Excerpts from the Communiqué of the Central Committee of the PCP - 27 February 2012
The Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party, having met on 26 and 27 February 2012, analysed the evolution of the economic and social situation and the consequences on the living conditions of the workers and the people arising from the Pact of Aggression; evaluated the development of the mass struggle, pointing out the significance of the huge demonstration that filled the Terreiro do Paço Square in Lisbon, on 11 February, and stressed the importance of the general strike called by CGTP-IN for this coming 22 March; defined the Party’s main tasks with a view to boosting its political initiative and strengthening its organisation. The Central Committee of the PCP decided on matters of organisation, contents and dynamization of the preparatory debate of the XIX Congress, namely the setting of its preparatory phases and the definition of a set of issues central to the initial debate on the content of the Theses – Draft of the Political Resolution, and the guidelines on the Draft Amendments to the Party Programme.
I
Pact of Aggression: a path of national decline
1. The dimension and historical meaning of the demonstration called by CGTP-IN last 11 February represent, given the participation and fighting spirit, not only an unequivocal expression of the growth of discontent and protest in face of the government’s offensive, but also a clear sign of a sharp erosion of its social base of support.
An expression of discontent and protest inseparable from the evolution of the national situation which, marked by the deepening of the right-wing policy and the imposition of the Pact of Aggression, results from a fast erosion of the living conditions of the population in general, of the increase in the exploitation of workers, injustice and sharp economic decline.
The Central Committee stresses that, as it has repeatedly warned, the imposed course not only fails to solve any of the country’s problems but, every passing day, makes them worse.
The deepening of the recession into which the national economy was plunged, with successive downward reviews of the evolution of the GDP (between the signature of the Pact of Aggression in May last year and today, the expected fall of GDP in 2012, almost doubled from -1.8% to -3.3%); the expected and confirmed slowdown of exports registered in the last quarter of 2011; the sharp fall in public consumption and, in particular, of the private consumption and public and private investment, led just in the second quarter of 2011, to a loss of 157600 jobs and the disappearance of 40 thousand companies.
The signature of the Pact of Aggression by PS, PSD and CDS and the economic and social policies it includes, are launching our country into a deep recession that could drag on for several years, with severe consequences on unemployment, increase in labour precariousness, deepening of imbalance in the distribution of income, increase in poverty rates and worsening of regional asymmetries.
It is particularly significant that, at the very moment when the government introduced its package of amendments to the labour legislation, and following the agreement between the employers and UGT which seeks to impose more exploitation, INE – National Statistics Bureau – has acknowledged an alarming and unsustainable increase in the unemployment rate. The data now revealed – a rate that, in a broad sense, reaches 20.3%, which represents more than a million and 160 thousand unemployed – shows a sharp fall in employment and an unprecedented rate of growth in unemployment. In addition to the thousands of unemployed who do not make the statistics and are driven to emigration. This situation reveals a path of economic downfall which, if not stopped, will worsen in the future. Consequences that the reckless devaluation by the prime minister tries to ignore and the concern shown by the Secretary-general of the PS, whose tries to ignore his party’s responsibility , concealing that its birth is result of a policy and programme they signed jointly with PSD and CDS.
2. The worsening of exploitation, based on the attack on labour income and rights of the workers – backbone and main goal of the ongoing policy -, is accompanied by a vast offensive which, in compliance with the Pact of Aggression, and in the interest of economic and financial groups, slashes rights, affects the living conditions of the population, privatizes the social functions of the state, ruins production and the micro, small and medium size businessmen. An offensive against workers’ rights, with the proposed amendment to the labour code and labour legislation in public administration. An offensive aimed against the right to health of the Portuguese, with unsustainable increases in user fees, brutal cuts in the funding of the National Health Service and the closure of health services. An offensive against the right to housing, with the approval of a law of evictions that will dump thousands of families into the streets, particularly those with lower incomes and the elderly. An offensive aimed against local government, which undermines the living conditions of the population and deepens the abandonment and desertification of vast areas of the country, by doing away with hundreds of parishes, its financial asphyxiation and its democratic impoverishment. An offensive aimed at the sector of justice, with a new threat to close courts which, if not stopped, will lead to worsening problems of access to courts by the population and for the administration of justice. An offensive of destruction of public services, including post offices, tax offices, employment centres. An offensive aimed against the right to public transport, with cuts in offer and passes for students and elderly. An offensive aimed against public schooling and the right to education, reflected by cuts in funding, changes in curricula, cuts in social aid to students.
3. The Central Committee draws attention to the recent and disturbing steps taken in the process of capitalist integration in the European Union. The approval of the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism and the budgetary and fiscal pact that the PSD/CDS government tamely endorsed, represents a very serious step in the imposition and institutionalisation of the policies contained in the European Union and IMF programmes, and yet another step in the strategy of centralisation and concentration of economic and political power by big financial capital and the directorate of European powers. Developments illustrated by the consequences in several countries, particularly with the imposition of a new aggravation of the Pact of Aggression on Greece. This evolution, in view of the deepening crisis of capitalism in Europe and the failure of the Economic and Monetary Union, aims to impose a huge social and civilizational regression, worsen exploitation and increase the plunder of national resources, attack basic democratic principles and the respect for the independence and sovereignty of the States.
4. The Central Committee denounces the operation of ideological mystification which, under the excuse of published bank results and alleged “losses”, aims to free its shareholders from any responsibility, circumvent growing injustice and social inequalities, promote the idea of a general distribution of sacrifices, justify the imposition of further austerity measures against the workers and the people.
A product of accounting engineering, these results are mainly designed to ensure the return of millions of euros, by means of credits and tax benefits resulting from the “losses” now presented, ensuring colossal profits to the financial sector by means of speculative activities and the stranglehold of interest, commissions and interest spreads on households and companies, along with dismissals and cuts in wages for thousands of bank employees. Profits which add up to thousands of millions of euros that they benefit through the recapitalization of the banks contained in the Pact of Aggression that the Portuguese people are called upon to pay.
The Central Committee also stresses and denounces that the process of alienation of strategic companies and sectors contemplated in the privatisation programme agreed with the Troika has seen, in recent weeks, with the privatisations of REN – National Electric Grid – and EDP – Electricity of Portugal – a new and serious momentum that in fact compromises a public control of tools that are indispensable for the economic and sovereign development of the country.
The Central Committee draws attention to the process of extortion of national resources and income from the workers and people, reflected in the drainage of public funds to the banks, in the never ending transfer of thousands of millions of euros to the BPN bank (5.5 thousand million euros in loans and 2.4 thousand million euros already paid by the Portuguese taxpayers) and the plunder, via interest to be paid, both by the so-called IMF/EU loan, or the public debt, largely illegitimate.
II
Intensify the mass struggle, reject the Pact of Aggression, fight exploitation
1. The proposed amendments to the labour legislation, presented by the government in the Assembly of the Republic, constitute a veritable war declaration on the workers under the ongoing offensive against their rights – facilitation of dismissals and cuts in redundancy payments; wider precariousness and attack on collective bargaining; cuts in the amount of overtime pay and work on rest days, creation of a bank of work hours; elimination of four holidays and shorter vacation days. This is the project that the employers’ confederations and UGT signed to try to change radically the labour relations. A project that the government now tries to extend to Public Administration workers by revising the regime of Work in Public Office, not only to cut their rights but also to ease their dismissal.
The Central Committee stresses that, in this context, the decisive role that the struggle of the workers, in every company and sector, will have to oppose and defeat the practical application of this package or any other legislation that may represent a new factor of social regression and increase of exploitation.
2. The Central Committee registers and welcomes the development of mass struggle as seen by the demonstration of the 11th of February , which counted with the participation of more than 300,000 people, expression of increased awareness among workers and other layers on the anti-monopoly regarding the liability of the policy that is leading to economic and social decline social of the country. This demonstration constitutes a landmark of the struggle of workers and it is part of a new phase of struggle against the right-wing policy in Portugal. The Central Committee welcomes the Portuguese workers and their trade union class, CGTP-IN, for the success of the national demonstration.
Demonstration – following numerous struggles in companies, workplaces and sectors, in defense of their interests and rights - also took place in the context of the development of protest actions promoted by user’s commissions of public services, against cost increases and degradation of provided services, as is happening: in public passenger transport, with successive price increases and the reduction of routes, in health, with increasing fees and constraints in access to health care; with the closing of CTT post offices. Process in which the struggle of students of secondary and higher education against the rising prices of school passes should be highlighted, the fight against rising tuition fees and cuts on public spending on benefits supporting higher education, responsible for thousands students leaving university. The struggles that have been promoted by the Portuguese communities against the closure of consulates and in defense of the teaching of Portuguese language should also be mentioned.
3. The Central Committee stresses the importance of the XII Congress of the National Inter-CGTP. In the context of great social and political complexity, marked by political and ideological offensive of the big capital, the CGTP-IN Congress constitutes, because of the strength and determination demonstrated by hundreds of delegates and guests, and because of the decisions made and elections taken, an extraordinary success with a very significant impact on national and international levels.
4. The Central Committee considers that the fight against national disaster policy and submission to the interests of monopoly capital, requires the strengthening of the mass struggle. It requires the development of the struggle by various social levels, including most importantly the struggle in defense of local government, students, youth workers, which will hold a demonstration on March 31st called by Interjovem / CGTP-IN, in defense of public services and against the introduction of tolls on SCUT.
As part of the intensification of the struggle it is particularly important the CGTP-IN initiative to call a General Strike to the next 22nd of March, for the success of which the Central Committee urges Party members to engage in its organization and mobilization.
5. The expression gained during the development of the struggle of workers and vast layers and sectors of the population makes it clearer that a broader and growing awareness that the defense of their rights and the overcoming of national problems are inseparable from the struggle for rejection of the Aggression Pact.
The multitude and diversification of struggles, discontent and protest demonstrated by various sectors – from the Armed Force to public security personnel, from farmers to small to medium business men, user committees to tenants, from firefighters to local representatives, from students to retired workers - the actions of popular outrage directed either to the Prime Minister and other members of government or the President of the Republic, are signs of a broad convergence and a more determined attitude, capable to expand and strengthen the current of protest and struggle against the current direction imposed on the country.
The Central Committee points out - in a moment when the attacks on the rights of workers and the people are intensifying and the ruinous consequences of the implementation of the Aggression Pact to the country and its development emerge more clearly - the fight for its rejection is a national imperative, a patriotic purpose indispensable to the dignity and living conditions of the Portuguese and national sovereignty, in the defense of Portugal with a future.
The Central Committee renews its appeal to workers and the people to converge in an increasingly strong current of protest and struggle for rejection of Aggression Pact, developing a vast popular movement that brings together all anti-monopoly currents, all the Democrats and Patriots, which has as main objectives to prevent the collapse of the country, safeguard the rights of workers and the people, to assume the defense, principles and values of the Portuguese Constitution and defend the inalienable right to national sovereignty.
III
The imperialist offensive and the struggle of workers and peoples
1. The evolution of the international situation remains marked by the rapid deepening of the structural crisis of capitalism and a sharp intensification of the class struggle. A crisis that is used to promote the process of capitalist concentration and the extortion of large capital resources, including the financial capital, to intensify the exploitation of workers and people, to accomplish a deep social regression of a civilization dimension and further change the balance of forces operating world-wide in favor of imperialism.
This process, with particular expression in the adoption of violent anti-social measures, in increasing attacks on democracy, limiting national sovereignty and support of militaristic imperialism, aims to reverse the major historical achievements of workers and people, and maintain the control by major imperialist powers over the economy, natural resources and energy, trade and international monetary system. The latest international developments should be read in this context, the evolution of imperialist blocs such as the European Union, and the growing contradictions within the imperialist camp or between the latter and the so-called emerging powers.
2. The Central Committee warns, in particular, to the dangers that the imperialist operations and blackmail against nations and sovereign countries, such as Syria and Iran, will bring to international peace and security. Exposing the lies and destabilization campaigns against Syria, the Central Committee draws attention to the terrible consequences that new military interventions would have on the already extremely tense situation in the Middle East and Central Asia and calls on the Portuguese people to mobilize against the imperialist war, affirming the values of peace and respect for the sovereignty of peoples.
3. The PCP Central Committee appreciates the important popular struggles that have been taking place in several European countries, namely Greece, Spain, Belgium and Romania, in defense of rights and achievements, which express a clear opposition to the violent measures against their people, rejecting the blackmail of big capital and of the European Union. The Central Committee expresses its solidarity to workers in struggle, as well as to the people around the world, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa resisting the brutal offensive of imperialism and struggle for alternatives of progress and national sovereignty . (...)
