Pakistan’s Sanitation Workers Fighting Bosses and Open to PL Ideas

PAKISTAN, May 13 — Sanitation workers are the most exploited workers in Pakistan. They live in miserable conditions with slave wages, no security, no pension and no benefits. Parents and children live together in small mud-made dwellings covered with leaves, with one room consisting of a kitchen, living and bedroom. Sanitation workers also suffer special prejudices — they are prohibited from eating or drinking with other people if they do not bring their own cups and dishes. Strikes have begun against these conditions.

They start work early morning and labor for 18 hours for slave wages, without proper equipment like gloves or boots. Permanent workers are paid only 5,000 Pakistani Rupees (PKR) (59 US$) per month; temporary workers get PKR 4,000 (47 US$). If they have an on-the-job accident, they cannot get medical treatment and can be fired anytime. Female domestic workers face violence and sexual attacks. There are no weekends or holidays in their lives —they live just to serve.

Many sanitation workers thus suffer from health problems produced by working conditions. Some suffer from blindness. Skin and breathing problems are very common but there is no free medical treatment or any other benefit. When sick they cannot remain in their small dwellings; if they do not work they cannot eat.

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I.M.F. Boss’s Rape Arrest Reflects Growing Imperialist Rivalry

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the I.M.F., has a long history of sexual assaults without any repercussions. But when he raped a West African hotel housekeeping worker in New York earlier this month, he was abruptly thrown in jail and charged with seven felony counts—but only because he had recently threatened U.S. monetary and imperial interests.

The racist rape of entire countries has been a chief purpose of the I.M.F since its creation in 1969. The agency imposes harsh, budget-slashing programs to impoverish and starve workers in less powerful capitalist nations and to safeguard profits for the U.S., European, and Asian investors that the I.M.F represents. Strauss-Kahn’s downfall stems from sharpening competition among these imperialists, not from any concern for his victim on the part of U.S. rulers.

Strauss-Kahn’s Biggest Crime: Allying with China

Strauss-Kahn’s indictment, drawn up under Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., a U.S. imperialist blueblood, contains many lurid details. But Strauss-Kahn’s most offensive act, to U.S. bosses, came last year in a speech in Washington. Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported (2/10/11), “Strauss-Kahn... has called for a new world currency that would challenge the dominance of the dollar.”

In the shadow of the White House and Pentagon, Strauss-Kahn was advancing anti-U.S. heresy. He proposed that world trade be conducted in a revived I.M.F.-sanctioned instrument called Special Drawing Rights (SDR), an interest-bearing international reserve asset created by the I.M.F. to supplement other reserve assets of member countries.

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Fascist Bosses Grow in Brooklyn H.S. DOE Tries to Suppress Fightbacks

BROOKLYN, MAY 23 — At Clara Barton High School, the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) for the New York City School District has just completed an investigation that began in October. Assistant Principal Mims initially interrogated some students as they entered the school on a Monday after they had attended an October 2 rally in Washington, D.C. against budget cuts and for jobs.The SCI report finds that “Salak and Beckerman … recruited students to attend an unauthorized trip to a rally held in Washington, D. C.”

In fact, this rally was on a Saturday. All the students went with parental permission. Several parents joined them. Everyone was on a bus organized and paid for by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). There were thousands of students at this rally, many from NYC schools. Many unions and community organizations, including the UFT, sponsored this trip.

Yet Principal Forman maintains that “no private trips are allowed.” We disagree. As Senator Eric Adams stated at a PTA meeting, outside of school and especially on weekends, parents are in charge of their children, not the DOE or Principal Forman.

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Big Bosses’ Nationwide Assault on Schools… Aim – More Racism, Bigger Lies

Every time workers turn around, it seems we face a new attack from school bosses who claim to promote students’ interests.  Closing schools, firing teachers, imposing more high-stakes exams, making graduation more difficult--all these are fed to us as part of a recipe to “improve” education.  Even budget cuts that savagely reduce resources are put forward as opportunities to help our young people! 

Republicans and Democrats across the country, from Obama down to local boards of education, are united in a coordinated effort to cut budgets. NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s attitude typifies the billionaire mindset that guides policy in the US: “ In fact, it’s healthy to go and say let’s cut a little bit and force the principals and the teachers and the administrators to say, ‘Is this program worth it?’ “

Bloomberg’s dismissive tone is disgusting enough on its own. Coupled with the fact that he’s speaking of a city where over 85% of the students are black or Latino, the racism he exhibits is criminal and at the same time infuriatingly typical.  And this was the bosses’ attitude before the recent economic crisis hit.  Since then, expanding imperialist war and evaporating paper wealth has driven the U.S. ruling class into a frenzy of budget cuts.  Forty-four states out of fifty anticipate budget shortfalls for 2012, totaling $112 billion (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2011).  Meanwhile, roughly a trillion dollars has been spent on Mid-East wars since 9/11. 

These cuts are about more than money.  They are about fear and control.  When teachers see their job security eroding, they are more easily whipped into line to peddle and defend the bosses’ lies.  This fear can intimidate students, parents, and teachers from fighting back against the school system’s racist neglect and miseducation.  

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MAY DAY 2011: Why I Joined PLP

My introduction to PLP was through a professor at my college.  She is the faculty advisor of a student club called “Pizza and Politics”.  One time, during a heated discussion, I adamantly proclaimed, “Capitalism doesn’t exist anymore, capitalism was over when slavery was abolished.” I was enlightened when they cleared up my misconception.  Later, the same professor introduced me to PLP’s ideas. I considered capitalism to be slavery. When I learned about the inner workings of capitalism I realized that it is very similar to slavery — wage slavery.  More importantly, like slavery, I knew that capitalism is a system that has to go. Becoming a member of PLP enables me to join the fight against capitalism.  We must end this cruel system and replace it with a better alternative: communism.

Secondly, when I began reading PLP’s literature, my outlook on politics changed.  I saw that the two-party electoral system and everything it entailed was a sham.  When I became well versed in PLP’s ideas, I began to discern vague rhetoric from substantial dialogue. “Globalization” translated into imperialism. “Education reform” meant “budget cuts,” and “law enforcement” meant “the fascist state”.  It was like learning a second language, which guides my thought process now.

Finally, communism is a system I can wholly defend.  The only other system I tried to defend in the past was Christianity, because I was indoctrinated to the bone!  I grew up in a Caribbean home where religion was fed to me for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  As I grew older and started to read about “Christianity and Colonization,” I realized that my ancestors were enslaved in the name of Christianity. It was not important for me to defend Christianity anymore.  Communism is something I see as imperfect but logical and progressive. PLP’s political line is indeed what the workers of the world need to smash a system that cannot provide real solutions for unemployment, urban violence, poverty, and lack of healthcare, etc.

The more I have become involved with PLP by planning events, leafleting, organizing class struggle, and simply raising awareness about communist ideas, the more I feel empowered to know that I am involved in a very important struggle. Having PLP responsibilities helped my practical work to fight for a workers’ society instead of simply looking at communism in an abstract, philosophical way.

I urge you to join us in the fight for communism, for all of the above reasons. Be assured that you would be making one of the best decisions of your life!

New Comrade

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Worker’s Struggles Against Bosses’s Impunity

Construction and landscaping bosses have sunk to a new low in hiring day laborers in New Jersey. Four or five times a year immigrant workers will put in weeks or even months on a job without receiving any money whatsoever! If they call their boss, they’re told: “If you complain, you will get deported.”

Near one muster zone, a non-profit organization provides families with information, referrals, parenting classes and general advocacy. Many concerned people have met there — including two organizations, a church and several attorneys — to be ready to do whatever it takes to get the workers their pay.

We had a phone conference, divided up the names of various bosses, and called them individually. In reaching out, we found that some folks were willing to go beyond phone calls and pay these bosses a visit— even to go in front of their houses and churches with picket signs.

This capitalist system allows freedom, but only for the bosses. They hire and fire at will, and pay below minimum wages (or at all), and contract under unsafe conditions for both “documented” and “undocumented” workers. They threatened to take one boss who owed over $2700 to court! 

Because of our phone calls, the three workers received over half the money due to them. One worker came to our meeting the next week. He was promptly invited to May Day and given CHALLENGE so that he and his friends could know there is an alternative to the international wage slavery system. Meantime, we don’t intend to give up our fight!J

Jersey Red

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Economic Crisis Hits Spain; Youth Rebel

Spain — Hundreds of thousands of young people have taken to the streets protesting the effects of capitalism, almost half of whom are unemployed. Capitalism is causing the crisis in Spain. The socialist government did what every capitalist/socialist government does: betray the working class and make the rich richer. Socialism has never and will never be able to meet the needs of the working class or lead to Communism. It was the socialist government that carried out the austerity program. The International Monetary Fund (the world’s ruling class’ main mouthpiece) demanded these massive budget cuts that attack the working class. The Socialists are planning yet another attack in August.

The protests are coming within the context of antagonism to Spain’s elections and are directly influenced by the “Arab Spring.” This is the moniker that the bourgeois press has dubbed the uprisings and protests that have engulfed North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. In sharp contrast to Yemen and Syria, when the Spanish government declared the protests illegal, and the working class stayed out in defiance of the law, Spain’s ruling class did not use violence on the protestors.

The Western European ruling class needs to preserve the illusion of democracy and free speech for now. These protests do not threaten the ruling class’ hold on the working class, but they are inspiring to the world’s working class. Workers from Spain that immigrated to other countries organized workers in those countries to protest at the local Spanish embassies.

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Canada Preparing to Wage Imperialist Wars

Progressive Labor Party maintains that the primary contradiction in the world today is inter-imperialist rivalry, forecasting a period of increasing conflict among the world’s imperialist powers.

This analysis has been corroborated by a surprising source, Radio Canada’s scientific news program, “Les Années Lumière.” On April 24, University of Quebec professor Yves Bélanger revealed that Canada has changed from a defensive to an offensive military policy.

The key evidence is the government’s decision to replace its F-18 fighters with ultra-modern Lockheed Martin F-35s, at a cost of $16 billion. The decision remains top secret.

“It’s quite difficult to establish Canadian [military] policy,” Bélanger said. “We observe at present…a tendency to buy materiel that is conceived for combat,..not…for the defense of Canadian soil, and also conceived to be deployed.”

“I presume that the Canadian government’s intention is, ultimately, to give itself the capacity to intervene…in international missions…possibly… contributing to world stability.”

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PAKISTAN, May Day: Workers March Against Capitalism

PAKISTAN, May 1 — May Day was celebrated in its historic manner but now the working class here is full of fury. The May Day marches sent a loud and clear message to the Pakistani bosses that workers won’t stand for miserable conditions. These demonstrations proved that the working class is the strongest power in the world if it decides to fight.

This year workers’ chants were more radical, their slogans more revolutionary, filled with red ideas, signifying they know who’s responsible for all their hardships. The opportunist, fake-left trade unionists were surprised at this anger and realized they’re losing control. When one May Day procession was transformed into a huge meeting in one town, the sellout union “leaders” rushed to sit on the stage but a group of workers pulled them down, saying you have no right to sit there. These chairs are not for people like you with your expensive cars, homes and clothes; they’re for the workers wearing torn cloths, living in miserable conditions with worn hands from hard work and tiring labor.

Price hikes, unemployment, layoffs, closed plants, shortages of electricity and gas, rising poverty levels, terrorism, anti-worker laws, lack of the free medicines in government hospitals, lousy schools, the increasing gap between poor and rich, privatization, corruption, nepotism, target killings, racism and fascism — all this confirms that the bosses have nothing to offer us as they shift their bank accounts to Switzerland, the UK and the U.S.

Puppet trade unionists tortured airline workers on strike at Pakistan International Airline (PIA) but workers’ actions proved they can win despite this and state oppression, in PIA and on the Railways.

Electricity and gas shortages stem from corrupt government officials getting commissions from private contractors in exchange for privatization. They spend billions to import power plants but no electricity is included in a national grid. In most cities there’s no electricity for 12-18 hours. In villages it barely lasts for the blink of an eye. This affects the daily lives of all wage workers.

The May Day marches also signified that the political parties are just playing a shell game, while they exploit the workers, trying to keep the decaying capitalist system alive. Most are either capitalists or feudalists, both organizing cartels to increase prices; landlords increase rents while never increasing the workers’ wages. From this they reap trillions.

Our Party is still very small but communists are painstakingly committed to revolution, capable of organizing strikes, demonstrations, marches, shut-downs and sit-ins. On May Day, our comrades and friends succeeded in winning more and more workers to these celebrations. We made plans to increase participation, distribution of Party literature and what to discuss. In big and small cities we gave out the pamphlet “Why We Fight for Communism” and leaflets about May Day, related to the workers’ miserable conditions.

In our speeches, our comrade and friends explained our politics and gave reasons why we struggle directly for communism and why we need to build an international communist party. We showed how all other political parties support the imperialist drive for profits and how the politicians are mouthpieces of international fascist capitalism. In Pakistan the ruling class is hiking the electricity tariff, directed by the International Monetary Fund, while the World Bank has recommended termination of all subsidies won by the working class.

Comrades and friends also emphasized that the bosses are living in luxurious homes while workers have no shelter. Even dwellings made of mud and leaves are being demolished; landlords and the government prevent them from occupying the lands “that don’t belong to them.” Police attack workers forced to spend nights in parks and are accused as “terrorists” so accusers can get rewards. The rulers ride in bullet-proof cars under heavy police and army escort while workers are killed in terrorist attacks.

The different racist, nationalist and fundamentalist parties enable target killings of poor workers just because of their language, color or sect, even if they have no tie to any party — all this to create fear and to prove their power!

The bosses need cheap labor for maximum profits so they’re making education more expensive. Therefore, working-class children can’t go to school while bosses force them into child labor. Such children get 35¢ to 47¢ for 12 hours. This child labor helps the phony unionist-led NGOs get money from the International Labor Organization.

These fake trade unionists are a tool of different political parties; they use them to avoid strikes, sustain bad working conditions and low wages. We’ve got to get rid of these “pocket unions” to make any advances. Low wages, no insurance, long working hours, layoffs, no benefits, no security, and no pensions or any other assistance if injured or killed — all pushed by these opportunist and puppet unionists. We must organize ourselves under the true communist leadership of PLP to build a base in these small fights to be able to win workers to see the need for international communist revolution.

Our comrades’ speeches are warmly welcomed by the workers, to huge applause. Many workers rushed to our comrades to obtain their contact numbers soon after they finished the marches and speeches. During all these activities we make good contacts. Now it’s our task to convert these contacts into recruits to the rank-and-file of our Party. We are confident we can win millions of workers to struggle to establish a classless society under the red banner of our international revolutionary communist party — PLP.

PALESTINE: Workers Defy Heavy Rain, Red Flags Fly

NAZARETH — Despite a sweeping downpour and muddy, flooded roads, several thousand workers from Nazareth, and other places in Palestine, marched with red flags to mark May Day. As usual, the rally was conducted one day earlier, on Saturday, in order to allow more workers to participate (the weekend under Israeli law is only Saturday, not Sunday.) The workers brought red flags, drums and a lot of enthusiasm, and defied the harsh weather to commemorate May Day.

The May Day rally here was organized and led by the revisionist Israeli “Communist” Party, which has a strong presence in this city and many supporters there. They raised very mild slogans, in some cases nationalist Palestinian ones and in other cases reformist ones, except for two radical slogans — “Smash Fascism” and “People  Arise in Revolt!”

A group of PL’ers attended this rally. Despite the fact that most participants were I”C”P supporters, members and “Communist” Youth members, our materials were received with interest; one demonstrator even came to the rally wearing a PLP t-shirt he bought earlier.

Despite the reformist and nationalist slogans, this was a very powerful rally. It showed the strength of the working class to stand firm despite harsh conditions and raise the red flag. We are looking forward for more activity throughout the year and raising the red flag again next May Day in Jerusalem and Nazareth.

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