cps may day 2012 statement part one

8/2/2019 CPS May Day 2012 Statement Part One

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CPSMayDayStatement2012PartOne

DonCurrie,EditorFocusOnSocialism,ChairCPSApril22,2012

www.FocusOnSocialism.ca


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CanadiansforPeace&Socialismwww.FocusOnSocialism.ca

Box168SlocanBCV0G2C0

Canada

12503552669

OnthisMayDay2012,labourmilitants,leadersandrankandfileactivists,confronttheneed

tomake the leap fromexposing thepredationof financecapitalon thestandardof living

and social gainsofmillionsofCanadianwage earners toorganizing the struggle tooust

capitalfromdominanceovergovernmentandthestate.

Thetaskisdauntingbutnotimpossible.

Theurgencyof theneed forahigher levelof labourmilitancyandorganizationalunity in

actionwashighlightedinaspeechbyDaveColesPresidentoftheCommunications,Energy

andPaperworkersUnionofCanada (CEP) to theCanadianAutoWorkersCouncil inPort

ElginonApril14th2012promotingamergerofthetwounionscalledtheNewUnionProject.1

TheCEP/CAWNewUnionProjectdiscussionpaperdeservesclosestudy.Itisnoteworthyon

atleast

two

levels.

First

of

all

it

is

the

work

of

militant

trade

union

leaders

and

activists

themselves.SecondlyitrecognizestheneedforanewkindofCanadianunionism.

TheCEPunionwebsite2reportedPresidentColesremarks:

TheNewUnionProject,currentlyinthediscussionstages,couldbeapowerfulresponse

tothe increasinglyaggressivenatureofglobalcapitalism, saysCEPNationalPresident

DaveColes.

Newapproachesareneededtoensurethatworkersarenotcrushed,saidColesandthe

creationof

a

larger,

stronger

and

more

militant

union

should

be

one

of

them.

"We

mustchangetoensureresponsesfromworkersarenotonlyheard,butarevictorious,"

saidColes,inafieryaddressonApril14toCAWCouncilinPortElgin,Ontario."Ourplan

isthatallworkerswillbeabletouniteunderthisNewUnionProject."

1http://www.newunionproject.ca/

2http://www.cep.ca/en/

www.FocusOnSocialism.ca CPSMayDayStatement2012(PartOne) Page2of5
http://www.newunionproject.ca/http://www.cep.ca/en/http://www.cep.ca/en/http://www.newunionproject.ca/


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Colesspokeofthegrowingunificationandconsolidationoflabourorganizationsthatis

takingplacearoundtheglobetocreateastrongerforceforworkingpeople.Themost

recentexample

is

the

merger

between

global

union

federations

the

International

FederationofChemical,Energy,MineandGeneralWorkers'Unions(towhichtheCEPis

affiliated) and the International Metalworkers' Federation (to which the CAW is

affiliated), which are in the process of uniting under the new name of IndustriALL

whichwillrepresent55millionworkers.

Coles said that unions should be proud of their storied histories, but these histories

shouldnotbeabarriertomovingforwardwithanewmodelandnewreality.Within

CEP,thereare localunionswhohavebeencertifiedformorethan140years,theearly

printingpressunionswhowereamongthefirstinthecountrytoorganize.

"Weunderstandthepremisethattogetherwecanwin,butdividedwewill lose,"said

Coles."It'sourgametowin,solet'swinit."

FormoreinformationontheNewUnionProject,pleasevisit: www.newunionproject.ca

The CAW/CEP New Union Project is symptomatic of a ferment of dissatisfaction among

many International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) affiliates. The ITUC, the former

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) still burdened with its anti

communistcoldwarclasscollaborationistoriginshasnoglobalstrategicpolicyindependent

ofstate

monopoly

capitalism.

TheITUCconfinesitsleadershipactivitiestoavoluntaryacceptanceoftheroleassignedtoit

by the international financial institutions servingprivate capital. The ITUC is immersed in

futileattemptstomanagetheeffectsofthecurrentglobaleconomiccrisisofcapitalismon

thewagesandworkingconditionsandsocialgainsofhundredsofmillionsofworkers.The

gratuitousadviceof the ITUC to the AprilMeetingof the IMFandWorldBankcalling for

reforms tomitigate the effects of the global economic crisis onworkers illustrates the

problem.3

Sucha

collaborationist

policy

of

the

largest

international

union

federations

has

a

dampening

effect on themilitancy of all ITUC affiliates and in the final analysismakes it difficult to

mobilize a consistent internationalist class struggle line to counterattack international

financecapital.

3http://www.ituccsi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdf
http://www.newunionproject.ca/http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdfhttp://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdfhttp://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdfhttp://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0412.pdfhttp://www.newunionproject.ca/


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Out of necessity, some ITUC affiliates are independently seeking a new class struggle

strategy.ThereasonsareaptlystatedinDaveColesspeech.

Dave Coles refers to the aggressiveness of global capitalism and the need for organized

labourtonotonlyrespondbuttobevictorious.Thisforthrightmilitantpartisanstance isa

departurefromthepolicyoftheCLC/ITUCtop leadershipsthat limitstheroleoforganized

labourtoseekingoutpointsofagreementbetweenorganizedlabourandtheinstitutionsof

global finance capital in themistakenbelief that capitalism canbemade tooperate less

aggressivelytowardstheworkingclass.

TheCAW/CEP initiative ishappeningbecause theCLC/ITUCnostrumsare failing.The rising

militancy of the international trade unionmovement is emerging out of necessity. Class

collaborationistbusiness

unionism

on

the

cold

war

model

has

no

future.

WhateverthefinaloutcomeoftheCAW/CEPmerger initiative,thediscussionaboutanew

classstrugglestrategyfororganizedlabourhasbeenopenedup.Thesearchforaneffective

classstrugglestrategyforCanadianlabourisnowontheagenda. Itisoverdue.

Thedenunciatory exposurelimitationoftheMarch29th2012CLCresponsetotheFlaherty

IMF federalausteritybudget isacase inpoint.TheCLC leadershipcontinues tocomplain

thatarightwingConservativegovernment,beholdentobank/corporatepowerrefusedto

implementlaboursdemands.Suchastanceisalamentationnotaclassstrugglepolicy.4

TheCAW/CEPdocumentcallsforadifferentapproach.

Citing new levels of political hostility from right wing governments the CAW/CEP

documentaddresses inanumberofstatementstheneedfororganized labourtoinitiate

and leadpowerfulcampaigns. Theanalysis isarecognitionthatthemostaggressiveand

reactionary sectors of finance capital are in ascendancy and driving for a more open

dictatorialformofrule.

TheConservativeGovernmentisnowmovingtoaggressively imposeitsantilabouragenda

onthe

entire

working

class.

Federal

and

provincial

anti

labour

legislation

and

compliant

courts routinely suppress strikes,enactdraconianback toworkorders,decertifyunions,

abrogatecollectivebargaining rights,and turn tostateviolence tosuppressmassprotest

demonstrationsofworkersand students. InCanadaatboth federalandprovincial levels,

statemonopolyattacksonorganizedlabourandstudentsareintensifying.

4http://www.canadianlabour.ca/newsroom/publications/clcanalysis2012federalbudget
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budgethttp://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/clc-analysis-2012-federal-budget


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Federalprovincial governmental actively facilitates union wrecking activities of global

employers.TheCAW/CEPdocumentcondemnstheAggressiveattacksbyglobalemployers

onkey

contract

provisions,

and

the

foundation

of

unions

All of that andmore iswhy it is significant that twomajor private sector unions have

undertaken todiscussandactonwhat thedocumentdescribesas theThe failureof the

labourmovementtodatetosignificantlyrestructureandaddressissuesoftoomanyunions

(57affiliates),abilityto initiateand leadpowerfulcampaigns,and lackofcoordinationand

duplicationoflabourmovementservicesandresources.

By itself restructuring is only a small part of the task of setting organized labour on a

consistentclassstruggleline.Takingunionorganizationtoahigherlevelofunityinactionis

alwayspossible

once

the

fundamental

issues

of

what

constitutes

a

class

struggle

strategy

areresolvedinpractice.

That iswhy thePart IIIoftheCAW/CEPstatemententitled:Featuresandstrategies fora

newuniontosucceedmeritthestudyandconstructivecriticalcommentbyeverygenuine

labourmilitant.

Next:TheWorldFederationofLaboursAthensPactAProgram for the InternationalClass

OrientedTradeUnionMovement.

cps may day 2012 statement part one

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