France. In the face of the failure of trade union tactics, there is only one alternative: anti-capitalist class struggle!

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In the face of the failure of trade union tactics, there is only one alternative: anti-capitalist class struggle!

Despite millions of proletarians mobilizing, demonstrating and striking in the last three months against the pension “reform” desired by the capitalists and carried out by the government in their service, the latter has not backed down.

This failure was not due to a lack of determination on the part of the workers, which refutes the claims of those who argued that the proletarians ceased to express any kind of resistance after they were brought to their knees by the imposition of curfews and other restrictions during the Covid-19 crisis. All the responsibility lies to the line given to the movement by the organizations that make up the “Intersyndicale” (the “cartel” made up of the largest trade union federations). Fearing a “social explosion” (as it keeps repeating in its appeals to the government and Macron), the “Intersyndicale” has revived the old tactic of piecemeal mobilizations – with repeated “days of action” with greater or lesser time intervals and “renewable strikes” in a few isolated sectors – under the pretext of reducing the sacrifices made in the course of the struggle and saving the energies of strikers and demonstrators. The same tactics have led to defeat in previous major struggles over pensions because, as everyone can see, they effectively weaken the struggle, exhaust the proletarians in futile “days of action” without any perspective and inevitably end up demoralizing them. But for the trade union leaders, the real firemen of the social struggle, attached without any doubt to the defense of the established order, this tactic allows them to minimize the damage done to the capitalist economy and, if possible, to avoid any “overflow” of proletarian struggle… which would threaten to turn into a real class struggle and unite all proletarians against the capitalists and their state.

The orientation that the “Intersyndicale” pursues inevitably stems from the nature of the organizations that make it up: those mired in the bourgeois web of class collaborationism, and proud to demonstrate their “responsible” attitude to the bourgeoisie, cannot but turn their backs on any struggle because of their respect for the principles of dialogue between “social partners” and social conciliation. That is why, after having aligned mobilizations with the shenanigans of the parliamentary circus, they have been calling for several days now for a mere “pause” of the reform, for the appointment of a “mediator”; in the latest press statement of the “Intersyndicale” (28 March), there is no longer any mention of the withdrawal of the reform; and although the state authorities have clearly rejected their proposals, like faithful servants they have rushed to meet the Prime Minister…

There are those who imagine that it would be possible to push the trade union leaderships to call a general strike and in this way achieve victory. But if, exceptionally, they were to call a general strike, it would only be to bring the movement under control and ensure the defense of the interests of the bourgeois economy. There is no other alternative to class orientation in the struggle; the orientation in complete rupture with the legalist and pacifist line of the apparatuses of the trade unions, against the demagogy of the pseudo-workers’ or “Unbowed” parties and their satellites; the orientation, therefore, in rupture with the influence of the multiple pro-bourgeois forces of collaboration between the classes.

Independent organization on class basis is the only way for the proletarians to take their struggle into their own hands, to avoid defeat and to prepare for the future general attack against capitalism!

Against the pension “reform” and against every bourgeois attack, for class orientation in the struggle breaking with the defeatist orientation of the collaborationist organizations!

Unity in the struggle of all proletarians, in the public and private sectors, employed and unemployed, active and retired, men and women, young and old, French and immigrants!

General increases in wages, unemployment benefits, pensions and all social minima!

For revolutionary struggle against capitalism, against its war preparations and imperialist domination, in unity with the proletarians of the world!

International Communist Party

Il comunista - le prolétaire - el proletario - proletarian - programme communiste - el programa comunista - Communist Program