Letters to and from Maquiladora Workers

Comrade Fired from his Job—Continues the Fight

On Monday, December 13, I was fired from the garment factory where I had worked for years. I have been fired without any justification. The bosses made the decision to terminate my contract, since they had information that I was organizing to fight for a communist world.

Ten minutes before the end of the day, the person in charge of human resources called me to the office and told me to sign some papers that were on his desk immediately, without giving me any explanations. He gave it to me and forced me to sign it, without knowing why. Once I signed it, he told me I was fired, that from that moment I could no longer return to the work area.

It seems that it is a crime to fight for a different world. But despite all this, I remain firm in the fight because I am clear about communist ideology and capitalist ideology. My Red Flag comrades have not left me alone. That encourages me to continue forward in the trenches where ever I may find myself. I will remain strong. Ever onward to victory

—Garment worker in El Salvador

Communism will End the Material Basis of Sexism

To the comrade sister in the maquilas in El Salvador who wrote the letter about sexist harassment in the last issue:

Welcome to the ICWP and the fight for communism! I like millions of others around the world have experienced this harassment by my boss on my job. And I am fighting for a world without bosses, without money, without “jobs.” When we win the revolution, we will get rid of jobs and bosses and organize all work collectively. We’ll decide together, led by the Party, what we want to produce and how to do it. And we’ll work together to produce what working people need. And no one will have to put up with sexual harassment because they need the paycheck to survive and for their family to survive.

In a communist society, we will fight against capitalist ideas and behavior including the sexist idea that men can abuse women. However, for a long time there will be men raised under the old system, or listening to older men raised under the old system, who think that sexual harassment is OK. But we will have collective struggle against these ideas and behaviors. All the comrades, regardless of gender, who understand the need for unity and mutual respect, will be organized to fight against the remnants of capitalist ideas and behavior. (This, of course, applies to racism, homophobia and xenophobia as well.)

But even more importantly, we won’t have bosses. We’ll have production collectives. No boss will have the power to hire or fire anyone. No one will need a paycheck to survive. We’ll live and work together as one human family. We’ll make sure that no individual has the power to make anyone go hungry ever again. And we’ll be free, dignified workers together in a new world.

—Comrade in Los Angeles

Read our pamphlet:

The Communist Fight Against Sexism

Available at: icwpredflag.org/sxse.pdf

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