Communist Solidarity with Laid-Off Garment Workers
EL SALVADOR, October 1— “Only Communism will end wage slavery,” said a flyer distributed by comrades of the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP). “We are the largest, most revolutionary and powerful social class.”
Comrades distributed this communist leaflet to maquila workers, denouncing the wave of layoffs in the APS factories and the closure announced by CAMTEX (Chamber of Textile Industry) of another Fruit of the Loom plant in October, in which it is a partner.
The flyer was clandestinely distributed hand to hand to various factory collectives, to be shared with more factory workers. We also invited them to read it and act in solidarity with those of our class.
The comrades in the factory have shown solidarity with the fired workers. We have collected and delivered some basic things that help a little in these moments of crisis.
Fruit of the Loom has been exploiting our class for 171 years. It started in 1851 by exploiting workers in the US slave South. That kind of slavery ended, but racist super-exploitation of African American workers meant lower wages for whites as well. In the 1990s, to maximize their profits, Fruit of the Loom closed its US factories that paid $736 a month. In Central America they would pay $144/month.
Today, the ICWP is the only organization speaking out against the dismissal of hundreds of workers by exploitative bosses who left families without the possibility of having the basics in their homes.
The only alternative for the working class is Communism, where we workers will produce for the needs of humanity. We fight for a society free of exploitation. Many of us who work in the maquilas are part of that fight.
Workers in the September 15 march also received the flyer well. We distributed 800 flyers during the march, denouncing the horrific practices of the capitalist bosses. The flyer also called on the workers to organize themselves in ICWP and fight for communism. This was a way that ICWP showed solidarity and struggle with the working class.
Other workers marched mainly to protest the emergency regime, demanding freedom for political prisoners. It is the workers’ blood that is being spilled, workers tortured to death in prisons or disappeared and then killed by gangs allied with the capitalist “government of new ideas.”
The harsh economic crisis hitting the working class was another reason for the protest.
They also marched against the re-election of the president, who announced that day that he will run for the presidency again. This is just one of the many tricks of this new capitalist warlord. He is using the entire apparatus of the state for the benefit of a few and to maximize his profits. But the workers have a choice: to fight for their lives and their human dignity by organizing for Communism.
Our struggle takes place under fascist conditions imposed by the government, such as the exceptional regime, where denouncing or criticizing becomes a crime. In the face of these attacks, we are doing the work of publicizing and denouncing the situation that the working class is currently experiencing.
The ICWP fights directly for Communism. A change of president is useless if the working class remains under the capitalist yoke. We struggle to recruit young workers and soldiers to become part of the party and join our communist cells.
We fight collectively to organize workers and develop communist leaders to make our ICWP great. We invite you to read and distribute this Red Flag newspaper.
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