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To ours colleagues, workers and militants involved in the strike, all over Europe, for political and social essential rights to the working class

On the occasion of the meeting organised 17 June in Berlin between labour militants from the health sector coming from Germany, France and Poland and on the basis of information coming from Great Britain and Spain… an observation must be made: the offensive of destruction of which health is the target today is not the product of a series of national “reforms” but a global offensive dictated by financial capital, operated through its control and according to its methods, and implemented, in each country, by our respective governments.

Be it the “golden rule” in Germany, in whose name the Great Coalition strangles hospitals, schools, day care… or the “tariffing by activity” (T2A) in France, it is the application in the health care domain of the merciless rules of competitivity implemented by financial capital in industry with the consequences that they are known to have. And the Polish colleagues have experienced all the brutality of neoliberal capitalism after the “shock therapy” of what was called the “transformation of the system” engaged in 1990. The destruction of industry, unbridled privatisation, the deregulation of labour law, unemployment and the lack of a system of Social Security have thrown Poland into a peripheral status.

There is no exaggeration in saying that a humanitarian catastrophe is methodically being prepared by our respective governments

What is at stake is the existence of the fundamental laws and regulations gained though intense struggle by the working class of our respective countries. Of laws and regulations that recognise that all workers, all retired persons have rights in matter of health care that escape the decisions of their exploiters.

What is at stake is the relationships between capital and labour codified in the social legislation of each country, as is witnessed in the articulation of the offensive against health care, against the systems of social security and retirement with the offensive of total deregulation of labour relations.

Gigantic combats are being prepared on the old continent, from West to East, from North to South

Those who pretend to believe that the combat of the French workers against the destruction of the Labour Code is finished with the election of Macron, are lying.

Those who pretend to believe that the combat of the German workers for the repeal of the Schröder Agenda, for the reintegration of all the workers in the framework of collective agreements, to be free of the “golden rule”, is over, under the pretext that the leadership of the SPD and of the DGB have not supported them, are lying.

And they fool themselves when they would blackmail the Polish workers so that they would give up their combat against the privatisations, against deregulation and for the defence of the independence of their unions, because this government – which applies fallacious “correctives” – pretends to be the representative of the “little people”.

While some seek to blackmail with the danger of the extreme right to attempt to close ranks around their policies, others try to obtain the same result with nationalist and xenophobic demagoguery. All put pressure on the leaderships of the labour movement to get behind their “inevitable” measures and their requirements, but nonetheless, they do not have the power to push back the rejection of their criminal policies by millions and millions of men and women.

A rejection that, under the forms proper to each country, is winning one by one all the European states: France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain… and is becoming the principal actor of the situation.

On the ruins of the old parties who still claim to represent the labour movement and which are condemned by their subordination to the demands of financial capital, differentiations are at work, groups try to form themselves to respond to the aspirations of the large masses. It is thus that the electoral breakthrough of Mélenchon in France stems from the fact that a large layer of militants, turning their backs on the tradition “Union of the Left”, decided to take hold of his candidature axed on the unconditional defence of the Labour Code and Social Security.

The breakthrough 8 June, of Corbyn in Great Britain, based on the program of renationalisation and of the repeal of Thatcher’s antiunion laws, expresses the same movement. In the same manner, in Spain, the vast majority of the members and militants of the PSOE who voted for Pedro Sanchez for general secretary of the party, who has refused any agreement and any rapprochement with the Rajoy government.

Joining in this search for a reorganisation of the labour movement, based on the combat for the defence of the class independence of the union organisations defending tooth and nail the social and political conquests that have been won by the working class since the war, we decided to address ourselves to all the militants that we can reach in Europe to invite them to enlarge with us the exchange the we have begun this 17 June in Berlin.

We are convinced that a victory by French workers causing Macron to back off of the Labour Code would provide a formidable support point for the combat of German workers for the repeal of the Schröder Agenda, for the combat of Polish workers against the privatisations, against the deregulated work contracts and for the independence of their unions; for the combat of the Spanish workers for the repeal of the laws of work deregulation… and vice-versa.

The moment has come to strengthen the bonds between the militants of all the countries of Europe to say together to Merkel, Macron, Szydlo, Rajoy, May, Renzi, Gentilone… and to the leaders of the European Union in Brussels:

You dare to accuse your peoples, who refuse the murderous measures that you decide against them, by fallaciously covering yourselves with the requirements of European harmonisation.

You dare to accuse them of chauvinism and nationalism because they refuse the diktats of “globalised” financial capital.

You dare to pretend to combat for a harmonious Europe guaranteeing peace to its peoples.

By deregulating, by destroying the political rights of the workers, which are the basis of the democratic politics of our societies, it is you who are the warmongers, the instigators of chauvinist and racist campaigns, the destroyers of European civilisation. Pretending to wave in the face of Trump the flag of a Europe that upholds the values of civilisation, Merkel, Macron and Szydlo, Junker, Tusk… require of European states an augmentation of military credits and a direct engagement behind Trump in the coalition of imperialist powers in the Middle East, dragging our peoples into an endless war with all its consequences.

Gigantic combats are in the works, facing the peoples of Europe against their governments subservient to the demands of the financial markets and all sorts of speculators.

It is on the development of these combats and their convergences that the future of a free and fraternal union of all the peoples of Europe depends, from East to West, from North to South.

The signatories of this letter are engaged in the preparation of an open world conference against war and exploitation convened in Algiers next October (invitation herewith).

They decide to participate, on the basis of the positions developed in this letter, in the constitution of a representative European delegation at this open world conference.

They cordially invite you to join them.

 

Signatories

France: Bruno Ricque, unionist; Philippe Navarro, unionist.

Poland: Ewa Groszewska, WZZ Walka; Barbara Rosokowska, WZZ Walka (member of the control commission); Jacek Rosokowski, WZZ Walka (member of the national commission).

Germany: Giovanni Ammirabile, Ver.di, secretary of the works council of Vivantes, SPD; Michael Altmann, Ver.di/SPD; Berndt Bahr, Ver.di, member of the direction of the labour commission of the SPD (Afa) for the state of Saxony; Delef Bahr, Ver.di; Carla Boulboulé, GEW (Education and Science Workers’ Union), “Soziale Politik & Demokratie” (“Social Politics and Democracy”); Rainer Döring, Ver.di; Ellen Engstfeld, delegate of the personnel, Ver.di; Gerd Freitag, Ver.di; Hanning Frey, Circle of teachers under contract, GEW (Education and Science Workers’ Union) Cologne, Ute Grahl, SPD; Eva Gürster, Ver.di, member of the health care sector bureau, North Rhine-Westphalia; Julian Gürster, GEW (Education and Science Workers’ Union); Christian Hass, secretary of the labour commission of the SPD (Afa) of the state of Berlin, Ver.di; Eberhard Henze, SPD/Afa (labour commission), Ver.di; Andreas Hörath, Ver.di, tariff commission of VSG (subsidiary of the hospital group Vivantes); Udo Huhn, Ver.di; Hannelore Jerichow, district director, Ver.di Berlin; Ulrike Kölver; Norbert Kollenda, collaborator at SoZ, editor of the Polish press revue; Sascha Kraft, member of the works council of the subsidiary of the charity CFM; Gotthard Krupp, member of the direction of Ver.di of the state of Berlin-Brandenburg, member of the direction of the labour commission of the SPD (Afa) of Berlin; Christine Lachner, member of the bureau of the works council of Vivantes; Winifred Lätsch, Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), spokesperson for the retired persons of Berlin-Brandenburg; Monika Leisling, Ver.di; Barbara Ludwig, district committee of the DGB, district committee of the GEW, city SPD delegate; Hans-Jürgen Mees, Ver.di; Sven Meyer, member of the direction of Ver.di of the state of Berlin-Brandenburg; Wolfgang Mix, GEW Berlin, state delegate; Inigo Müller, Ver.di, assistant secretary of the direction of sector 13, assistant secretary of the district labour commission of the SPD (Afa); Charlotte Rutz-Sperling, Ver.di, VF, Vivantes; Gerlinde Schemer, SPD, delegate to the national congress; Lukas Schmolzi, delegate of the personnel of the Botanical Garden; Beate Sieweke, Ver.di, member of the tariff commission of the retail trade, member of the direction of the labour commission of the SPD (Afa) of North Rhine-Westphalia; Birgit Schöller, SPD; Birgit Schultz, Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), Stockheim, SPD/Afa Düsseldorf; Werner Uhde, Ver.di; Dirk Weiẞ, member of the works council IGBCE; Herbert Wernecke, Ver.di; Monika Wernecke, Ver.di, Die Linke; Axel Zutz, GEW (Education and Science Workers’ Union), SPD, member of the direction of the district labour commission of the SPD.