Today's Topics:
1. Workers Solidarity Movement (Ireland): Say no to Tesco's
attempts to slash wages by up to 20% by Andrew N Flood
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. freedomnews: Romanian anarchists on anti-corruption
protests: It's elites vs elites (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Poland, rozbrat, Actions of solidarity with employees of New
Look National Union of Workers' Initiative [machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Britain, AFED, notts black arrow: Anarchist Communism in the
Midlands (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
Tesco stores across Ireland with strike from tomorrow to put a stop to Tesco's scheme to
impose up to a 20% pay cut on long term staff. ---- These workers who have worked for the
company for 20 years or more are currently paid 14 euro an hour, Tesco want to slash that.
That this wage is seen as too high, in particular after 20 years service, shows why its
important for all of us that the Tesco's workers win their strike. Tesco are secretive
about where they make their money but the parent company made 129 million sterling in 2016
and the Irish subsidiary had a total revenue of 2.8 billion euro in 2012-2013. In other
words this is not a pay cut imposed as a last measure by a company tottering on the edge
of bankruptcy, its purpose is purely to push up profits a little more.
Because Tesco are targeting long service workers, many of whom may be near retirement,
they are a small minority of the total workforce. 250 workers are targeted by management
but Mandate organise a total of 10,000 Tesco workers. Tesco management are gambling that
people will continue to shop in Tesco's, in particular the majority of branches that will
not be directly on strike. Proving they are wrong is essential to protecting all our
wages & conditions.
John Douglas of Mandate said over the weekend;
"In recent days, Tesco Ireland have said that the impending strikes are not justified
because they have not yet actually made the contractual changes. In response, last Friday
Mandate wrote to the management of Tesco Ireland saying that if they committed to not
making changes to their staff's contracts without agreement with them - rather than trying
to impose change unilaterally - then the strike due to start on Tuesday could be called
off. Unfortunately, to date we have had no response from Tesco Ireland to our letter."
Mr Douglas said that Tesco's actions constitute an abuse of the company's considerable
economic power against a small number of local workers who have given more than 20 years
of loyal service to the company and its customers.
"No worker wants to go on strike, but our members recognise that if Tesco can get away
with tearing up contracts of employment without agreement for pre-1996 staff, it'll be the
3,000 workers on post-1996 contracts who are currently on a higher hourly rate of pay who
will be next. That's why we've seen such strong support from our members in these ballots
for industrial action, particularly from those not affected by cuts, yet. They understand
that together we are stronger," John Douglas concluded.
Andrew N Flood
http://www.wsm.ie/c/tesco-attempts-slash-wages-strike
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Message: 2
Romania has been seeing some of the largest demonstrations in its recent history over a
law being proposed by the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) which decriminalises some
forms of political corruption. In this in-depth analysis, Romanian anarchist-communist
group Ravna examines some of the forces vying for political power which underlie much of
the fuss. ---- Here we will try to put forward some ideas from an anarchist communist
perspective, as far as can be done, about the recent protests against decisions by the
ruling party which act as an attack on the "rule of law," as well as the
post-revolutionary path of Romania and "progress" made in the last 27 years. ---- In
short, we believe we that we are witnessing an internal war for power between
representatives of the political class and institutions of State power, and this is not of
particular interest for the working class and its emancipation. As we see it the main
actors in these numerous protests have been representatives of the middle class, and
provide force for the agenda of President Klaus Johannis and his National Liberal Party
(NLA), some of the member institutions such as intelligence, the National Anti-corruption
Directorate, etc. on the one hand and the Social Democratic Party, political class in
general on the other hand.
We do not deny that among the protesters there are many including representatives of the
working class and dispossessed people who were not among the winners of transition. The
explanation for this lie in poisons being spread by the media and a generally
pro-capitalist discourse dominating Romanian society over the last 27 years. The lack of
credible alternatives to support the cause of the working class cannot be ignored as a
factor contributing to this situation. Much positioning and many actions have certainly
been contradictory at the moment.
The "young beautiful" middle class
The middle class is made up of segments of the population who have an above-average
standard of living, who hope to achieve a similar level of existence to their Western
peers, and generally subscribe to the progress of civilisation represented by the image of
Western capitalist colonial culture. Although many of them remain subject to wage slavery,
some still possess the ability to accumulate substantial capital while others do not,
their class betrayal is manifested by their aspirations to join the ranks of the
bourgeoisie, with matching views of where their interests lie. Their consciousness is
confined to that class of "budding bourgeois" - a bourgeois currently subject to a lower
status.
Another important feature of the middle class is the contempt expressed for the broadest
sections of the working class and the poor, what which we associate with "communism"
(state capitalism), material deprivation, and and an obsession over why it is so difficult
to break into the ranks of the bourgeoisie. From among this class, the most active part
consists of a segment of urban youth, educated in a Western spirit, often exhibited by
personal associations with multinational firms present in Romania, as well as NGOs where
the pay is above average.
PSD - Penalty
PSD is a political party that does not differ in content from other parties which claim
the European tradition of social democracy (a reformist and capitalist tradition, but
another discussion). We can hardly say that they vary in any profound way from other
parties past or present. The party prefers not to discuss its neoliberalism, that is it
more concerned with the interests of capital (domestic or foreign) than with labour, but
instead presents itself as a political party which was the working-class traditional base
and represented the most deprived parts of Romanian society.
Heir of the National Salvation Front (descendant of the former single party during the
pre-revolutionary era), PSD in turn facilitated the process of primitive accumulation,
starting with the overthrow of the former regime and the transition to a capitalist market
economy. During PSD's early reign there were more privatisations, they have opened new
markets for investment, many redundancies have been made, they carried out social spending
cuts. In this respect it is difficult to establish clear differences from other parties
that have been in government. They follow the main line of all of the post-revolutionary
governments, one that focuses on the interests of capital while completely ignoring the
phenomenon of precarity within the working class.
Explanations for the PSD's popularity among the working class are multiple. One is of
course the lack of a concrete alternative that could provide at least an illusion that it
centres discourse on the interests of the base of society. Another reason is that PSD
admittedly has extremely well-organised party structures in poor urban and rural areas.
There are some differences however, even if they are buried deep. This can be best seen in
public discourse discussing the actions of the former Technocrat government in contrast to
that of PSD (at least for most of the campaign).
[Editor's note: the Ponta (PSD coalition) government lasted until 2015, when it collapsed
over corruption scandals. The Technocrat Ciolos Cabinet took over in November of that
year, and was replaced by the elected Grindeanu PSD coalition in January 2017]
The Technocrats were headed by a well-paid European bureaucrat, and they, besides the
Opposition which had argued against Ponta raising the minimum wage in 2015, initially
submitted to Romania's working class that it was too expensive to raise wages when they
took power[though Ciolos quickly backtracked]. On the other hand PSD had previously
proposed increased wages and pensions and other social facilities - a pretty important one
being the introduction of free hot meals for students.
Even so PSD's candidates did not address majority interests, seeking to win votes from
some traditional right-wing voters by promising the reduction or elimination of a whole
set of taxes. This strategy proved to be successful. As in previous elections PSD picked
up votes from across electoral groups, managing to attract uncertain segments of urban,
educated, previously inaccessible demographics.
Far from offering some local form of opposition to the regime of neocolonialism dominating
the population, the PSD may be perceived by external institutions that de facto govern
Romania at uncertain times as more desirable than a rightist (or technocratic) government
willing to boldy centre the interests of the capitalist class in their speech.
Another strategy employed by PSD is to court the nationalist, conservative and
traditionalist-oriented - i.e the explicitly reactionary parts of the population and a
politically unaware working class riven by divisions and hierarchies imposed and
reproduced inside it. Thus it is not surprising that PSD positions itself with
crypto-fascist initiatives Such as the Coalition for Family and PSD party leader Liviu
Dragnea comes out in in favor of conservative family notions which would ban same-sex
marriages. In short, PSD is a party which strongly appeals to nationalist and conservative
tropes, while the traditional conservative party (the NLA) does not currently appeal to
the institutions and bodies which have facilitated neocolonialism, NATO etc.
Liviu Dragnea
Anti-Corruption and rule of law Johannis
Central to the ideological discourse of anti-corruption is the road Romania has taken to
today's capitalist market economy and the Western conceptualising of what must be. The
generally accepted premise of development involves the destruction of Romania's industrial
infrastructure, a cheapened labour force which is skilled and educated, keeping the
country's wages at "attractive levels" for foreign investment, little or no taxing of
profits which are made here and then exported to Western countries. What is being
described here here is the kind of colonial capitalism which exists now. But through this
ideological lens corruption is perceived as a major obstacle to the achievement of a
Western-style capitalism and hence must be cut out.
That same period also marks the establishment of the nucleus of our previously-mentioned
middle class invested with the multinationals, which have increased since 2004 in parallel
with growing poverty for the general population and an end to rising employment (of new
service-sector jobs, once the West had profited from the wave of cheap labour).
Ideologically middle-class people associate the brutality of the transitional period (its
primitive accumulation of capital - ie. robbery) and the broad corruption of the '90s by
the capitalist political economy with regimes from the time. Although the PSD was not in
government between 1996 and 2000, it nonetheless remains the main scapegoat, being
associated with the previous regime and thus considered a hindrance to capitalist development.
This explains their association of PSD with communism and anti-communist speech,
understood though a sense of aversion to anything that might hinder capitalist
accumulation. This leads the middle class to reject the PSD's "delimited" electoral
coalition and talk of material precariousness in the face of the vicissitudes of capital,
which they argue amounts to a rejection of European values and the (capitalist) rule of
law, of the Western culture which they consider their main source of wealth. PSD is then
through "electoral charity" seeking to hide their corruption and hatred of those European
democratic values, making it guilty of infringing the welfare of these segments inside
(one because alleged corruption and incompetence prevent the accumulation process, and two
that dedicating funds for social spending and necessary infrastructure do not achieve the
capital accumulation process).
President Johannis of the Opposition NLA on the other hand is considered the quintessence
of the highest values of Western culture and civilisation. German mayor of Sibiu, former
tutor and teacher par excellence, owner of six houses, he is regarded as the total
opposite of the president of the PSD and its mostly poorer electorate. By contrast, as the
face of PSD Dragnea is regarded as a provincial character. Balkan, corrupt, despotic and
uncivilised. Johannis is the defender of Romania's European course, the guarantor of the
rule of law, anti-corruption, pro a strategic partnership with the US fascist empire.
Johannis is the enemy of everything that might stand in the way of the capitalist
accumulation process and imperialist interests.
But far be it from us of course to argue Dragnea offers some sort of working class
struggle for emancipation. Dragnea is, like the whole political class, representing the
interests of the bourgeoisie.
Ground view of the "wall of light" used by protesters throughout the protests. Pic: Gabinho/CC
Working class
Unlike most of the irrelevant and naive Left in Romania, we argue that for the working
class, these anti-corruption protesters show no interest in the meaning of emancipation
from capitalist exploitation and domination of the State.
The pretext of the anti-corruption fight is, fundamentally a struggle for power between
different bourgeois camps within the country. Whichever camps best represent the interests
of capital and the bourgeoisie will win out, since capitalist governments are nothing but
business management for the modes of production - committees of the bourgeoisie.
We affirm the emancipation of the working class can only be achieved by the working class
itself. The working class must develop its own consciousness and then organise for the
conditions they are in - whether at work or in communities - to end the domination of the
ruling class and force it from the stage of history.
The so-called rule of law is not only the political expression of the existing social
order, an order based on suffering, tragedies, poverty, exploitation, crushing the spirit
felt by millions of people in the country and billions of people globally. Capitalism for
the working class is the most corrupt system in daily existence. It engages in blackmail
by exploiting wage labour and slavery against its victims. The historic role of the State
is the perpetuation of class society and the reproduction of capitalism, to enable one
class to live off the labour of another, to at any price to satisfy the interests of
elites. In this political oppression, the State too must leave the stage.
However we cannot fail to notice how the struggle between the representatives of the
political class with institutions of State power and the privileged middle class is biased
in favour of the latter. Protesters did not hesitate to assert some sympathy and even
preference for undemocratic institutions which are completely devoid of transparency,
which can not be directly held accountable.
Somehow this can send us towards the interpretation that for many protesters this is an
expression of contempt for the popular vote, prone as it is to political parties taking
"populist" measures (social spending, wage increases). Countless voices have called these
days an annulment of the vote by the poor, who constitute the bulk of PSD voters.
This article is edited from a machine translation. Any errors, let us know!
https://freedomnews.org.uk/romanian-anarchists-on-anti-corruption-protests-its-elites-vs-elites/
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Message: 3
February 11, 2017 r., There were two solidarity actions affiliated with the French trade
union Solidaires female employees and employees of shops with clothing New Look. The
company in France makes it difficult to trade union activities and refuses to listen to
the demands of workers and workers demanding better working conditions. ---- In January
this year, the dismissal from work received the official union representative, Moussa
Koita. The reason was the alleged "persistent harassment" personnel department, which is
consistent publicizing the voice of discontented crew. ---- In Warsaw the shop New Look
mall Golden Terraces developed banner "Enough repression for union activities", workers
and customers to shop and pedestrians (which on Saturday afternoon there was no shortage)
distributed leaflets informing about the situation in the French branch of the company,
and encouraging workers and employees in Poland to organize themselves in trade unions.
In Poznan, the action was the nature of happenings: smartly dressed dozen members and
members of the IP were in store New Look at the mall Posnania. They played board of envoys
from Paris, who came in order to close the shop, because it came to the Paris news about
the activities of trade union in Poland - and yet the New Look does not accept the trade
unions! Quench cards saying "Closed due to union activity" and distributed leaflets.
Unfortunately there was no leadership store, which guests from France wanted to release
for accepting compounds.
http://www.rozbrat.org/informacje/poznan/4508-akcje-solidarnociowe-z-pracownikami-new-look
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Message: 4
Happy new year - maybe, maybe not? But we are still here and there has been a good amount
of interest in anarchism and the AF in the Midlands area recently, both East and West. So
if you are interested in saying hello or meeting up, do get in touch. The best email
address to contact us on is midlands[at]afed[dot]org[dot]uk and there is also a Twitter
feed @afedmids so feel free to follow and pass us any interesting snippets of action or
forthcoming events in the region. ---- Here are a couple of bits of local news and
comment. ---- Leicester AF are holding libertarian discussion meeting each month on a
Wednesday so if you are interested, let us know via the midlands address. Next one is on
the 22nd Feb and the venue is a very short walk from Leicester train station so it's
easily reachable for an evening visit from other Midlands towns.
It was great to see so many people out on the streets for the recent anti-Trump state
visit demos around the country including the rally in Nottingham having close to 1000 at
it, something we've not seen for quite while. Combatting anti-migrant discourse is really
important, as appealing to patriotism and nationalism continues be a potent way of
dividing and ruling over the working class, so it was good to see this as a major theme of
the rally. The new sense of anger against government here and elsewhere will create the
seeds of a badly needed movement whose goal is equality, freedom and adhering to the idea
of No Borders. Hopefully the new wave of enthusiasm will not end up merely as a vehicle
for pro-Corbyn/Labour Party building such as happened when Notts Save Our Services was
nipped in the bud in favour of the so-called People's Assembly.
The main AF website is being updated with new articles so do take a look!
https://nottsblackarrow.wordpress.com/
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