International call
The struggle of the working class and retired people move the workers of the world
16 years from the “argentinazo”, the great popular rebellion of 2001, which made an elected government barely two years ago to fall, Argentina was shaken by the workers’ struggle against a retirement counter-reform, which confiscates their wages, reducing even more the bosses’ contributions to Social Prevision and increases the minimum retirement age, violating established rights.
All this take place in the frame of a tax reform “Trump’s way”: a reduction on incomes tax to companies, lesser retention to soy and mining exporters, consolidation of salaries tax, and an incentive to private retirement funds. This anti-workers “whole package” is part of an international tendency of capitalist governments, encouraged by de IMF, to discharge the crisis over the workers attacking retirement systems, trying to erase from present retirements the bosses’ contributions, as part of a deferred salary.
The struggle of workers and retired people from Argentina has shocked workers all around the world. Brazil gets ready to vote a similar reform next February.
The mobilization of tens of thousands of workers opened a crisis in the official block and forced the Congress to lift the session. 85% of the polled people has expressed their rejection to what the government and its partners call “retirement reform” and the “permanent reform” policy.
On Monday 18th, important workers columns (teachers, steel, tire workers, etc) no less than 200 thousand people marched again to the National Parliament. For hours there was developed a strong battle between workers and repressive forces specialized in attack and infiltration. The government managed to impose with little margin the law due to the support from emigrates of the former Kirchnerist government, and even the kirchnerism itself, as happened with the simultaneous laws approved in Buenos Aires Province’s Parliament. That very night, in neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and major cities there were mobilizations and “cacerolazos” (pan- hitting demonstrations) in rejection.
Another counter-reform, labor this time, is in agenda for February. It destroys labor’s law, from 8 hour work-day abolition to the complete labor precarization –zero hour contract.
The brutal repression had left tens of injured, many of them serious (eye loss, etc). The government attack workers self-defense in the name of Parliament primacy. “Democracy” denudes like this its ferocious class condition –exploiter. It arrogates the rights dictatorship considered its own. This labor counter-reform, nevertheless, was never submitted to vote –officialism denied it had the intention to implement it during last electoral campaign.
In this frame, the State and media monopolies has unleashed a furious MacCarthyst campaign against the left and against the Partido Obrero.
The working class will retake this struggle, which range is international.
We call the exploited of the world and its organizations to develop and international front against labor and retirements reforms.
Long life to Argentina’s workers rebellion!
