Preamble
The working class is the
most resolute, disciplined and organised class in the struggles of the people. When
mobilised and infused with far-sighted, revolutionary class consciousness and
struggle it is the only class that has the capacity and power to liberate
itself and the people from the exploitation and brutality of international
monopoly capital (imperialism).
The
global capitalist crisis of overproduction and the falling rate of profit are driving
capital to intensify the exploitation of people and the natural environment, to
extract greater surplus value from the labour power of the working class. It is
the only class that creates value in the process of production, but this added
value (surplus-value) is expropriated by the capitalist class.
Around
the world the working class is under unprecedented and relentless attacks by international
monopoly capital which is sinking into severe economic and political crisis.
The
international monopoly finance capital (banks) and the world’s biggest mining
monopolies (BHP-Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xstrata, Chevron, etc) are the most
powerful and influential section of the monopoly capitalist ruling class in
Australia. This is the imperialist class
of foreign corporations driving the neo-liberal policies that wipe out jobs and
job security, attack workers’ rights and conditions, and dictate government austerity
on the working class and the people and the plunder of the natural environment.
It
is against this class of a tiny handful of foreign monopoly corporations that
the working class is compelled to unite all the forces in the anti-imperialist
struggle for an independent, democratic and socialist Australia.
The
neo-liberal policies of monopoly capital (imperialism) in Australia over the
past 25-30 years have intensified the exploitation of the working class through
the more extensive use of the capitalist state’s legislative apparatus to
sharpen and extend the anti-worker and anti-union laws, crush the unions and
suppress working class struggle. The ruling class is preparing for greater
intensified attacks on the working class, jobs, welfare, social services, the
natural environment and people’s democratic rights.
Both
the National/Liberal and ALP governments equally embrace the neo-liberal
policies of monopoly capitalism in Australia, the difference being mainly in
the tactics they use to implement almost identical policies in attacking the
working class. The Liberals use the more
open methods to suppress the people (WorkChoices, ABCC), whilst the ALP employs
the softer tactics of social-democracy through deception of the people
(FairWork, moving the ABCC into FairWork) and the co-option of a small group of
the aristocracy of labour lieutenants to control and suppress the working class
struggle through parliament and the
courts. However, the deepening
capitalist economic crisis and the workers’ growing desire to struggle are
leaving less room for softer tactics and the deception of social-democracy. The
bourgeois state of the monopoly capital class is making preparations for
greater suppression of struggle, in particular against the working class. Police and the bourgeois state intelligence
agencies and powers are strengthened and expanded.
Workers
battling the boss constantly come up against the oppressive anti-worker and
anti-democratic laws of the bourgeois class dictatorship. The more workers’
rights to struggle and organise are taken from the working class, the more power
and freedom to attack the working class is handed to the state forces and big
business. Growing numbers of workers
long for courageous and far sighted leadership in struggles that will break
through and defy the anti-worker and anti-union restrictions on their ability
to struggle. In spite of difficult
industrial and economic conditions, the working class is resisting the monopoly
capital attacks and developing new and creative ways of organising and
mobilising.
The
magnificent struggles and courageous defiance by the Victorian nurses, the
Baiada chicken workers, the shopping centre cleaners and campaigns against the
ABCC have inspired and given confidence to other sections of the union movement
and the working class. The maritime and construction unions’ long and
protracted battle with the US multinational Chevron Gorgon project in West
Australia to protect local jobs and against importing cheap labour to push down
local wages and conditions has won wide support. Unions’ pickets and a broad based public
campaign have exposed the multinational. BHP-Billiton mining workers’ struggle in
Queensland shows that workers will not step back from struggle where there is
genuine leadership dedicated to the interests of the working class and the
people.
The
working class and the union movement are facing big tasks ahead in the long
period of capitalist economic crisis.
There is an urgent need for the working class to organise for the fight against
the relentless and stepped up offensive of monopoly capital in crisis. There is
an urgent task in building a fighting and independent union movement that
mobilises the working people, is closely linked to community mass organisations
and people’s mass movements, and confronts the oppressive laws of the
capitalist state. What is needed is a union movement that joins community
struggles against the rising cost of living and cuts to social services,
education and health; supports Australia’s Aboriginal people, and opposes the
destruction of the natural environment. Spontaneous actions by individual unions and
groups of workers do not have the endurance and strength to sustain the struggle
and make advances.
Resolution
The
working people in Australia are facing severe, all round attacks arising from
the deep economic crisis of monopoly capitalism. The working class is the only class that has
the capacity and the conscious will to organise, unite, mobilise and lead the
great majority of the people against the assaults by capital.
In
the present conditions, US economic and political imperialism holds the
dominant power over Australia and is the main target of struggles by the
working class and the people.
If
the working class is to liberate itself and the people in an anti-imperialist
struggle it must become conscious of itself as a revolutionary, leading class
and an agent for fundamental change in society. It is the class that will hold state power in
a socialist Australia. Based on our analyses of classes and class contradictions
in Australia, the CPA (M-L) is of the view that the principal contradiction in
Australia’s class struggle is between US economic and political domination and
the overwhelming majority of the people, with the working class as the leading
class in the anti-imperialist struggle for an independent, democratic and
socialist Australia.
The
CPA (M-L) affirms that the Marxist revolutionary ideas and methods, integrated into
the immediate struggles and concerns of the working class and the people
empower, sustain and point the direction for working class struggles for
fundamental change.
Immediate
Tasks and Demands in the Working Class and people’s mass movement:
·
Fight for jobs and job security, workers’
rights and conditions. Support the
rights of migrant workers.
·
Organise and strengthen the working class in an
independent, united and fighting union movement for its own class.
·
Build unity of unions and communities in
public campaigns for jobs, public health and education, housing, democratic
rights, welfare and pensions, and against privatisation and austerity measures
on the people. Unite and mobilise the union movement in a broad campaign to expose
and confront the oppressive anti-worker and anti-union laws. This will strengthen the fighting capacity of
workers and unions.
·
Build unions-community campaigns to tax the profits
of monopoly corporations – especially mining monopolies and banks. Demand the tax on big business profits be
used to benefit the people in the creation of jobs, for building manufacturing,
processing and agricultural industries, for funds for public health, education,
welfare, public transport and the protection of the environment.
·
Build practical alliances of workers, unions,
farmers, small businesses and manufacturers against the foreign corporations, e.g.
the Coles-Woolworths duopoly, broad based united struggle against the Coal Seam
Gas, mining and gas monopolies, and for local clean food production. Support campaigns to develop Australian
agricultural, manufacturing and value-added industries that provide clean and
secure jobs and promote Australia’s sovereignty and independence.
·
Support practical alliances of unions, local
Aboriginal and mining communities.
·
Promote union support for the Aboriginal
people’s struggles for sovereignty, a just treaty and land rights.
·
Put forward a working class vision for a
people’s democratic and sovereign Australia.
·
Study – Marxist political economy on surplus
value, Capital, Mao’s On Contradictions,
Lenin’s What is to Be Done? and Ted
Hill. Study should be linked to
comrades’ areas of work.
No comments:
Post a Comment