The war mongering USA tramples upon all the UN restrictions but wages war not only with impunity but also scores the support of the other nations. Typical ‘His Master Voice’ subservience is at display on the global stage.
Washington has continuously draped its predatory policies in the Middle East in the false banners of “human rights” and “democracy.” The “Operation desert fox” in December 1998, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian sites for four consecutive days to the most naked war on humanity under the falsehood that Iraq was possessing “weapons of mass destruction” were blatant lies that US held out to the comity of nations.
The bombing on Libya ‘to protect the people and restore peace’ was a blatant crime carried over by a group of nations, the merceneries of the USA. Libya under the rule of Gaddafi was peaceful and growing. There was no credible reason for NATO bombing Libya. US just did not like Gaffafi nationalizing the oil wealth lest it would be difficult for them to lay their free hands upon.
Imperialism can be the nastiest in its pursuit for political power is evident in the fact that USA time and again engages itself in creating and nurturing groups like Al quaeda and ISIS which spread terror across the globe. US has now implanted the venom of ‘Islamophobia’ to justify its ‘war on terror’. This is institutionally manipulated as ‘clash of civilisations’ to alienate a section of humanity. This simultaneously nurtures religious divide and antagonism. This is most dangerous. Divide and rule is the fundamental gospel of imperialism from its birth. We feel its ramifications in India, a pluralistic and secular country. International trade unions should take a serious view of this dangerous phenomenon.
It is the US imperialism that deprives the legal rights of the Palestinians. Palestine issue itself is the epitome and embodiment of imperialist aggression. The Israeli occupation of Palestine land, the Gaza and the west bank indisputably belong to Palestine. Israeli occupation is illegal and violative of the UN resolution. But the US supports Israel and therefore Palestinians continue to suffer the worst of human tragedies. Without the huge economic and military assistance provided by the United States and to a lesser extent from certain European governments, there can be no doubt that Israel would not be able to maintain indefinitely its aggressive and uncompromising policy towards the Palestinians, and would be forced in time to negotiate a more favourable settlement with them.
Latin America has always been the other eye sore of the US imperialism. In 1974 the democratically elected President and socialist leader Salvador Allande of Chile was overthrown by the armed forces and the national police. This was operated by the then US President Richard Nixon. After paying heavy toll to the economic imperialism for more than three decades the Bolivarian revolution has installed strong left regimes in the region. Emergence of socialist blocs in Latin America are seen with contempt and fear. The recent coup against the Brazilian President Dilma Rousuff is deliberately engineered by the US. Brazil has joined the list of successful coups in Honduras, and Paraguay in the recent past.
Emergence of BRICS is viewed with hostility by the imperialist powers. The development in Brazil with installation of its puppet regime is to be seen together with the game plan of the US to destroy the BRICS.
But the developing world have been coming closer to create regional economic integration too. While BRICS has formed the BRICS development bank, ALBA the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas on December 14, 2004 between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez has thrown a real challenge to the growing US imperialism that preys on the human squalour. ALBA is based on the idea of regional integration based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, complementarity, and cooperation aimed at transforming geopolitical relations in the western hemisphere. Many governments in Latin America have come to the conclusion that they have a chance to eradicate poverty, reduce the existing gross inequalities, expand and consolidate democracy, develop a participating and conscious citizenry, grow economically, and strengthen national sovereignty only if they do it collectively. In this regard the ongoing process of regional integration is central. Impressive steps have also been taken to eliminate racism, bigotry, gender and sex discrimination, and intolerance towards sexual diversity. In all these regards Latin America shows not only that another world is possible but is being built right now.
Another World is possible where there are no wars but only peace. No discrimination only equality. This is the alternative to imperialism. The alternative is Socialism. Socialism has to be built. History has proved that it is the working class that can build that alternative society. Workers organized under the class oriented trade unions have to rise up to build the socialist world.
Workers have done it. Now history beckons them to play the role destined to them. It is only the working class that can overthrow capitalism and reconstitute society on socialist lines. The trade unions are an expression of the organised working class. This is why the unions are a key consideration in the perspectives for changing society. Trade unions are the weapons and the class oriented ideology is the strength. Winning workers to the ideas of socialism by politicalising them is the immediate task before us. Building, expanding and strengthening left wing, class oriented trade unions with a clear socialist programme to overthrow capitalism and establish a socialist state is our objective. Workers should be politicalised. There is no other short cut. Class oriented trade unions should do it, starting the process now. Fight the global enemy locally and internationally should be our guideline. Economic expropriation, political recolonisation and military interventionism are the three pillars of the current imperialism that have to be demolished. Trade unions should prepare the workers to do it.

LONG LIVE PEACE – NO TO WAR
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY-UNITE FOR PEACEFUL WORLD
LONG LIVE WORKERS UNITY
LONG LIVE SOCIALISM

http://www.wftucentral.org/speech-of-b-v-vijayalakshmi-at-the-international-seminar-on-the-trade-unions-against-anti-workers-policies-imperialiast-interventions-and-wars-at-athens/

Extract from the Information Document by the Trade Union International of Banks, Insurance & Finance Unions (TUI BIFU) and the World Federation of Trade Unions
21 Dec 2016TUI BIFU
10 key points that we should always bear in mind when we negotiate:

– Negotiations are rarely pure win-win or win-lose situations, and should therefore be approached with integrated unbiased strategies.

– Uncertainty and ambiguity are inevitable in a negotiation, and the parties should be ready to learn about and even reshape their own perceptions within the negotiating process, in order to reach an agreement.

– Most disputes can be traced back to some pre-existing conflict from the past, but there are also often some other unexpressed, creeping and poisonous causes that force the negotiators to mediate in the pre-existing conflict and try to address the unexpressed causes.

– The interactions are basically chaotic, and they do not follow a straight line. Negotiators must not only be aware of this, but should attempt to make use of it to influence the process.

– Despite the chaotic appearance, negotiations have a similarity in structure, including elements such as issues, information, a time schedule, procedures, links, etc., which a good negotiator must be able to recognize. He must be able to reconstruct them and form an ad hoc strategy.

– Negotiations are usually interconnected, and they are affected by other negotiations that have taken place before, or are taking place at present, or that may take place in the future. Negotiators must be able to recognize them, so that they can lay emphasis on them, or draw attention away from them, as needed, during the process.

– Negotiations occur in waves over time. A good negotiator should be able to create and maintain a suitable momentum, so that he is able to take advantage of the various phases and deadlines for reaching an agreement.

– The individuals involved in a negotiation have a basic dual role to play: they are negotiators and leaders who must press for their services and solutions, but at the same time they must prove their own credibility so that they can influence the process by which both sides reach a solution.

– Experienced negotiators not only use, but also build up, their collective organizational know-how in order to facilitate the procedures and processes of participation by trying to consolidate isolated experiences and crystallize useful information from complex and chaotic events.

– Finally, negotiating skills can be understood and taught through recognizing the motives of the other side, simulating scenarios, reasoning in the course of action, and handling the process effectively.

Common Obstacles and Difficulties

Negotiations sometimes fail because the individuals participating in them lack awareness and are properly prepared for the negotiations. They rely on having additional alternative solutions to help them to address their problem more effectively.

Some serious problems which hinder the successful outcome of negotiations are:

– Lack of understanding of the negotiation process

– Lack of knowledge of basic negotiation techniques

– Lack of basic negotiation skills

– Hastiness and unpreparedness for the opening of the discussions

– Being in too much of a hurry to find a solution to a conflict

– Lack of belief from the very start in a possible way out of a deadlock

– Conviction that the other side is intransigent or dishonest

– Clashes of personality, and clashes from the past history underlying the negotiation

– Lack of ability to handle tensions, disappointment, anger and aggressiveness

– Feelings of being trapped by the way the negotiations are proceeding

– Defending personal or group prejudices and stereotype perceptions

http://www.wftucentral.org/extract-from-the-information-document-by-the-trade-union-international-of-banks-insurance-finance-unions-tui-bifu-and-the-world-federation-of-trade-unions/

Internationalist solidarity by the WFTU and PAME to the Workers and the People of Turkey

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On the occasion of the recent deadly attack in Istanbul, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) issued the following statement of solidarity to the working class of Turkey:
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the WFTU which represents 92 million members in 126 countries of the world, we convey our condolences to the families of the victims in Reina Club in Istanbul.
We express our internationalist solidarity and our support to the militant trade union movement in Turkey and to the Turkish workers. The murder of the 39 people reveals the responsibility of the principals that are killing civilians, innocent and ordinary people. For this situation in Turkey and in Middle East abettors also exist; these are the governments which take advantage of the fundamentalism in order to put in action their plans and their anti-labor policies.
The imperialistic forces that created, financed and armed ISIS and its branches have huge responsibility. The greatest moral responsibilities belong to the governments of USA, European Union and the monarchies of the Gulf. It is provocation and hypocrisy that the same day that 39 innocent people lost their lives, the President of France, François Hollande, who has the major responsibility declares that him and his Government will save the Arab people.

The Governments of France, Germany, Britain and the other imperialistic countries which are competing for the spheres of influence, in order to steal the petroleum and construct the energy pipelines are these who take advantage of the fundamentalism.
The WFTU, which represents the militant and internationalist trade union movement, calls all the workers regardless their religious, ideological and linguistic differences to struggle united against the monopolies and the imperialists for a world without the capitalistic barbarity and antagonisms. A world that the peoples can live in brotherhood.
* * *
PAME (All-Workers Militant Front) Condemns the Escalation of Authoritarianism and intimidation tactics Against Trade Union organizations in Turkey.
3 January 2017.
Last example of the intimidation and antiworkers’ tactics of the Turkish Government against the workers was the prohibition of Nakliyat Is Union protest to demand better minimum wage. The attempt of the of the Union to realize its protest, in spite of the prohibition, met the numerous police, riot police forces cars and vehicles, which surrounded the union’s offices.
The multinationals and the capitalists of Turkey make huge profits from the work of the Turkish workers. The business groups use the developments so as to impose their will and raise their profits, by prohibiting all workers demands and struggles.
PAME expresses its solidarity with the Nakliyat Is Union, the workers and the trade unions of Turkey that continue to fight against very difficult conditions.
We condemn the antiworkers’ practices and intimidations of the Turkish Government and the Business Groups, against the workers and the people of Turkey.
Posted by In Defense of Communism

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2017/01/internationalist-solidarity-by-wftu-and.html