Disloyalty of the Unions
I would like to talk about my personal experience with the union and how it manipulated me and my colleagues. I used to work for a big company as a technical worker. The company first decreased our salary scale. Soon after, they stopped our gain sharing bonus. We usually got this bonus every three months when we reached the sales. The company also eliminated the incentive bonus which we usually got every six months. And finally the company stopped overtime. We were so devastated that we decided to go on strike.
We were called upon and they said we must immediately go back to our work stations because it was an unprotected strike. Even our union told us to go back to work. We asked how we could return to our work stations when we are not satisfied with what’s happening.
Then we were charged. Our union said they couldn’t do anything for us because they had already signed the agreement about all these things that were happening—without our knowledge. I feel they used us, completely misled us, and betrayed us. I don’t see any use for the union. They deduct money from our salary each and every month to protect you, to fight for your rights. But the union is working with management while they are disguised as if they are looking out for the employees. I decided to quit the company. I can’t be a slave because we were doing all the work but getting peanuts, and the management got all the bonuses.
I would like the youth of South Africa to consider that the unions serve the management— pretending they are fighting for us.
I met a comrade later and he introduced me to ICWP. I liked the fact that he said they wanted to abolish the bosses’ system. He explained the manifesto of the organization. That’s what made me interested to join ICWP—because it happened to me personally.
May Day in Mexico: Join Our Hearts and Our Fists
“Arise all men and women workers of the world, arise all to fight. With proletarian justice a new world must be created.” These words resound loudly this May Day.
How can we be afraid to defend life? How can we be afraid of our historic opportunity to take off the chains to be free? To be completely human?
Today, May Day, our heart sings and our eyes wait to see a new dawn. The bosses will not fill us with fear. Let them fight their wars, elect their politicians, let them devour whatever they require, their days are numbered!
Day by day, our communist work is advancing. For example, I talked with a friend about the war and what political actions to take. I mentioned that sometimes doing some activity of dissent is not enough; what is required is political clarity. I gave the example of the earthquakes a few months ago. I said that many people helped or collected donations and stood in solidarity. However, what political gain did these actions have, what was the advance?
“None,” responded my friend.
He commented that it was necessary to know history, and for that reason he liked to read it. That way, he could generate an informed opinion and not let himself get fooled so easily.
I said that sometimes it is not only necessary to know history and form opinions, but that perhaps a second step was to write.
He looked at me with surprise and I said, yes, sometimes we can formulate ideas in our heads. Some ideas will be wrong, others correct, but it is an individual task. The best way is to collectivize it. If there is a contradiction there is an advance, even more if this is distributed and read around the world.
I told him that to speak is a political action. Speaking requires practice and prior knowledge. Therefore, speaking is a need, and so is political activity like writing. I am struggling with him to write for our newspaper Red Flag.
Comrades, let’s speak as long as we have words in our mouths! This May Day let’s join our hearts and our fists, United for Communist Revolution.
—Comrade in Mexico
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