arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Brussels: 100,000 trade unionists for people not profit
by Nick H. & Matt C. 2:54pm Thu Dec 13 '01 (Modified on 4:42pm Thu Dec 13 '01)
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Brussels on Thursday , December 13th, saw possibly the
largest ever demonstration of trade union strength
across Europe. Well over 100,000 people took five
hours (on a working day) to march through the capital
of the ?Europe of Profit? under the slogan, ?Europe:
it?s us!?

A hundred thousand trade unionists stake a claim to a
Europe for people not profit
By Matt Cooper and Nick Holden

Brussels on Thursday , December 13th, saw possibly the
largest ever demonstration of trade union strength
across Europe. Well over 100,000 people took five
hours (on a working day) to march through the capital
of the ?Europe of Profit? under the slogan, ?Europe:
it?s us!?

Huge contingents from the union federations of France,
Germany and Belgium were joined by sizeable numbers
from almost every other country in Europe ? Spain,
Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. Even
Poland?s Solidarnosc had two banners and several dozen
demonstrators. The smallest contingent was from
Britain ? a reflection of how isolated the TUC is from
the increasing life in the unions of the rest of
Europe. Decades of ?left? little-Englandism in the UK
labour movement is partly to blame, but neither the
TUC leadership nor the left could summon up much
enthusiasm for coming to Brussels.

Tucked in among thouands of red, green, blue and
orange-clad workers from across Europe were a couple
of dozen TUC bureaucrats with only a handful of white
flags between them, and a slightly larger left
contingent, comprised mostly of the SWP ? although
those who brought union branch banners with them were
having trouble finding people to help carry them.

Significant, perhaps, was the complete absence of any
party or political banners ? the working class of
Europe may be rising off its knees; but it remains
deprived of any form of political representation, just
as it does in Britain.

More surprising, the European left was also largely
absent. Possibly they believed they were keeping their
powder dry for the ?anti-capitalist, anti-war? demo on
Friday, but that is likely to prove to have been a
mistake. Firstly, Friday?s demonstration will be
dwarfed, in both size and significance, by Thursday?s.
And secondly, the real progress at Genoa was the
heightened sense of unity between union members and
anti-capitalists, and the latter?s small numbers on
Thursday?s march has not helped in developing that
unity. We don?t know yet, of course, how many trade
unionists will stay in Brussels for the demonstration
on Friday, but much of the potential for the left to
intervene into the activities of the European
organised working class has already been missed.

One big demonstration doesn?t make a labour movement,
of course, and the European Trade Union Confederation
that organised this magnificent ?manifestation? is the
same layer of bureaucrats who failed to organise
sufficient Europe-wide solidarity action to save the
Vauxhall workers at Luton, or to defend their members
in public services throughout Europe,who are all
facing similar assaults from the private sector.

Trade Unionists leaving Brussels tonight should
reflect on the possibilities that their demonstration
represented. If the thousands upon thousands of union
members who marched were now building a militant and
confrontational European workers? movement then,
truly, another Europe would be possible. But the
lesson has to be that we cannot leave that task in the
hands of the bureaucrats ? whether in Lonodn or
Brussels: we need a Europe-wide rank and file campaign
for unions to fightback!

http://www.nosweat.org.uk

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by me 4:42pm Thu Dec 13 '01

this is largely a lecture on how the left should operate in Europe from workers power,reportage not diatribes please

are to a certain extent the same as politicians. They have a well organised national system and have a certain power. The problem is that despite AND due to this they stand further from the people. It was a clear sign that they marched today and not tomorrow with the anti-globalist movement. Many small unionist however will march tomorrow too, because they feel more attached to the anti-globalists than to the unions and their leaders, who do not dare to ask for more radical measures against the excesses of the global capitalism... The unions in belgium often get the chance to talk to the politicians, but they often fall in the trap of accepting promisses which cannot be lived up to by the politicians. As we all know the real power is not in politics nowadays but in economy... Lots of workers still support their union because they correctly believe that the answer lies in negotiating etc; but they also feel that they are being fooled as most negotiations on socio-economic matters are not being made sincerly from the part of politics. So we notice a growing willingness to cooperate with the anti-globalist movement to fight for a social and democratic europe and world, but we are not as far as Genua with its broad social forum, also because general working conditions and social security are rather good in belgium...

The facts of the matter speak for themselves. If the IMC is to be of value, it must learn to seperate reporting from editorializing. Information is of vital importance; propaganda is counterproductive at best. Get hard-headed, get the facts, get the story, present the information that the corporate media won't.

please someone explain to me :

do you mean that each time a company makes a loss, the tax payer should pay for it ?

if not, what do you propose ?
o, I see, only the rich people should pay those taxes

ok, now I understand how glad the rich will be to come and invest in your country

o, I see, they should not be allowed to invest anywhere in the whole world

only burocrats are able to decide when and where to invest

now I understand, you are for globalisation of the burocrats

i'd rather beuarcrats than a corporation for private profit interest....

I disagree with the previous comment. This report does tell us what happened. Its the only report on Indymedia so far of the demo on the 13th. Incidentally, neither of the two authors are in Workers Power, so I don't know where that came from.
Why are there no other reports of what was evidently a huge and important demo? It seems from the sparse reports I've heard, that there was a bit of a division in Brussels between the anti-capitalists and the trade unions. Is this an accurate assessment? If so, I think that's a real shame for both parties. 100,000 people on the streets of Brussels is a major acheivement, but without some political direction, Trade Union bureacracy will stifle the anger that prompted those people to demonstrate in the first place. Likewise, if the anti capitalist movement stands aloof from all those demonstrating workers, then we're not going to achieve what we want, are we?

"do you mean that each time a company makes a loss, the tax payer should pay for it ?"

That's exactly what's happening now with the airlines firing people on one hand and receiving huge benefits from the taz payers at the same time.

"if not, what do you propose ?
o, I see, only the rich people should pay those taxes"

Rich people can afford to pay higher taxes than poor. If you take away 99% of Bill Gates fortune he would still be a multi-billionaire. If you take away 99% of a cleaning woman's salary she would starve to death.

"ok, now I understand how glad the rich will be to come and invest in your country"

How did the rich get rich in the dirst place? Not by very honest or democratic methods.
Secondly, investment is mostly payed for and supported by tax money. In Sweden were I come from Volvo pays zero euros in tax AND receives tax money subsides.
Solution: tax the rich and let the people democraticly decide where and how to invest.

"o, I see, they should not be allowed to invest anywhere in the whole world"

Some moraly bankrupt people think that it's OK for large companies to exploit child labor for a couple of cents an hour, and your apparently one of them. Fuck you.
Solution: tax the rich and let the people democraticly decide where and how to invest.

"only burocrats are able to decide when and where to invest"

The people must be put in control of the economic policies of its home country. FYI corporate bureaucrats are none the better than government ones, with the exception that the people have NO CONTROL WHAT SO EVER over private bureaucrats.

"now I understand, you are for globalisation of the burocrats"

now I understand, you are for globalisation of the corporate bureaucrats