Solidarity message to the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF) National Congress on November 15, 2006

The Kilusang Mayo Uno addresses its warm militant greetings to the APTUF on the occasion of your National Congress.

The issues of your congress, neo-liberal globalization, free trade agreements, government anti-worker laws and policies, war of aggression, strengthening the workers movement against attacks on jobs, wages and democratic rights, they are all very pertinent issues nowadays. We are very interested in the results of your discussions and the subsequent resolutions that would come out of your congress.

Imperialism desperately tries to solve its crisis by imposing its neo-liberal agenda all over the world. It uses instruments like the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Free Trade Agreements such as the proposed US-ASEAN agreement to dominate weaker capitalist countries, strengthen its supremacy of the Third World and to immobilize workers’ and people’s movements.

These imperialist-controlled agencies pushed almost all nations in the world to attack labor rights, to cut wages and to promote flexible labor. They impose a policy that negates the workers’ right to security of tenure, to join or form labor unions, to living wage and benefits, to humane working conditions and other basic rights. Labor laws and constitutions are being changed to rub out the democratic rights of workers and other deprived people.

Under the leadership of the United States, imperialist powers are pushing a “war against terrorism” to re-divide the world and to repress all those who defy them. This fascist wars aims to break the resistance of all the world’s peoples. The increasing repression against the workers and people’s movements, up to killings of workers and activists, is a feature of this so-called “war against terror”.

We call on the working class to strengthen our organizations and to strengthen solidarity worldwide to defy this criminal imperialist scheme. We must continue to organize workers to struggle for better wages, good regular jobs and better living conditions. We must resist attacks on our rights and intensify our struggle for genuine democracy.

We hope your congress will contribute to your struggle in Pakistan as well as to the struggle of the workers worldwide.

Together, let’s defy imperialism!

Long live the workers struggle!

Long live international solidarity!

In solidarity

 

Elmer C. Labog

KMU Chairperson