The Conference was held in Sindelfingen, Germany, a small town near Stuttgart with 60,000 inhabitants that hinges on the automotive industry. Mercedes employs 35,000 workers and Bosch has 12,000 in that town alone.
There were delegations from 20 countries (Germany, Brazil, Colombia, United States, Venezuela, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Turkey, Pakistan, South Africa, Morocco, Sweden, India) there. The CSP-Conlutas delegation, of which I was part, had seven comrades: six from São José dos Campos and one from São Paulo, representing the automakers as well as the auto parts industry workers of the region.
The meeting began with a report by the three coordinators; Jorn, from Germany; Jesus, from the CGT, Spain; and Luiz Carlos “Mancha” from the CSP-Conlutas, Brazil: A balance sheet of the activities during the latest period, a financial account and a report on the situation of the automotive sector at the present moment, highlighting the renewal of the collective contracts of the largest automakers in the USA, where the proposal presented by the bureaucracy had been overwhelmingly refused. In the end, the accounts and the Rules for the conference were approved.
The plenary session had about fifty international delegates, who formed open working groups on various topics, as workers health in industry; environmental pollution at the workplace; workers representation in the different countries and in automotive industry; trade union unity; the issue of the immigrants; rank-and-file organisation; the role of Volkswagen and other automotive companies during the military dictatorship in Brazil; reform or revolution; female workers. These groups were held simultaneously.
Apart from that, fringe meetings with delegates from the same company were performed. Delegates of GM workers made up the biggest meeting, joining together workers from ten countries, who drew a balance sheet of activities that took place, as the different manifestations of solidarity with the strikes at São José dos Campos GM plant; the struggle against the closure of the Bochum factory in Germany; the struggle against the layoff of disabled workers at the GM’s Bogotá assembly plant (Colombia) and the occupation of the sidewalk in front of the U.S. embassy. Coordinators responsible for liaise and the periodical publishing of material in the company were elected in the meetings of Mercedes, Volkswagen, Renault, Ford and Bosch auto workers.
After the meetings, the plenary session was undertaken again to discuss the situation of the car industry and the workers struggles on the different continents. Reports were presented on Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia and Iran.
The session was closed with the discussion on the foundation of an international coordination of auto workers. A draft of the foundation manifesto, previously delivered to all the delegations, was moved. Several items and contributions were added to this document after which it was passed unanimously, as well as the organisational constitution of the movement.
Amidst struggles
This conference reflected the diverse struggles that are now taking place in this sector. The Turkish delegation is part of the great process of struggles underway in their country, with strikes and occupation of factories which received support from everybody.
In India, the GM is planning to close one of their factories and face a workers’ tough fightback, like in Bochum. The national metalworkers’ trade union in that country showed up.
A representation of NUMSA, the traditional metalworkers’ union in South Africa, that broke with the conciliatory orientation of the COSATU (South African trade union federation that supports the ANC government) was also present.
From Brazil, the delegation of the CSP-Conlutas expressed the diverse struggles against layoffs that had eventually forced companies to retreat.
On Friday afternoon, a demonstration with about 500 workers and delegations from several countries was held in Sindelfingen downtown marched outside the enormous Mercedes-Benz factory. The demonstration received a warm welcome from the inhabitants of that small town, that had witnessed large workers demonstrations only in the ‘80s.
Apart from stressing the need to unify the intervention of the working class organisations, the manifesto convened a day of struggles on 28th April (World Day on Safety and Health at Work) and on 1st May (returning its fighting character). During that week, diverse organisations will hold activities in their countries.
The meeting demanded the reinstatement of sacked leaders of the Metalworkers’ Union of São José dos Campos (CSP-Conlutas) and will organize a campaign for it.
Other motions were passed: against the closure of the GM factory in India, support for the struggles in Turkey; freedom for the political prisoners in Iran and the withdrawal of UN troops, led by Brazilian military, from Haiti.
In the end, a call was made to all the organisations that agree with the proposal of the international coordination of auto workers to join this working class alternative.
A coordinating group (ICOG) was elected with representatives from Germany, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Colombia and Italy. This group will organise the activities of solidarity, the days of struggles and a second conference for 2019.
* Luis Carlos “Mancha” Prates is a member of the CSP-Conlutas National Executive Committee
