CPSMayDayStatement2012

PartOne

DonCurrie,EditorFocusOnSocialism,ChairCPS
April22,2012

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CanadiansforPeace&Socialism
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca Box168SlocanBCV0G2C0 Canada 12503552669 OnthisMayDay2012,labourmilitants,leadersandrankandfileactivists,confronttheneed to make the leap from exposing the predation of finance capital on the standard of living and social gains of millions of Canadian wage earners to organizing the struggle to oust capitalfromdominanceovergovernmentandthestate. Thetaskisdauntingbutnotimpossible. The urgency of the need for a higher level of labour militancy and organizational unity in actionwashighlightedinaspeechbyDaveColesPresidentoftheCommunications,Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) to the Canadian Auto Workers Council in Port ElginonApril14th2012promotingamergerofthetwounionscalledtheNewUnionProject. 1 TheCEP/CAWNewUnionProjectdiscussionpaperdeservesclosestudy.Itisnoteworthyon at least two levels. First of all it is the work of militant trade union leaders and activists themselves.SecondlyitrecognizestheneedforanewkindofCanadianunionism. TheCEPunionwebsite 2 reportedPresidentColesremarks: TheNewUnionProject,currentlyinthediscussionstages,couldbeapowerfulresponse to the increasingly aggressive nature of global capitalism, says CEP National President DaveColes. Newapproachesareneededtoensurethatworkersarenotcrushed,saidColesandthe creation of a larger, stronger and more militant union should be one of them. "We mustchangetoensureresponsesfromworkersarenotonlyheard,butarevictorious," saidColes,inafieryaddressonApril14toCAWCouncilinPortElgin,Ontario."Ourplan isthatallworkerswillbeabletouniteunderthisNewUnionProject."

1 2

http://www.newunionproject.ca/ http://www.cep.ca/en/
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Colesspokeofthegrowingunificationandconsolidationoflabourorganizationsthatis takingplacearoundtheglobetocreateastrongerforceforworkingpeople.Themost recent example is the merger between global union federations the International FederationofChemical,Energy,MineandGeneralWorkers'Unions(towhichtheCEPis affiliated) and the International Metalworkers' Federation (to which the CAW is affiliated), which are in the process of uniting under the new name of IndustriALL whichwillrepresent55millionworkers. Coles said that unions should be proud of their storied histories, but these histories should not be a barrier to moving forward with a new model and new reality. Within CEP,therearelocalunionswhohavebeencertifiedformorethan140years,theearly printingpressunionswhowereamongthefirstinthecountrytoorganize. "Weunderstandthepremisethattogetherwecanwin,butdividedwewilllose,"said Coles."It'sourgametowin,solet'swinit." FormoreinformationontheNewUnionProject,pleasevisit:www.newunionproject.ca The CAW/CEP New Union Project is symptomatic of a ferment of dissatisfaction among many International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) affiliates. The ITUC, the former International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) still burdened with its anti communistcoldwarclasscollaborationistoriginshasnoglobalstrategicpolicyindependent ofstatemonopolycapitalism. TheITUCconfinesitsleadershipactivitiestoavoluntaryacceptanceoftheroleassignedtoit by the international financial institutions serving private capital. The ITUC is immersed in futileattemptstomanagetheeffectsofthecurrentglobaleconomiccrisisofcapitalismon thewagesandworkingconditionsandsocialgainsofhundredsofmillionsofworkers.The gratuitous advice of the ITUC to the April Meeting of the IMF and World Bank calling for reforms to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis on workers illustrates the problem. 3 Suchacollaborationistpolicyofthelargestinternationalunionfederationshasadampening effect on the militancy of all ITUC affiliates and in the final analysis makes it difficult to mobilize a consistent internationalist class struggle line to counterattack international financecapital.

http://www.ituccsi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdf
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Out of necessity, some ITUC affiliates are independently seeking a new class struggle strategy.ThereasonsareaptlystatedinDaveColesspeech. Dave Coles refers to the aggressiveness of global capitalism and the need for organized labourtonotonlyrespondbuttobevictorious.Thisforthrightmilitantpartisanstanceisa departurefromthepolicyoftheCLC/ITUCtopleadershipsthatlimitstheroleoforganized labourtoseekingoutpointsofagreementbetweenorganizedlabourandtheinstitutionsof global finance capital in the mistaken belief that capitalism can be made to operate less aggressivelytowardstheworkingclass. The CAW/CEP initiative is happening because the CLC/ITUC nostrums are failing. The rising militancy of the international trade union movement is emerging out of necessity. Class collaborationistbusinessunionismonthecoldwarmodelhasnofuture. WhateverthefinaloutcomeoftheCAW/CEPmergerinitiative,thediscussionaboutanew classstrugglestrategyfororganizedlabourhasbeenopenedup.Thesearchforaneffective classstrugglestrategyforCanadianlabourisnowontheagenda.Itisoverdue. ThedenunciatoryexposurelimitationoftheMarch29th2012CLCresponsetotheFlaherty IMF federal austerity budget is a case in point. The CLC leadership continues to complain thatarightwingConservativegovernment,beholdentobank/corporatepowerrefusedto implementlaboursdemands.Suchastanceisalamentationnotaclassstrugglepolicy. 4 TheCAW/CEPdocumentcallsforadifferentapproach. Citing new levels of political hostility from right wing governments the CAW/CEP documentaddressesinanumberofstatementstheneedfororganizedlabourtoinitiate andleadpowerfulcampaigns.Theanalysisisarecognitionthatthemostaggressiveand reactionary sectors of finance capital are in ascendancy and driving for a more open dictatorialformofrule. TheConservativeGovernmentisnowmovingtoaggressivelyimposeitsantilabouragenda on the entire working class. Federal and provincial antilabour legislation and compliant courts routinely suppress strikes, enact draconian back to work orders, decertify unions, abrogate collective bargaining rights, and turn to state violence to suppress mass protest demonstrations of workers and students. In Canada at both federal and provincial levels, statemonopolyattacksonorganizedlabourandstudentsareintensifying.

http://www.canadianlabour.ca/newsroom/publications/clcanalysis2012federalbudget
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Federalprovincial governmental actively facilitates union wrecking activities of global employers.TheCAW/CEPdocumentcondemnstheAggressiveattacksbyglobalemployers onkeycontractprovisions,andthefoundationofunions All of that and more is why it is significant that two major private sector unions have undertaken to discuss and act on what the document describes as the The failure of the labourmovementtodatetosignificantlyrestructureandaddressissuesoftoomanyunions (57affiliates),abilitytoinitiateandleadpowerfulcampaigns,andlackofcoordinationand duplicationoflabourmovementservicesandresources. By itself restructuring is only a small part of the task of setting organized labour on a consistentclassstruggleline.Takingunionorganizationtoahigherlevelofunityinactionis always possible once the fundamental issues of what constitutes a class struggle strategy areresolvedinpractice. That is why the Part III of the CAW/CEP statement entitled: Features and strategies for a newuniontosucceedmeritthestudyandconstructivecriticalcommentbyeverygenuine labourmilitant. Next: The World Federation of Labours Athens Pact A Program for the International Class OrientedTradeUnionMovement.

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CPSMayDayStatement2012(PartOne)

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