The 13th COSATU National Congress continues its works for the third day with fruitful exchanges among the COSATU affiliates. The WFTU General Secretary, George Mavrikos, addressed the Congress, and welcomed COSATU home, at a historical moment for the South African and the world militant trade Union movement, when COSATU decided for full membership with WFTU.
Below he speech of WFTU GS:
Dear friends and comrades, brothers and sisters,
Revolutionary salute from the five continents.
I am conveying to you here the solidarity and internationalism of the big class-oriented family of WFTU. On the behalf of our 100 million members, we are expressing to you our respect, estimation and comradeship.
Brothers and sisters,
We live in a period where the financial situation for the World Working Class is bad and unfortunately it is constantly deteriorating.
– Poor salaries
– Retrenchments of workers
– Privatizations
– Attack to the social security
– The unsecured labor is growing
At the same time, the profits of the multinational companies and monopolies keep rising.
This picture is the reflection of capitalism which is in a deep crisis.
On the one side there is wealth, and on the other side there is poverty for the popular strata.
This crisis shows the limits of capitalism. It shows that in capitalism the Working Class cannot enjoy the wealth that itself produces.
At geostrategic level, imperialism is in the front line, the USA attack against peoples, they destroy countries, they create millions of migrants, refugees, and they murder civilians.
The imperialist wars are waged for:
– The control of Energy
– The control of the markets
– New spheres of influence
The imperialists murder people and cause destructions in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, they are threatening Venezuela and Cuba. They support the barbarity of Israel against the heroic People of Palestine.
As the world militant trade union movement, we reiterate our internationalist solidarity with the people of Venezuela. We condemn the statement of the General Secretary of the Organization of American States, who invited the imperialists to attack Venezuela.
We reaffirm our stable position by the side of the people of Cuba, against the blockade that the USA imposes to them.
We firmly support the heroic people of Palestine, we stand by their side in their struggle for an independent state.
At Panafrican level
The African Continent is a rich continent, whose wealth-producing resources are being plundered by the multinationals and monopolies.
And the peoples of Africa are champions in:
– the low life expectancy
– illiteracy
-HIV
-Shortage of medicine, housing, potable water etc.
Governments and multinationals steal the wealth of Africa.
In these conditions your 13the Congress takes place.
– We are optimist that the 13th Congress will strengthen unity in the ranks of COSATU.
– We are sure that COSATU, along with SACP, will strengthen unity and the united struggle of the working class and of your people.
-Us, the WFTU, we trust in SACP and in COSATU and we will walk together as true comrades.
Dear comrades,
Allow me to welcome the heroic COSATU in the ranks of our large family, WFTU, as a full member.
We have a common militant history. Higher cadres, South-African militants occupied leading positions of WFTU.
Moses Mabhida
Mark Shope
Eric Mtsali (Stalin)
John Nkadimeng
Moses Kotane
Joe Molokeng
We honor their history, our common history.
We welcome COSATU home.
We respect the particularities, we respect all COSATU trade unions, we need the unity of all trade unions. Irrespective of ideological, racial, language and religious differences. All together we can be united.
Our unity is solid because it is based on principles, on common strategies, on common goals.
On the principles of the class struggle and of the class unity.
We are guided by the same humanitarian theory and the Marxist theory.
We are united by the common concern for the improvement of the workers’ life today.
We are united by our common position and goal for socialism.
This is unity based on principles.
Unity based on values.
This is the morality, the superiority of the class-oriented movement.
Yellow trade unionism has no morality. It supports the capitalists, it cooperates with the Bourgeoisie. The yellow trade union leaderships are the voice of the IMF, of the World Bank, of the European Union and NATO.
We are aware of the attacks that take place against COSATU. We know who have interest to divide your forces inside your country.
Those who slander COSATU, those who launch attacks against COSATU, do not care about the working class of South Africa. They are persons of the multinationals.
But their plans will fail. You are moving forward more strong and united. COSATU becomes stronger every day.
We congratulate you on your action.
Comrades,
We are extending to you our hand. Our arms and heart are open for you.
COSATU, SACP, WFTU, we have moral, ideological, political, trade union superiority.
United, we shall win!
Long live the 13th COSATU Congress!