Strikers in Matamoros: “Union & Company Kill the Working Class
January 30—Fifty-five thousand workers from 45 maquilas that produce auto parts, electronics and other commodities went on strike on January 25, in open defiance of their traitorous union leaders and government officials. They are demanding a 20% wage increase and a bonus owed to them of 32,000 pesos (US $1,600).
Their unity and militancy has inspired millions around the world, including the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) and its base. We see in these masses of workers in struggle their great potential to fight for communism.
The strike is affecting car production in the US and Canada and impacting the economy of the state of Tamaulipas. It shows the power of our class. Without us, nothing moves.
Workers Can Run Society Without Bosses – a Communist Society.
We will achieve this only with a communist revolution that rids the world of imperialists and all other capitalists, together with their money, markets, borders and nations.
In capitalism we sell our labor power for a miserable wage to produce goods that generate huge profits for the capitalists.
In communism we will produce only to meet the needs of our international working class family. Collectively we will plan what, how and where to produce and how to distribute it according to the needs of each – without money.
Eliminating money and wage slavery will destroy the material basis that perpetuates racism and sexism. Destroying borders and nations will end xenophobia and the poisons of nationalism and patriotism.
Nobody will live better than anyone else. Nobody will have special privileges. No one will be anyone’s boss or servant. We will all develop many skills and do many kinds of work, manual and mental.
Industrial Workers Must Mobilize for Communism, Not Reforms
Communism won’t fall from the sky. It won’t emerge from spontaneous reformist struggles. The masses have to be mobilized for communism. Industrial workers – like the Matamoros strikers – have a key role to play.
Why? Because only the working class can liberate the working class.
In the final analysis, the communist political line – which will determine our failure or success – is forged in the crucible of the class struggle. The tactics and strategies we use in our daily struggles against the capitalists will determine whether we move towards communism or remain slaves to the capitalists.
Do we fight for reforms or do we help the masses visualize a communist society and inspire them to fight for it? This is the burning question.
The struggle for reforms destroyed the old communist movement. Its biggest reform was to fight for socialism, which turned out to be state capitalism.
The original organizers of the ICWP came out of that movement. For decades we spent a lot of time fighting for reforms. Change has not been easy. But we have to do it.
The working masses have been trained for over a century to fight for reforms. Changing them will not be easy, but we have to do it.
Fight to End Wage Slavery, Not for Higher Wages
Trade-unionism has driven the fight for better wages and benefits. But, wages are the chains that bind us to the capitalists. Wages dehumanize us. They convert us into commodities.
No matter how much they pay us, we will remain slaves of the capitalists. Our historical task is to end this slavery and class society.
Trade union ideology does not aim for our liberation. It only seeks to reform capitalism. The Matamoros strikers hate their traitorous union leaders. But, they should not struggle to create more radical or honest unions. Their struggle, our struggle, must be to build the ICWP. It must be to organize the communist revolution that will end capitalism-imperialism and all its horrors.
Another capitalist ideology that we must eradicate from our ranks is belief in elections. No electoral political party or capitalist politician will liberate us. All are loyal defenders of capitalism.
MoReNa and López Obrador are no exception. The MoReNa Senator, Ricardo Monreal Ávila, following Lopez Obrador’s orders, had the state police ready to reopen the factory gates by force. That didn’t happen only because 27 maquilas have yielded to the strikers’ demands.
Whatever the outcome of this struggle, unionism and the electoral process are dead-ends for our class. Let’s organize ICWP and armed communist revolution to win the communist world that we need and long for.
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