El Salvador-Young Workers in Front with Communist Ideas here ♦ India: Fighting for Communism Among Workers in Struggle here ♦ May Day in India: Organizing Industrial Workers to End Wage Slavery here ♦
May Day in El Salvador: Young Workers in the Front with Communist Ideas
Industrial Workers Key to Successful May Day March
EL SALVADOR, May 1— “It was a successful day. The truth is, I loved being part of the march. We are fighting for a single goal: the victory of communism,” said a young worker who participated for the first time with the Party.
The march reflected the leadership and effort of many young workers. Discipline, colorful T-shirts, banners, and the struggle for communism. This was the result of months of hard work in many maquila factories here.
Fourteen young people (sons, daughters, friends, and relatives of ICWP comrades) participated for the first time in this working-class march. They took the responsibility of distributing the Red Flag newspaper, and providing security to those who distributed it. They all fulfilled the mission entrusted to them.
“Red Flag, Red Flag,” shouted a group of feminists, asking for our newspaper. Red Flag was in great demand. Ten comrades distributed eleven hundred newspapers, bringing communist ideas to the working class.
ICWP’s red flags waved through the main streets of the capital. The workers held them with great enthusiasm and joy as they marched to commemorate this historic day for the working class and for communism.
Our banner read “FROM GAZA TO EL SALVADOR, LET’S FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM.” It drew attention, because ICWP’s call to fight for communism makes the difference. The call of the banners of other groups was reformist.
From the beginning to the end of the march we could feel the enthusiasm of the youth, urban and rural workers, students, and healthcare workers.
Organizing the march for May Day, international workers’ day, requires many actions: visits to the communities where comrades live, broader meetings, and meetings of collectives. Mainly talking about the importance of showing the world the need to organize for communism.
Because only communism will put an end to fascist imperialist wars, to wage slavery, racism, sexism, homophobia, and borders.
The concentration in the maquilas gave results and shows the success of collective work. These industrial workers were key to the successful turnout. Dozens of communists mobilized from several areas of the country, overcoming obstacles such as police checkpoints imposed by the fascist Bukele government. But with the experience of comrades, it was always possible to reach our destination.
With days of anticipation everything necessary for the march was ready: banners, posters, flags, T-shirts, and our newspaper Red Flag.
Very early on May 1st, comrades began arriving at the place where the march would begin. Little by little, the ICWP comrades who mobilized from different parts of the country joined in. Some of them got up early. Others began the journey from the mountains the day before to be on time, to march and wave the flags of communism.
“Are you all from the FMLN?” asked a worker.
“No, we are the International Communist Workers’ Party, and we fight directly for communism,” answered a comrade as she handed him Red Flag.
“That is our thing,” affirmed the worker, who turned out to be a former FMLN fighter. “Can I carry a flag?” He joined our group throughout the march. We agreed to meet again soon.
The revolutionary spirit was there from beginning to end, for our task to mobilize the masses and fight for communism.
Even under the attacks of the fascist “regime of exception,” which always tries to intimidate the workers, we do our duty. The conditions of inequality, present today, are manifested in poverty, unemployment, repression, the high cost of living, layoffs, and communities besieged by the forces of repression. These are some of the things that make the workers unwilling to stand idly by. And they have taken up ICWP’s only option: to fight for the communist system that will put an end to all the horrors of capitalism.
Excited by their participation in this historic May Day march, the workers went on to close the activity with pupusas, chocolate, fish, and tortillas, an action that strengthened the relations of communist comradeship. We have a world to win!
NEW DELHI (India), April 29— Over 100 students at Jawaharlal Nehru University rallied to protest a talk by US Ambassador Eric Garcetti. University officials had to cancel it. Students called out US complicity in the genocide the Israeli government is committing in Gaza. Over 40,000 Palestinians are dead and almost all the living face starvation.
May Day in India: Fighting for Communism Among Industrial Workers in Struggle
BENGALURU (India), May 1— The major freeway here was draped in solid red as thousands of workers started their march on May Day. Garment workers, Electronic Workers Union, State Employees, Aeronautical Union, and Heavy Machinery Union, were joined by Google and Microsoft workers. Two weeks ago, thousands of garment workers staged a violent strike to protest long hours and starvation wages. Members of the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) were present in all these activities.
We arrived on buses transporting workers. In one bus, a comrade was able to organize all her neighbors. She has been distributing Red Flag in this area for more than two years. On the bus, comrades gave speeches to organize for communism and not for reforms that can never meet what the workers need.
Everyone on the bus had seen our special edition on the Gaza genocide. One worker said, referring to our comrade Hamza, “What is happening in Gaza shows that in the face of most brutal conditions, the working class can organize ICWP. We can do it here also. We have to convince the working class that reforms will lead to more brutality. We need to destroy the system of exploitation.”
On other buses, ICWP members encountered workers who were influenced by their unions. “I have worked in the garment industry for 16 years,” said Salma. “I started my job as a helper by pre-stitching and sorting. My salary is Rs. 8000 ($95) after working 6 days a week for 12 hours. This May Day, we are demanding at least Rs.11000.” She said that she could not afford even one room with her salary.
A member of ICWP made a passionate appeal to her and others that we are facing a similar onslaught of the capitalists. “From El Salvador to South Africa, from the US to Gaza, workers like you are never able to catch up with the inflation and unemployment. But if we are united, we can create a communist society where there are no capitalists.”
We struggled with Salma and many others. She had never read Red Flag before. But this May Day allowed us to be with many workers like her. We spent eight hours with Salma. We were getting to know her better. She knows hundreds of women from her work in the garment factory. She took extra copies of the Red Flag and we made sure we would meet her again.
This May Day was very different for us. We were able to mobilize our comrades in different areas of the industrial working class. Some of our comrades were with the engineering and machinist unit. Others were with the nurse’s union. We got very enthusiastic responses from the recently laid-off workers from Microsoft, TCS, and Google.
Today’s May Day in Bengaluru was a huge success for us. We distributed hundreds of Red Flags. We made very solid commitments to workers who are looking to continue our struggle.
May Day in India: Organizing Industrial Workers to End Wage Slavery
CHENNAI (India), May 2— Members of the International Communist Workers’ Party participated in the 101st anniversary of May Day here. We organized about two dozen auto workers to attend a rally of over 50,000 workers. This event was organized by the political parties opposed to the fascists of the BJP. They want to make Chennai a giant industrial hub to challenge China. The state government has given huge subsidies to Apple to manufacture iPhones here.
ICWP members joined forces with the Apple assembly workers. These workers make Rs. 16,000/month ($195). Our May Day leaflet explained how the competition in the auto industry and iPhone is creating a crisis among workers everywhere. The Indian and Chinese capitalists are flooding the auto industry with EVs. Tesla is joining this competition. All these capitalists are trying to reduce workers’ wages. Only communism can end this wage slavery.
The new friends from the Apple factory we met recently from our effort to organize May Day are taking extra copies of Red Flag. We also are friends with a garment worker in Colombo who organized some workers there with copies of Red Flag.
Delhi: We Can Defeat Fascist Rulers by Relying on Our Base Among the Masses
In Delhi and surrounding areas, we participated in six different May Day events under very fascist conditions. Thousands of military and police forces, along with openly fascist BJP goons, have infiltrated the masses. However, we have been organizing here for many years with deep roots. We distributed many hundred copies of Red Flag by relying on the masses we trust from our work.
Our May Day has shown that the government and its fascist machinery are violent and ruthless but at the same time, they are vulnerable. The masses everywhere are showing signs of change. We are accepted by the masses because we show the necessity of building communism. Many new industrial workers and students are ready to join us. We will continue this struggle to build new collectives.