Maquila Workers Learn Through Struggles here ♦ Red Flag Collective: Rely on the Power of the Masses here ♦ Demanding Concessions is Not Reformism here ♦
We Learn Communist Theory and Practice Through Struggles
“We are under fascist attack and threatened by the bosses, but we are not going to back down in the communist struggle,” said an El Salvador comrade in a cell meeting in which ten workers were present.
This reflects the fatigue created by constant threats from supervisors and union leaders who obey the boss’s orders. They say that we are on a list of people who fight for communism, so we can be fired.
We decided to go in and talk to the manager and question him on those points. As expected, he denied that he was threatening us on the bosses’ order. Of course, that’s why they have the unions to serve them.
We told him that we cannot be threatened for being part of the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP), that it is not a cause for dismissal, that we are free to organize ourselves.
These threats also come from the unions (which are the boss’s best allies) against their members who are part of ICWP. All for wearing our ICWP t-shirts inside the factory.
We also told them about the high cost of living and that they are not paying what they should for overtime work. The boss gave excuses for not being able to do it, first because of the pandemic, then because there is no increase in customers, and finally the war in Ukraine.
In that meeting I wore the shirt that they gave us to celebrate ICWP’s “Ten years of victory.” Others wore the shirt that we distributed on May 1, as a way of protesting the attacks.
“I know that our fight is not for reforms, but we cannot sit idly by in the face of all the attacks,” said a worker leader, explaining what happened.
Many workers, men and women, demonstrated their support of this action. And, of course, we took the opportunity to explain that we fight directly for communism, a system in which work will not be done to generate profits but to guarantee that humanity has what it needs.
But we need the other workers to realize that we need to be united and strong before the bosses.
Finally, we plan a political action of leafleting in the coming weeks.
—Comrade in an El Salvador sweatshop
Only the Power of the Working Class Protects Us
We salute the bravery and class anger of the factory comrades. We can’t comment on their tactics because we’re not there. The maquila party collective must make that evaluation together with the party leadership.
But here’s what we learn from this action: It’s fine to tell the boss in his office that you couldn’t be threatened for being part of the party.
But there is a much more profound truth that we must tell the workers.
No “labor code” or “declaration of rights” will protect workers. It is the bosses’ fear of the workers. If the bosses know that other workers support you, that firing you will disrupt their profits, that’s what will protect you if anything does. The labor code is not worth the paper it is written on.
The bosses’ celebrated “labor rights” and “freedoms” are lying propaganda. Capitalism is not a “democracy.” It is the dictatorship of capital. But it’s not absolute. The class struggle is constant. It’s the power of the working class that will protect you.
And the workers need you and our communist ideas to finish the struggle. That means armed revolution to finally end the dictatorship of capital. To give birth to a new communist society where we will work together to fulfill our needs and not to line the pockets of capitalist bloodsuckers. Adelante!!
—Red Flag Editorial Collective
Demanding Pro-Worker Concessions Is Not Reformism
What is communist (as opposed to reformist) class struggle? Does it exist? Do we engage in it (enough)?
In a recent Zoom international meeting, comrades from one area explained how they distributed Red Flag and leaflets, met regularly, followed up on contacts with new people, and so on. One comrade asked them what else they did besides distribute literature and hold meetings.
The comrades replied that, for example, they met on Sundays to study dialectics and got together with new people who worked in specific plants.
Another comrade sharpened the struggle. “What about communist class struggle?” This was what was missing.
Is there such a thing? Some comrades seem to think that any struggle to change things under capitalism is inherently a reform struggle and we don’t take part in reform struggles. I think this view is too narrow.
Here is a hypothetical example. Suppose you’re working in a shop and it’s getting really hot. The shop has air conditioning: all the boss has to do is flip a switch. But they won’t, to save money.
The workers in the shop spontaneously decide to stop working until the switch is flipped. As an ICWP member, what do you do?
I think you should enthusiastically support and help organize the stoppage and explain the power the working class has when it acts in a united way. If we can get air-conditioning, maybe we can get communism too. We should even organize the workers to flip the switch themselves if they’re up for it.
Turning on the A/C is not a reform – it’s what I would call a concession. Demanding a concession is not inherently reformism. Demanding union representation on the Health and Safety Committee – that’s reformism.
Organizing for A/C would be an example of communist class struggle. The crucial point is that we demand something that is unambiguously beneficial to workers. It would be combined with distributing communist literature and meetings about, for example, dialectics. If we skip the distribution and meetings, it degenerates into reformism.
Other issues we might take up could be rehiring fired or laid off workers; stopping a deportation; replacing a damaged and dangerous piece of equipment; striking against a pay cut; stopping a fascist march; commemorating the Russian revolution. It’s crucial that we do this as ICWP. For example, if we hold a support meeting, we make it clear that ICWP is organizing it.
If we don’t enthusiastically support, help organize, or (best of all) lead these fights we come off as indifferent observers of the class struggle.
Distributing literature and holding meetings is vital, but I think it should be combined (and reinforced by) communist class struggle.
—Comrade in Canada
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