RE: [L-I] Argentine unions join forces for nationwide strike

[Julio FernándezBaraibar <julfb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nestor wrote:

> The De la Rúa government has taken another step towards abyss in a
desperate effort
> to bring some "calm" to what is known by the media here as "the markets",
that is
> the imperialist vampires, particularly the NYSE speculators, and their
domestic
> associates.

The situation in my country can be defined in this way: or we fuck the
people or we fuck "the markets". The government, as a result of the
financial blackmail, has decided the first.
>
> Thus, in an unprecedented display of lowliness, we could watch on TV the
whole
> cabinet waiting eagerly for a fax from the IMF (most probably, sent by
some third
> rank official) last Friday, at 6 o'clock PM local time (which makes 4 PM
at
> Washington, that's why I presume that none of the high priests was
answering "our"
> prayers). This fax provided what has come to be known (and laughed at) as
"financial
> shielding" in order to "prevent default" in a "climate of consensus".

The question is that Argentina was, tecnically, in default. The government
shaked. The native financial establishment pressed and threatened with the
seven plagues of Egypt. Having no popular support, De la Rua had only a way:
to accept the terms of the blackmail.


> The fax spelled out the new requests from the financial clique, namely
that the age
> for retirement be raised for women, that private funds will be the only
ones to work
> here, that future retirements will be curtailed in at least 200 dollars a
month, and
> so on. Financial squeezes were to be put on the provinces also, and funds
for social
> programs would be further jibarized. The government threatened the
Justicialist
> Party (official "Peronism") that if they did not agree with this plan,
things would
> become worse still, and though the Justicialists soon gave in, the
governors of the
> three main provinces of Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santa Fe),
who belong
> to that party, began a long struggle not to lose control of social aid
funds in the
> fire that is sweeping all over our country's economy.

Meanwhile, the Big Motherfucker, Carlos Menem, president of the Justicialist
Party, demanded prudence to the peronist governors saying: "The oven is not
ready for muffins". He is the direct representant of the possibly new
president of the USA, George Bush.

>
> In the meanwhile, both the CTA and Moyano's CGT launched a national strike
for
> Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th, with demonstrations the country over. It is
a 36 hour
> strike, and I dare bet that the country will be frozen again. The date was
chosen
> because a delegation of the IMF is coming here those days. Though at first
it
> perspired that the strike was to be a strong display of power, by taking
the whole
> of Thursday and then returning to work ON FRIDAY AT NOON, actually this
was not the
> way it will be. We shall have a 12 hour strike on Thursday, and a 24 hour
strike on
> Friday.
>
> Most important, the state of consciousness of the middle layers is
beginning to pass
> from disilussionment to anger, as I can feel among my fellow office
workers. I had
> commented, some time ago (and Julio had commented in the same sense) that
> Argentinian politics was beginning to defrost with the positions taken by
Moyano and
> his CGT. It is pleasant to see that one's predictions begin to become
true.

Yes, I have the feeling that the middle class youth has begun to walk the
same path that my generation did: from the religious charity to the
political conscience, from the mere solidarity to the active struggle. This
is, of course, an almost imperceptible phenomenon, but it does occur in the
deep layers of society. Beyond the incapacity of Moyano and his friends to
organize a political way out from the dead end we are, more and more young
people discover the working movement as the axis of the fight against the
regime.

>
> There is a clear tendency among the lowest ranks of our society to revolt,
> inorganically as yet, but consistently. And the revolts are carried on, in
a very
> important sign, with women at the first lines. At the same time, while
part of the
> middle classes (the ones less affected by this ruinous policy) are still
in
> disillusionment, most of them are beginning to radicalize.
>
> A nice cocktail for a Friday evening...

It will be an extraordinary strike. We promise you.
Actually, the problem is that De la Rua's government can fall down. And we,
the people, have not something to replace him.

Julio FB