This call has been issued by trade union organisations in Europe, Africa and America. Our international affiliations and non-affiliation are of the most diverse nature: members of the International Trade Union Confederation, members of the World Trade Union Federation, members of none of the above organisations, participating in diverse international trade union networks, etc. This call is addressed to all the trade unions that are identified as unionism of struggle, workers democracy, self-organisation of workers and the need for a social transformation.
The crisis of the capitalist system affects the whole world.
The economic, financial, environmental and social crises get mingles and they reinforce each other mutually. This global crisis of capitalism shows the impasse of a development of an increasingly uneven distribution of the wealth produced, financial deregulation, generalised tree trade and the disregard for the ecologic imperatives.
In order to save the profits of shareholders and employers and to ensure the future of the banks, world institutions (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation, etc) governments and employers attack the rights of workers with increasing strength.
The current economic system organises the looting of many countries, forces millions of people to leave their home region to seek survival… and then they are denied all their right with the alibi that they are immigrants.
The destruction of public service, the challenging of all their social rights, the attacks on their union rights, the development of the precariousness of their jobs and the unemployment… these are the methods they use in all the countries!
In order to reach their goals they use the same means; criminalisation, trials, arrests, police interventions, military occupation, all kinds of obstacles for collective and individual rights. Repression is one of the weapons against those who resist, who oppose, who build alternatives. Our solidarity without frontiers is on of our answers.
The unionism we stand for cannot endorse pacts with established powers meant to validate anti-social measures. Unionism is liable for organising worldwide resistance to build, in midst of struggles, the necessary social transformation of our society.
Our unionism has one goal: to defeat the model of social, economic and political development based on the hegemony of finances, profit and competitiveness. What we want to build a system based on common wealth and redistribution of resources among all those who contribute to their creation, the rights of workers and sustainable ecologic development.
We demand extension, democratisation and social approval for social services (education, health, transport, energy, water, housing, etc.) Free circulation of people and equality for social and political rights for everybody, regardless their nationality, origin or sex, constitute part of our common targets,
Our unionism mingles the defence of the immediate interests of workers with the desire for deep social change.
It is not restricted to the scope of economic demands alone; it engulfs such issues as the right to decent housing, the right to land, equality between men and women, antiracism, ecology, anticolonialism, etc.
{module Propaganda 30 anos – MORAL}The interests we defend are those of the working class (active as well as pensioned workers, unemployed, young trainees). They are linked to peoples of the whole world. That is why we stand against the employers, the governments and institutions that serve them and we assert our autonomy with respect to all the political organisations.
There are international trade unions and they have been creating networks on professional or geographic scopes. From one region to another the history of our unions may differ; the structure of our unions may differ our filiations may differ. But we share what is essential: we are determined to make headway in the coordinating fighting unions internationally. This encounter we have organised for 2013 is rooted in this dynamics.
When organising this encounter we have never pretended to declare the constitution of a new international organisation! What we do want is to strengthen, broaden and make more efficient a network of aggressive, democratic, autonomous, alternative and internationalist unionist network.
We want to share experiences, get richer with the resistance and achievements of all, build unity beyond frontiers, put international solidarity of workers into practice. Faced with the crisis that beats against the peoples of the world and for which only capitalism is to blame, it is necessary to unite and coordinate all our struggles. We call the union collectives to join us to build this united action that we need to fight against social deterioration, to attain new achievements and build a different society.
This initiative is to be built step by step with all the union organisations in struggle that regard the capitalist system not as the impassable organisation for our societies and build the change through collective everyday struggles and reflections on the society we need for tomorrow.
For this March 2013 encounter, we have not determined targets. It is together that we shall define them and put them into practice:
· Over time implement actions of union solidarity centred in one or two countries
· Intervene in a joint and coordinated manner to support pre-existent international struggles and campaigns: support for the Palestinian people, acknowledgement of autonomous unionism in Zagreb and Middle East; against the military occupation in Haiti, against the European treaties to impose austerity, for the right of all peoples to decide on their future, etc.
· Strengthen and broaden the action carried out by occupational sectors (transport, education, call centres, industry, trade, health, etc.) and inter-occupational issues (the rights of women, migration, housing, ecology, health, jobs, etc.)
· Decide together on material means necessary for the success of our joint endeavours.
You are invited to tell us if you are interested in this initiative, if the project sounds useful and if your organisation is going to participate in this international encounter
syndicalisme.inter@solidaires.orginternacional@cspconlutas.org.br
Union syndicate Solidaires – Christian Mathieu
Central Sindial e Popular Conlutas – Dirceu Travesso
Organisation Democratique du travail – Aril, Lofty
Confederation General del Trabajo – Jacinto Ceacero Cubillo
