PAME Speech at the CGT Commerce Congress International Meeting
December 11, La Rochelle, France
Dear Comrades of CGT Commerce,
On behalf of PAME, on behalf of the class unions of Greece, we thank you for inviting us in your 16th Congress, and also for your solidarity and our comradely relations. France may be cold, but your welcome made us feel warm and showed the strong relationship between our organizations and the workers of our countries. It is a special honor to be with you, after the great struggles of the workers of France against the pension reform of Macron’s Government.
Some comrades asked us about today’s discussion, and if it confuses us. The answer is YES, we are confused. The workers are confused. Because what they see and hear goes against what they experience. We are confused because of “crazy” developments where black is presented as white, and white asblack, and we try to explain all this.
For example, when it is most urgent and necessary to express solidarity with Palestine, why some forces, as sister Suzan from Palestine said, attempt to attack unions affiliated with WFTU in Palestine? Why do they threaten and blackmail militant unionists for participating and fighting against the only international union organization in clear and unconditional solidarity with the people of Palestine? At the same time the GS of the ITUC visited Palestine, but also Israel, where he met with the reactionary HISTADRUT! He expressed solidarity with Israel and HISTADRUT, the same organization that proudly published photos with bombs for Gaza!
We are confused when Syria is taken over by Jihadists and we are told they are “rebels” or “freedom fighters”. Their leader is wanted by the USA as leader of Al Qaeda, but at the same time we are told by the capitalist media and Governments that he is to bring “freedom and democracy”!?
We express our deep concern and our solidarity with the people of Syria and the peoples of the whole region of the Middle East. The domination of the jihadists in Syria is only a link in the chain of dangerous developments imposed by the imperialists in the wider Middle East. The developments in Syria are, the intervention of the imperialist forces, is a continuation of the Genocide in Gaza, the attacks against Lebanon and the targeting of Iran by USA, NATO, EU and Israel.
The Hypocrisy of those who claim they bring “Freedom and Democracy” we witnessed again and again in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan etc. They steal the oil and the riches of these countries, and they leave behind poverty, misery, refugees.
We stand by the side of the people of Syria. We are in solidarity with the heroic people of Palestine and demand the ending of the Genocide in Gaza!
But here again comes confusion for the workers because, as we say in Greece, we have to prove we are not elephants!
Some say “You oppose the jihadists? You support Assad! You support Iran!”.
This is ideological and political poverty. No arguments, but slander, dirty cheap propaganda. If you are not black, you are white! If you don’t agree with them, you are evil!
Does this mean that
if I am against Macron, I support Le Pen?
If I am against Trump, I support Biden/Harris?
In Greece, if I am against Tsipras, I support Mitsotakis?
If I do not support Zelenskiy and his fascist Azov battalion, I support Putin?
Or the most famous of all,
If I oppose the genocide in Palestine, I support Hamas?
This is stupidity…
We SUPPORT THE PEOPLE; we believe in the power of the people. And only the people must and should decide for their present and their future and not the imperialists.
We will not be forced by USA and Israel to call jihadists “freedom fighters” nor will they impose us their agenda, their allies and they will decide what everyone is or is not!
PAME is against all bourgeois forces and bourgeois Governments, no matter their colors or labels. PAME supports the rights of the working class against the attempts to “renew” or “clean” the sins of the bourgeoise.
So, it is confusing sometimes to have to debate on the following that many workers ask us in the workplaces
OK, Trump is far-right. Does that mean that Biden/Harris, who fund the Genocide in Gaza is progressive? Was it not Biden who banned the biggest railways strike prepared in the USA?
Despite this, many US unions called the workers to vote for Harris and the UNI General Secretary even called Biden “the most pro-union president in history”!Does this not confuse the workers?
Another example. Meloni in Italy is far right and attacks refugees and migrants. But one of the biggest, most massive murders of refugees in Europe recently took place in Spanish borders of Melilla under the Sanchez Government. A government that the ETUC calls “progressive”! Is this not confusing?
In Greece during the great struggles in the period of the big crisis we saw all kinds of Governments. The 1st antiworkers’ Memorandum was imposed by the social democratic Government of PASOK, the 2nd by a coalition Government of social democrats, conservatives and far right. After all, faced with the anger of the people, they presented as option a so called “left” Government of SYRIZA, which when it came in power, formed coalition Government with a far-right party and imposed a 3rd, most anti workers’ memorandum!
In France, was it not the “progressive” Government of Holland that imposed the El Komri legislation and paved the way for Macron to come into power?
Does this mean that these forces are the same? Of course not. But are they not together openly supporting “competitiveness” and “profitability” of the economy, which are other words that mean supporting Capitalism? They support profits for the capitalists, which always demand “sacrifices” by the workers.
Of course they have differences, as social democracy will cultivate the idea of “social peace” and“social partnership” which inside the unions is the notorious “social dialogue”! With delays, inaction, illusions and fatalism they try to stop workers’ struggles. And when these tactics fail, the capitalists present the scarecrow of fascism and far-right.
And what breeds fascism and the far right?
Is it not the official policy of the EU to laundry the fascism with the reactionary theory of the so called “2 extremes”? They rewrite history, they ban workers and communist parties and symbols but at the same time they fund Zelenskiy and the fascists of the AZOV battalion.
Is it a secret that capitalists love and support fascists?
The trial of the nazi party Golden Dawn in Greece, documented the funding of the fascists by big capitalists, who financed the nazis in order for them to attack workers’ unions, to attack against strikes, even to murder unionists.
Is it a secret the strong ties between the fascist organizations and the police or even the mechanisms of the deep state and the bourgeois Governments?
Are they not promoted and advertised by the capitalist media?
As Bertolt Brecht said: “Fascism can be combated as capitalism alone, but as the nakedest, most shameless, most oppressive, and most treacherous form of capitalism”
Fascism and far right are bred by the false hopes and the disappointment cultivated by the so called “left” or “progressive” forces.
Forces that imposed similar antiworkers’ policies when they were in Government but will use the far right are a boogeyman to win votes.
Facing this situation, we are not confused. We are optimist and see hope in the struggles of the workers. In strengthening the organization of the working class in the workplaces. Hope lies in every workplace, every neighborhood, every school that becomes a castle of struggle against injustice, against poverty, against imperialist wars and crimes, against the system of exploitation.
In Greece, the slogans that gave real hope and optimism to the workers are
NO ILLUSIONS, NO WAITING
THEIR PROFITS VS OUR LIVES
ONLY THE PEOPLE WILL SAVE THE PEOPLE!
Under these slogans, with daily, massive action inside the workplaces we broke fear and disappointment. Against most difficult conditions, negative correlations, faced with extreme anti workers’ governments that destroyed labor rights, we succeeded. We had victories and important steps forward!
Thousands of workers, no matter race, color, religion, sex or nationality, they joined their unions. Many of them young, women and migrants. We founded new unions.
For example, only a few months ago we founded a union in the French multinational giant Teleperformance. A union that within a few months held 9 national strikes!
The Metalworkers Union in the Shipyards signed Collective Contract with wage increases of 10%.
The Construction Workers Federation signed National Collective Contract with wage increases of 30%!
The union of Dockers of COSCO in Piraeus Port, won the recognition of its profession as Hazardous, gaining wage and pension increases. While at the same time, in solidarity with the people of Palestine, blocked cargo of ammunition for Israel!
Last month in Athens, in our Congress the Unions that participated from all over Greece, from all sectors reached 600, from 530 two years ago, that is 15% increase in participation.
And 10 days ago, your sister Federation in Greece, the National Federation of Private Sector Employees, held its National Congress. Before the Congress, the class unions had 10 out of the 21 seats in the Federation’s National Board. After the Congress the calls unions won all 21 out of 21 seats in the Federation!
These results are no accident. They are results of hard, daily work inside the workplaces. With presence and action on the side of the workers, with solidarity for every struggle, big or small, every day, everywhere.
That is why, when you started your struggle against the Pension Reform of Macron, we were by your side in every demonstration, every strike, every protest. In Paris, in Marseilles, in Lille! But also, in Greece, in front of the Embassies of France all over Greece, Greek workers, side by side with French students and migrants we protested and chanted VICTORY TO THE WORKERS OF FRANCE!
And we were not in solidarity with your struggle because of popularity or for the media. Any because we believe that every worker’s struggle is also our struggle, and any attack against any workerin also an attack against all workers! No worker alone!
With the hope, optimism and inspiration from your struggles we face the new developments! With solidarity and faith in the power of the workers against the plans of the imperialists.
We know we are facing a new capitalist crisis, with layoffs, inflation, high cost of living, unemployment, attack on wages and workers’ rights. At the same time Governments all over the world are increasing war spending and are cutting from social care, from hospitals, schools and social services. The nuclear threat is again a reality.
We have a duty to prepare the working class against the attacks that are coming
No sacrifices for the wars and the crisis of the capitalists
Money for Wages, Health, Education- Not for the imperialist wars!
With massive, militant unions, with class orientation that will inspire and mobilize the workers. With organization in National and International level, in defense of the workers, against the bourgeois Governments, the multinationals and the imperialist organizations! The timing is crucial!
That is why, and in recognition of your struggles, and in solidarity with the working class of France the class unions of Europe, the WFTU European Regional Office have decided to organize the next European Conference of the WFTU in January 2025 in Val de Marne, France!
To send the message that the struggle is not finished, the struggle continues, till the final victory!
