Unite on May Day – Build action for working class rights

Vanguard May 2011 p. 1
Alice M.

On 1st May workers around the world celebrate the victories and struggles of the working class and the international solidarity of working people and the oppressed.

On May Day the working class puts forward its demands and a programme of action to defend and improve the living standards of working people and the oppressed, for workers’ rights and a genuine democracy for the majority of the people.

May Day gives a voice to the hopes and aspirations of working people for an alternative to the exploitation, oppression, poverty, human rights abuses, foreign occupations and imperialist wars of aggression. A future where workers are the masters of society; a genuinely socialist society run and governed by the working class in the interests of the majority of the people and the environment, not a tiny handful of monopoly corporations and multinationals.

Class struggle intensifies
The 35 years of relentless attacks by imperialist neo-liberalism have wrought hardship and suffering on the working people of developing and developed countries. In 2008 the deepening of the global capitalist economic crisis intensified these attacks on the people. But oppression, injustice and imperialist wars breed rebellion, and workers around the world are resisting. Wider groups of workers and working people are organising and joining in action against the burden of economic crisis of monopoly capitalism.

Lighting the way
Internationally, the revolutionary movement of the working class and the oppressed is growing and gives optimism and confidence to the future struggles of working people. The powerful people’s mass uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and other countries of the Middle East and North Africa are inspiring the oppressed around the world.

Revolutionary movements in the Philippines and Nepal, led by Marxist-Leninist Communist Parties, are lighting the way for the international working class struggles against imperialism, semi-feudalism and monopoly capitalism.

In the belly of the world’s most savage beast, US imperialism, class struggle by very wide sections of working people against the burden of capitalist economic crisis and imperialist wars is sweeping the country. This is bound to grow as the internal class contradictions of US imperialism are bursting at the seams.

In Europe the working class is organising and making preparations for a long fight with its own imperialist ruling class.

Australian workers step up
In Australia, the hard won rights and conditions of working people are equally attacked by big business. Workers’ rights to organise in fighting unions, take industrial action, and the right to strike collectively, are being rolled back by the two main parliamentary parties, acting under instructions from the multinationals and big business interests.

Casualisation, job insecurity, disappearing penalties, deteriorating wages and health and safety at work is the order of the day. The people are straining under the heavy burden of debt to pay for housing, health, education, infrastructure utilities and other necessities of life. The unemployed and welfare recipients are demonised and have their pensions and allowances slashed.

The coming budget will protect big business interests and push more working people into poverty and economic hardship. This is at a time of record profits by mining corporations, banks and other multinational corporations.
Despite the many obstacles thrown at organised labour, many unions and workers are putting up a fight in defence of their rights and conditions. Qantas workers, wharfies, road transport workers, teachers, nurses, scientists, community workers and many others refuse to be intimidated by threats from big business.

Fundamental change
Under the economic and political system of capitalism, workers’ gains are never permanent and the struggle between capital and labour never ceases. But how does the working class break out of the present situation, and ultimately take control to become masters of society and run the country for the majority of the people?

This can’t be achieved in one blow. Objective and subjective conditions in Australia shape the steps in our struggle towards socialism. We need far-sightedness, vision and certainty about the ultimate goal of the revolutionary journey and the immediate steps that will lead working people there.

CPA (M-L) position
The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) asserts that the core of monopoly capitalism in Australia today is a small number of foreign owned corporations (the most decisive are from the USA), together with their Australian-based monopoly associates. They control the economy and political life of this nation.

Australia plays a critical role in US imperialist wars of aggression and plunder. As deputy sheriff to US imperialism in the region, Australia hosts a large number of significant US military bases. This makes us dependent and subservient to US economic, political and military interests at home and internationally.

US imperialism oppresses not only workers but also farmers, small and medium business people and other sections of society. The majority of Australia’s population have a common interest in freeing Australia from imperialism.

To bring about fundamental change, the working class must mobilise working people and other smaller classes against the core of imperialism and monopoly capital. It means struggle for complete anti-imperialist national independence under the political leadership of the working class. This is integral to Australia’s revolutionary road and will open up conditions for the winning and building of socialism.

Tremendous battles lie ahead, both on the ground and in the realm of ideas. May Day inspires confidence that the working class will triumph.


· Defend and extend workers’ rights and conditions – Abolish the ABCC, fight for the right to organise and strike – Target the Business Council of Australia and the Minerals Council, peak bodies of the biggest foreign monopoly corporations behind the attacks on unions and the rights of working people
· Build an independent, class conscious fighting union movement that defends and mobilises working people and the community
· Defend working people’s livelihood and living standards – Tax the super-profits of mining monopolies and big banks to pay for people’s services
· No cuts to public spending, education, health, community services. No extension of GST
· Protect and expand environmentally sustainable local manufacturing industry that creates local jobs. Protect and expand local scientific and medical research and development
· Defend and extend genuine democratic rights of the people. Dismantle anti-terror laws
· Protect the environment and make big polluters pay, not the people
· For an independent foreign policy – no foreign military bases on Australian soil. Solidarity with Libyan workers. Demand an end to Australian government support for US and NATO bombing of Libya
· For an anti-imperialist independent Australia and socialism