EL SALVADOR—A few days ago, comrades distributed a leaflet denouncing to the international working class the labor harassment, shouting, and other disrespect that the bosses order their supervisors to carry out against the men and women workers in the maquilas (sweatshops). This weekend we met with members of the ICWP club in one of these factories to learn about the reactions to the leaflet.
The leaflet has its effects. It was well received by hundreds of men and women workers. “What we could not denounce, these (comrades from ICWP) do denounce,” said a union activist who works there.
“They made this leaflet for you, right?” they asked one of the ICWP comrades the next day.
“I wrote down the email that is on the leaflet in case I need it,” said a woman worker.
“There has been harassment, interviews, to investigate what we talk about in the party meetings,” said a comrade. One of those who was harassed told them, “We are left-wing people and we fight for the international working class.”
“This year they have installed more cameras on the inside and outside of the factories to control everything that we do,” commented a worker. She declared, “They, the bosses, don’t want any organization to wake up the workers about a better system.”
“Our party is growing,” said a comrade. “In the area where I am they have stopped yelling at us. But the most important thing is that more workers understand that we need to keep organizing ourselves in ICWP for a communist system. Under capitalism, poverty for our class will not end.”
“We also were invited by union members to a meeting inside the company. They presented us as the representatives of our party, explaining that we are not a union or an electoral political party, but instead that we fight for the working class internationally.”
“They are fighting for a better system,” indicated the union representative to the men and women workers.
This prompted a very interesting discussion about whether these kinds of invitations to these meetings were a good idea for the Party.
Workers suggested that we must distribute leaflets like these more often. We are in the same company but each area has its own problems.
“Our party is gaining ground,” concluded a comrade.