HAZOR HAGLILIT, ISRAEL-PALESTINE, November 12 — After declaring Israel an independent state in May 1948, the racist Zionist bosses faced a problem they call: “The Demographic Problem.” Despite expelling some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and demolishing around 540 of their villages, 20% of the population of the newly created State of Israel, were Palestinian Arabs. The majority of Palestinians, within Israel, were concentrated in two areas: The Triangle (Central Israel) and the Galilee (northern part of Israel). In those areas, Palestinians constituted the majority of the population. In order to change this, the Zionist government started a racist campaign to “Judify” the Galilee.
The heart of the project consisted of creating new settlements called “Maabara” (transitional camps — mostly tents and huts made of wood and metal sheets.) These settlements were populated by Jewish immigrants, mostly Jews from Arab countries and from North Africa.
Jewish Immigrants Source of Cheap Labor
The new immigrants served as cheap labor for local industries set up by the government and the bosses. The new settlers increased the Jewish population in the Galilee which led to a Jewish majority. The new settlements populated “The Frontier” in the north and south and could serve as cannon fodder and as a first barrier in case of an invasion by a neighboring Arab country. The Zionists gave these settlements a special name calling them a “Development Town”(Ayarat Pituach). Shderot in the South, known as a target for Kassam rockets from Gaza, is one of them, while Hatzor Haglilit is one in the north.
The policy of the Zionist bosses was similar in most of the “Development Towns.” A cheap labor force was at hand so the government, with money from local taxes and donations from rich Jewish bosses overseas, gave grants and subsidies to local bosses who established industrial factories in those towns. They employed the local new immigrants at a minimum wage making millions of dollars, while maximizing their profits. As a result of this policy the “Development Towns” turned out to be towns owned by the local industry. Most of the town’s life revolved around the factory. In Hazor Haglilit it was Vita Inc. producing pickled vegetables in cans.
During the “high” periods the bosses collected hundreds of millions of dollars which they refused to share with local workers who produced this wealth for them. But during the “down” periods the workers were the first to suffer the consequences. Competition from similar industries, cheap imports of the same product and rising costs of production decreased the profits of the Vita Hagalil bosses, and brought the company to the verge of bankruptcy.
Another Industrial enterprise, “Hazi Hinam” seized the opportunity and with financial aid from the government acquired the plant at a bargain price and profited from it for a while. After making a fortune for a few years, the management of Pri Hagalil (ex Vita Hagalil) decided on reorganization, code word for laying off workers. Once again Hazor workers had to pay the price for capitalism striving to make maximum profits.
During November 2011, 100 workers of Pri Hagalil received pink slips. One of the workers, 53 years old, was summoned for a hearing before being laid off. He said “I am shocked, I don’t know what I am going to do. I have worked for Pri Hagalil for 30 years, I have seven children but they told me they would leave Hazor, there is no future for them here.”
Solidarity is Crucial
Upon being fired, the workers of Pri Haglil went on a wildcat strike picketing the plant’s gate. The workers realized that without solidarity with the fired workers they are next in line. The bosses of Pri Hagalil had already declared their intentions to move the Plant to Naharia (30 miles away) where operating costs and local taxes are lower.
A retired worker of Pri Hagalil summed up the situation: “Every time new bosses arrive to “salvage” Pri Hagalil, they get financial support from the state, and draw enormous salaries [for themselves]. After a while they start the layoff process until the government shows up again with financial support which, once again, ends up in their pockets.”
All workers in historic Palestine, Hebrews and Arabs alike, should learn from the case of Hazor Haglilit. Capitalism is a ruthless, vicious economic system developed by the bosses for their sake. We in PLP support all Pri Hagalil workers’ demands. But even if there are victories, they can be reversed at any time by the courts, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and the other bosses’ state organs. It is only a question of time before they shut the plant, moving it to Naharia where they can extract higher profits.
The bosses treat the workers like the pickled cans they produce: Open them, use them and throw them away. Only in a communist society producing for need rather than for profit will all workers have humanity. Under communism everybody would contribute according to commitment and the total product would be divided based on need.
Workers need to build the revolutionary communist PLP to put an end to the capitalist system — a dictatorship of the bosses — and build communism — the dictatorship of the workers to serve their needs.