ARGENTINA HAS JOINED THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST FRONT OF LATIN AMERICA.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSEMBLIES HAVE MUSHROOMED.
THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM HAS LOST ITS FORTUNE AT CARDS.
THE REVOLUTIONARY PROCESS GOES ON IN 2003 - 2009.
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The Argentine economic crisis and changing of governments have recently been main news also in the mainstream media. The question is about the same process which began in the end of 2000. The workers buil barricades all over the country. In August 2001 border cops attacked workers in Salta.
The resistance which has led to armed struggle in order to form workers´ and unemployed people´s government is about to spread all over the country. We can speak of workers´ revolution in Argentina. In December 2001 the rebellion reached Buenos Aires. Also several small entrepeneurs have joined the revolution.
Yet the bourgeois mainstream media does not admit the fact that there is revolutionary situation in Argentine.
The quite obvious reason for Argentine problems is the world capitalism and its financing systems.International Monetery Fund and World Bank have given loans to Argentine in order to get profits. This attempt failed and in the comtemprary situation we can say that the failure is final.
IMF and WB do not have any cards left to continue the play. There are corresponding situations in several countries in the third world.
In February 2002 People´s Republic of China and Argentine plan for commercial co-operation. The basis of this co-operation is on governmental mutual and equal trade, not on the greed financing politics as it has been under the IMF and WB control.
Tragic-comic news in the end of February 2002: Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde came under fire for giving himself a salary raise when he's called on other public officials to accept salary cuts or to work for free. Duhalde's decree to raise his salary by 15 percent took effect last Wednesday when it was published in the Official Bulletin, but it was only revealed on Friday by the local news daily "La Nacion."
In March 2002 the IMF has promised money to the Argentine government. The reason for this "investment" is political. It cannot rescue the Argentine capitalist economy.
Collapsing of monetary economy leads to barter economy. More than one million Argentines are finding in spring 2002 a way around their nation's crippling economic downfall by joining barter clubs. What started six years ago in an ecologist's garage is now a means of survival for millions of people suffering the consequences of a financial breakdown that left people without jobs and cash.
Barter economy has socialist features. It is based on real values and surplus values, not on speculations.
Argentine people have established block soviets. These councils may form the nuclear of the future socialist community.
It is typical for our era that the US-led propaganda calls Argentine people "terrorists" just because they defend their right to live.
La Nación reported on April 17th, 2002 that public sector workers demanding back pay have occupied the Casa de Gobierno (Government House) in the Province of San Juan.
In 2002 the occupations continue. In July 2002 the big textile factory Burkman was operated and administrated by workers.
Political power transfers continuously from the parliament and from the goverment to the assemblies.
In summer 2002 there have been strong protests on streets of towns and cities in Argentina against the IMF and government´s politics.
More than 50,000 people marched on, June 27, 2002 on the streets of Buenos Aires to the Plaza de Mayo to protest against the brutal police repression suffered by thousands of piqueteros (militant unemployed workers) on the morning of the previous day when they were organising road blocks on the main access routes to the capital, demanding decent jobs and unemployment subsidies for the unemployed.
Two young piqueteros belonging to the Unemployed Workers' Movement (MTD) in the towns of Guernica and Lanús, Maximiliano Costequi and Darío Santillán, were cowardly murdered by the police, one shot in the chest the other in the back. Furthermore, the offices of the Communist Party and United Left in Avellaneda, a town next to Buenos Aires where the killings took place, were also raided by the police.
The workers are organizing counteractions and arranging press conferences in July 2002.
On July 22th 2002 the Workers´ Party Argentina arranged a march against the presence in Argentina of the commission of notables backed by the IMF and the US Treasury in their demands to finish off most of the banking system and with it the deposits of the savings account holders and the thousands and thousands of jobs belonging to brother and sister banking clerks who will be left in the street.
In summer 2002 the Argentine workers have sparked a new wide ad successful fight all over the country:
Occupation Zanón Ceramic Mills Neuquén in August 2002.
Occupation the bakery Grissinopoli in August 2002.
Occupation of the Lavalán textile factory in September 2002.
In 2002 there are in Latin America going on revolutionary processes, which may lead to births of workers´ states. The future workers´ states are in a way in better situation compared with the former East European socialisms. They are not any more threatened from outside by strong world capitalism. The contemporary world capitalism is day by day politically and economically weaker and quite obviously about to collapse. The remnants of world capitalism will not form serious external danger for future socialisms.
Argentine people have their own ideas how to recover their country. Those plans do not fit with the aims of world capitalism.
In September 2002 the frustrated IMF officials rejected Argentina's plan to stabilize its ravaged economy and restore the flow of international aid, saying they will draft their own blueprint.
Financing by the IMF includes always political conditions.
On September13th 2002 Argentinean socialist forces decided toestablish their fusion into one party after more than 45 years of divisions.
Thousands demand "bread, peace and jobs" in Argentina. Some 10,000 workers and unemployed marched on government buildings in the northern city of Tucuman September 27, demanding social assistance from the local Peronist Governor Julio Miranda, who is currently facing corruption charges.
A press communiqué "From Social Sciences to all the organizations in struggle", signed by the Press Commission of the Permanent Assembly of Social Sciences Occupying the Vice-Chancellor's Office, affirms that the Office of the Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Social Sciences has been occupied by the students since October 16th, 2002.
In November 2002 the workers are even themselves surprised of success of the occupied factories.
According to UN reports in November 2002 several children in Argentina have died because of malnutrition. It is a consequence of the unscrupulous exploitation by the world capitalism. The centers of world capitalism have all the time been beneficiaries from Argentina in money traffic and trade. After collapse of Argentina´s capitalism neither IMF nor other bodies of world capitalism do not give help.
The future of Argentina and Argentinean children is now in workers´ hands. Without supermacy of world capitalism the future seems better. Workers do care of people, capitalism does not.
Workers of Argentina arranged a significant and massive campaign in December 2002 in order to strenghten their new political power. The all-Argentinean march ended to the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires.
At the same time there was arranged an international campaign for Argentine workers, too.
In January 2003 the International Monetary Fund approved a 6.78-billion-US-dollar loan package for Argentina, labeling the loan as "transitional financial support.". Of course, the real meaning of this loan is political; the aim is to rescue the Argentinean capitalist system. Referring to related experiances for instance in eastern Europe we can assume that all the money will go to the four winds. Additonally, Argentinean people have learned not to rely on capitalists´ "help". Their souls are not for sale. And last but not least: The new loan will used for paying older loans and interests... Not a coin for Argentinean workers.
February 11th, 2003. Despite the heavy rain, hundreds of workers from the south of the Greater Buenos Aires answered the call of the workers and neighbors of Avellaneda who, two weeks ago, occupied the property of the former Sasetru plant. The plant, where pastas were processed, has been inactive for eight years. Now, the members of the Inter-neighborhood Commission of Avellaneda, together with former workers of the plant, have occupied the establishment, demanding the expropriation of the property and machines and that the establishment be put into operation under workers' self-management.
After more than a year of sucessful worker controlled production and the creation of forty new jobs, Judge Norma Pozza of the 5th Civil Court of Neuquén has signed a court order authorizing eviction of the factory with public force.
The PO participated in the March 2003 legislative elections. In spite of workers´ victories the elections do not have much signifigance because of the dictatorial situation in the country.
During the presidential elections in April-May 2003 there have been clashes between police and workers.
April 18, 2003. Instead of paying attention on official governmental organs and corresponding elections, the PO presented the candidates of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires Piqueteros, teachers, students, musicians, writers, professionals and members of popular assemblies, to the Deliberative Council.
Up to April 2003 workers have recovered and control over 200 businesses and factories in Argentina.
In the turn of April-May 2003 there were struggles of the ownership of the Burkman factory. Police used brutal violence.
There were disastrous floods in Argentina in May 2003. Workers do their utmost to help each other. The government does not care.
An aid relief train bound for the flood victims of Santa Fe, ready to depart with 16 cars full of food, blankets, warm clothing, drinking water and mattresses, after hours of work along an immense human chain that loaded the aid gathered by the FUBA (Federation of University Students), the Polo Obrero, the MST Teresa Lives, the Haedo local of the Railway Workers' Union, the AGD UBA (University teachers' union) and the workers of Brukman, already seated the delegation of brothers and sisters accompanying the cargo for its distribution in Santa Fe, was barred from departing by a political order that stipulated that only the cargo could depart, without the members of the people's organizations, in charge of delivering it directly to the evacuation centers.
After all, the train left for Santa Fe on May 14th because of workers´ strong efforts. Yet the rescue operation suffers because of authorities´ disturbance.
May 15th, 2003. Kirchner, a Peronist Party governor from the southern province of Santa Cruz, won the presidency after former President Carlos Menem abandoned his bid for a third term. In spite of his tiny electoral victory, in the desparete Argentinean political and economic situation, Kirchner hardly has no support from any popular circels.
In May 2003 Cuba´s Fidel Castro visited Argentina to meet the new president.
In July 2003 the Argentinean government was paying the public debt in general and the foreign debt in particular with funds from the budgetary surplus and with the dollars forwarded by the Central Bank. This explains that with a surplus in the balance of payments of the order of 15,000 million dollars, the Central Bank has raised the reserves only by 3,000 million. The budgetary surplus itself is the result of the freeze in wages and pensions paid by the State.
In the beginning of July 2003 workers achieved a remarkable victory. The Senate approved the expropriation of Sasetru factories.
In July 2003 landless peasants block roads in Misiones Province in tenure protest.
The Partido Obrero is arranging local elections and carrying out social improvements. It ignores the "legal" regime. The P.O. is about to achieve a position in which it is possible to abolish capitalism and to overturn the contemporary rulers.
Buenos Aires, August 2, 2003. Twenty eight thousand people filled the Lanús Club Stadium to overfilling in the opening rally of the National Workers Assembly. Opening speakers Néstor Pitrola, Raúl Castells, Alberto Ibarra together with another 10 piqueteros leaders, were followed by people's organizations.
In August 2003 Senate of Argentina abolished the amnesty laws which were made to protect killers of the Argentinean dictatory regime in the eighties.
August 28th, 2003. A day of joy for the working class:
LET’S TURN THE PROVINCE OF BUENOS AIRES INTO ONE BIG SASETRU!
"August 28 has been a great day for the working class. Men and women of the only social class capable of pulling us out of this agony have returned to Sasetru, after almost twenty years, to put it into production. What a contrast," declared Christian Rath, candidate for governor of he Province of Buenos Aires for the Partido Obrero, with the show put on in a congress of raised hands in favor of the laws dictated by the IMF, especially the one which authorizes extra financing for the Central Bank exclusively for the purpose of cancelling the debt with the international credit organizations (a vote, moreover, which showed Solá, Rico, Patti and the UCR acting in unison)."
September 2003. Almost unanimously the newspapers called the results of elections "a victory" for the "President's project."Victory? Project? No less than four million voters failed to show up at the polls, and within the borders of the province of Buenos Aires, Peronism received its lowest vote in history. In the circumstances of low voting percentage and extremely fragmented results the elections did actually have no signifigance at all. Era of Argentine parliamentary-type regime seems to be over.
The Argentine foreign minister, Rafael Bielsa visited Havana in October 2003.
November 1st, 2003. The legislature of Buenos Aires approved the temporary expropiation of the Brukman factory, which were the workers were forcibly evicted from. The workers have formed a cooperative The December 18 Cooperative to run the factory, commemorating the date they originally took over the factory two years ago. In the last several months, after their eviction, they been in the streets near the factory, sewing sheets for hospitals and school uniforms, having cultural festivals and marching continually in protests. The former employers wanted their factory back as it is a valuable piece of real estate and even offered a deal to the workers that they could sell the inventory if they returned the factory. The workers refused this "compromise".
In November 2003 the state, acting through a group akin to itself, occupied the Sasetru plant. The struggles continue.
In December 2003 Argentine defense minister Jose Pampurro met with his US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld about renewing "joint military exercises".
December 20th, 2003. Unity rally in Plaza de Mayo gained strength. The savings account holders and mortgage debtors have confirmed their participation, they will march at the side of the column to be formed by the popular assemblies. There are now almost 20 piqueteros organizations that will be participating together with the presidency of the FUBA (university students federation), the most combative trade union organizations in the country and organizations of struggle of all kinds, such as the MOCASE of Santiago del Estero, the Zanón factory and the MTD of Neuquén which has recently suffered repression.
The Argentine government used brutal violence against demontrators in Buenos Aires. The Partido Obrero repudiates the brutal attack carried out against the December 20 unity rally. While the speakers followed each other on the speakers platform a bomb exploded in a garbage basket wounding more than a dozen compañeros, some of themseriously.
In December 2003 Cuba and Argentina signed in Havana new agreements in the field of education. Argentina's Education, Science and Technology Minister, Daniel Filmus signed the accords with his Cuban counterpart, Luis Ignacio Gómez.
Argentine President Néstor Kirchner tossed diplomacy out the window on January 7th, 2004 saying his nation does not take orders from Washington. The contradictory issues are Argentinean internal affairs and especially improving relations between Argentina and Cuba.
March 2004. There was never any doubt that Kirchner would pay the International Monetary Fund, independently of whatever conditions he had to accept. This is what had been guaranteed, word for word, to the North American Bush at the recent meeting in Monterrey, Mexico. Just three weeks ago, moreover, in the face of some signs of financial crisis, Kirchner called together in [the presidential residence of] Olivos the biggest corporation bosses (Pagani, Werthein, Techint) to dispel any possibility of his not paying the 3.1 billion dollars that were coming due March 9. Kirchner capitaluted. Consequences will be bad in respect on Argentine internal situation and external sovereignty.
In April 2004 the Argentinean government seemed to capitulate under pressure of demands of national and multinational capitalism. The ordinary people are not at all happy with this turn. The fight continues.
The subway strike in Buenos Aires in April 2004 was a full success for workers. Here we have an example of general importance. Strikes are by no measns "oldfashioned" like the politival leaders try to get people to think especially in western Europe.
May 17th, 2004. Argentina received its first shipment of fuel offered by Venezuela to ease its energy crisis. Several South American governments plan to create a continental energy company.
In summer 2004 the Argentinean government on the other hand and the workers on the other hand faced diffucult problems. The government wants to integrate with other Latin American countries in many essential issues which means an effort of getting rid of U.S. influence. In this respect the government and the workers´councils have common goals. Both the government and the factories controlled by the workers´ councils face economic problems.
Argentinean integration has been directed even in govermnetal quarters with Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil.
On July 27th, 2004 even Argentinean power media praised Fidel Castro´s strong anti-imperialist speech.
August 15th, 2004. Representatives of Argentinean organizations of solidarity with Cuba held a National Meeting of Friendship with the Cuba in the province of Santa Fe. The gathering will was held in August 14-15 at the Aula Magna of the National University of that city. The activity denounced that the recent measures adopted by theUS government against the Caribbean nation are a serious violation to the legitimate right to the peoples´ self-determination, international right and sovereignty in each country. Participants will analyze in several commissions topics such as the interference nature of the anti-Cuban measures adopted by George W. Bush´s administration, which worsen the over four-decade economic blockade imposed to the Island. The agenda also included other themes as the need of unity and integration of Latin America against the dangers that awaits it, and improvement of broadcasting in the Cuban Revolution´s work through radio stations, conferences, seminars, among others. The act of solidarity in Santa Fe began a week ago with the signing of an agreement of cooperation in the scientific-technical sphere between the Cuban Ministry for Foreign Investments and Economic Collaboration and authorities from that Argentinean city. The govermenment did not resist these Cuba-solidarity activities.
August 17th. 2004. In the face of sharp disagreements between Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on August 8 the Argentine government decided to temporarily suspend negotiations with that international financial organization, which is putting on pressure on issues that do not concern it, according to the official stand of that Latin American nation.
August 25th, 2004. The Argentinean House of Deputies has created a Friendship with Cuba Committee aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the parliaments of both nations and promoting activities in the fields of health and foreign trade.
In the end of August 2004 Venezuelan regime said the country to move form capitalism.
August 28th, 2004 Like Cuba, Venezuela withdrew ambassador from Panama because of realasing of terrorists from Panamian prison.
In October - November 2004 Argentina´s anti-imperialist stance strenghtened as its relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil improved.
December 2004. Workers´ struggles..
Until just yesterday, the people accompanied with sympathy the struggle of the telephone workers for higher wages. A struggle which has ended victoriously.Today we must gather round in support of the struggle of the subway workers.They have also stopped work in demand of a 50 percent wage increase and the reinstatement of gains wrested from them by the bosses during the years of"labor flexibilization". For example: overtime for night work, or the nupdating of child day care allowances for mother workers, or the reinstatement of the 2 percent for seniority.
This is a just struggle which must be circled and supported so that it triumphs. Because if yesterday the telephone workers and today the Metrovias workers win, all of us workers win, after suffering years of falling wages and the loss of our gains.
So brothers and sisters: don't listen to the media campaigns of a government that pays the foreign debt with the IMF with what it robs us in wages, while submerging the people in misery.
The workers have taken a stand: they have said ENOUGH. They are going for the recovery of their wages and gains.
Let's imitate them: demanding a raise of 50 percent in wages and the abolitionof all the laws of labor flexibility.
PARTIDO OBRERO (Committee Capital)
January - March 2005. The fight in order to form a state based on workers´ councils continued with full efficiency by Partido Obrero, Polo Obrero and by majority of Argentinean people.
March 2005. The workers of Zanon were once again under attack by the government and business interests who are trying to evict the workers of the ceramics factory in the southern province of Neuquen. Since 2001, the employees have successfully managed the factory, setting an example for the working-class worldwide and demonstrating that workers can produce and manage their workplace better on their own than with a boss or owner.
Autumn 2005. The struggle continued. The former owners of factories tried to get their enterprises back. The workers intended to enlarge their revolutionary achievements. In the very center of this fight was Zanon. It is a bit surprising that in this revolutionary situation high level courts have admitted workers´ rights.
November 2005. With the presence of representatives from hundreds of organizations and social movements in the Americas, the Third Peoples Summit began on November 3rd in Mar del Plata, Argentina, as a space to coordinate and find alternatives in the ongoing struggle against US imperialist designs in the Americas.
March 2006. The Argentinean communist Partido Obrero achieved great victory in local elections. In this connection PO became the leading opposition force in Argentina.
August 2006. Argentina and Russia had talks on delivering modern Russian military equipments to Argentina.
August-September 2006. Argentina and Venezuela got closer with each other in the framework of Mercosur. Venezuela lent money to Argentina because of bad situation of Argentinean economy. It was obvious that new friendship between those two LatAm countries was born. This matter has special significance when forming of anti-imperialist LatAm integration.
October-November 2006. Argentine made a remarkable arms purchase agreement with Russia.
November 2006. A high level commercial Argentinean delegation visited China.
December 2006. Argentinean president Nestor Kirchner met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
February 2007. A delegation of Communist Party of China visited Argentina.
February 2007. Argentinean president Nestor Kirchner signed in Caracas remarkable trade agreements with Venezuela.
March 2007. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez visited Buenos Aires.
May 2007. Cuba participated the Social Forum held in Buenos Aires.
May 2007. The Chinese Defence Minister visited Argentina. The countries signed a military cooperation memorandum.
June 2007. An all-south-American meeting in order to establish the South Bank was held in Buenos Aires.
June 2007. Hugo Chavez met with Fidel Castro in Havana.
June 2007. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega visited Venezuela.
June 2007. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA took control of Venezuelan oile fields. However, some foreign oil companies were granted permission to continue activities in Venezuela within new joint venture terms.
August 2007. Argentina and venezuela inked an energy cooperation agreement which promoted Latin American integration and was a serious loss for the FTAA-plan proposed by the U.S.
September 2007. In the 62nd U.N. General Assembly Argentina demanded the U.K to give up colonialism and to return the Falkland archipelago to Argentina.
December 2007. Argentina cancelled purchase of U.S. made F-16 fighters because USA had interferred in Argentina´s presidential elections in August 2007.
In 2008 Argentina got a loan from Venezuela. The funds were used to get Argentina free of IMF control.
In September 2008 the President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez visited Brazil in order to tackle the South American integration process as the U.S. fourth fleet approached the South American costal area.
In October 2008 Nikolai Patrushev, secratary of Russian national defence council, visited Argentina.
In December 2008 Argentina and Russia signed agreement of strategic partnership and several commercial cooperation documents.
December 2008. President Christina Kirchner visted Brazil in conncetion with her participation in the large Latin American and Caribbean Developement and Integration Summit.
January 2009. A high ranking political and commercial Argentinean delegation visted Cuba.
January 2009. President Cristina Fernandez visited Cuba.
March 2009. Argentina opened a regular air route to Cuba.
May 2009. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visited Argentina.
August 2009. Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez visited Venezuela.
KOMINFORM