Declaration of Unity of the Delegates of KMU's 25th International Solidarity Affair

KMU's annual International Solidarity Affair was held from April 30 to May 9.
More than 40 labor leaders from 17 countries from 5 continents participated.

Below is their declaration of unity as a result of the conference

Declaration of Unity
of the Delegates of KMU's 25th International Solidarity Affair

AS THE ENTIRE WORLD CONFRONTS THE WORST GLOBAL economic and fi nancial crisis since the Great Depression, we, the delegates of the 25th International Solidarity Aff air unite with the workers of the world in exposing, condemning and opposing the root causes of the global fi nancial crisis – extraction of surplus value by the monopoly capitalists from our own labor power, grinding down of our wages and removal of other social benefi ts, and other manifestations of the chronic crisis of capitalist overproduction.

Despite the intensified social character of production in our factories and places of work, aided by the high level of technology at present, we continue to witness the most abominable forms of accumulation and concentration of capital in the hands of the monopoly bourgeoisie.

This hideous irrationality of monopoly capitalism leads the moribund system into a cycle of boom-and-bust characterized by the worsening crisis of overproduction. Among the shocking features of this crisis is the rapidly escalating unemployment in all corners of the world.

The policy shift from Keynesianism to “neo-liberalism” to combat stagfl ation in the 1980s has brought nothing but mayhem to our lives and to our families.

The neo-liberal policies of deregulation, privatization and liberalization of trade and investments took back workers’ hard won rights, pushed down real wages, raised taxes and the prices of basic consumer goods and services, imposed budget cuts on basic social services, and impoverished millions of farmers in poor countries. It led to a series of very sharp economic crises in the former Soviet bloc, Turkey, Latin America, and Asia, before the biggest crisis of them all struck in the heart of US capitalism itself. Sub-Saharan Africa suff ered chronic social crisis during the whole neo-liberal period as imperialism drained it of resources and fostered resource wars. Despite its great oil wealth, the Middle East also suff ered continuous wars and great inequality, and huge racist abuse, a victim of the imperialist drive for control of resources.

Under neo-liberal labor fl exibility, women workers are the majority of the casual, part-time, and contractual workers, the easiest to hire and fi re and exploit. Women and children have borne the brunt of the crisis of capitalism, and comprise the majority of
hungry and oppressed.

Overproduction is also driving the deep ecological crisis which is warming the climate, poisoning rivers, seas and lands, and creating a crisis in fresh water supplies to the people.

Actions by the monopoly capitalists to alleviate the global slowdown have not only aggravated the crisis but also further pound down on our livelihood.

The US shamelessly funneled US$700 billion to the coff ers of the fi nance oligarchy to bail them out from the crisis while its workers and other oppressed peoples of the world continue to face unabated exploitation and plunder of their earnings and ecology,
widespread poverty, and decreasing incomes and government social spending. Public funds are now being delivered to the corporate giants in a paradoxical move to expand production and generate employment.

Amidst this worsening situation, widespread workers’ strikes and massive protests against the curtailment of our rights, unemployment, plummeting real wages, disintegration of social benefi ts, racism, discrimination and repression are taking place
in diff erent countries.

However, these protests are often met with repression and state terrorism resulting to deaths, abductions, enforced disappearances, and torture of union members and some members of their families.

Furthermore, US imperialism has also connived with its puppet regimes in propagating the “war on terror” which targets militant and progressive union leaders and their supporters, aside from implementing and profi ting from counterinsurgency operations against anti-imperialist and national liberation movements worldwide.

Indeed, we witness the intensifying contradiction between the working class and the poor peoples of the world and the imperialist class. Therefore, workers of the world are duty-bound more than ever to lead all the oppressed peoples in defeating imperialism and eradicating imperialist plunder, crisis and war.

We, the delegates of the 25th International Solidarity Aff air hosted by the Kilusang Mayo Uno held in Tagaytay City, Philippines on May 2-5, 2009, recognize the essential task of raising the level of the international labor movement from making economic demands and protesting against globalization and war to resisting and defeating imperialist crisis, plunder and war.

THEREFORE, we commit ourselves to implement our resolutions and in particular to:
ADVANCE and coordinate anti-imperialist campaigns to confront the global crisis, especially through the project for an international antiimperialist militant labor front.
ORGANIZE participation in global labor action against the economic crisis in August 2009, and against repression of workers on
November 16, 2009.
STRONGLY SUPPORT the International Assembly on Migrants and Refugees in their parallel protests at the UN Global Forum on
Migration and Development in Athens in November 2009.
GENERATE comprehensive research and education work on the global crisis, particularly as it aff ects migrant workers, women and the environment.
MAXIMIZE the internet to coordinate our efforts to build our networks.
SUPPORT initiatives for global protest actions against trade union repression, imperialist exploitation, wars of aggression, the ecological crisis, and the obscene bailouts of banks and big business with the use of public funds in the global crisis.
REACH OUT to other trade unions and workers’ political parties to strengthen their capacity to organize and fight against the global crisis.
MOBILIZE AND ORGANIZE international unity and solidarity of the working class and strongly promote education and organization
on genuine working class alternatives, including socialism, to the capitalist system that has led to today’s unfolding global disaster.

DARE TO STRUGGLE, DARE TO WIN!
WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-IMPERIALIST SOLIDARITY!