Comrade Vladimir Tupaz , Member of WFTU Presidential Council from TUPAS, Philippines participated to the 6th National Congress of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) held on November 26-27, 2011 in Calamba City, Philippines.
Here is the greeting message delivered by Vladimir Tupaz on behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU):
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions we greet your Congress and wish every success to its works.
We are certain that the workers in Philippines are expecting with much interest the Congress of BMP.
We are confident that you would be able to carry forward your struggle towards achieving peace, progress, social development, employment generation, social security and you would be able to fully participate in the struggle of the international working class against capitalist exploitation, imperialism, unjust wars and aggressions.
We live in a world dominated by the capitalist globalization. This situation creates big unemployment rates and serious poverty for the workers in the World. The policies both of the neoliberal and social-democrat governments hit the social security, privatize strategic branches, increase the uncertain labor, restrict the rights of youth and women, hit the democratic and trade union freedoms and annul the labor legislation.
There is no solution for the problems of the workers outside the class struggle. The struggle, the unity, the determination of the working class with goals that meet the modern needs of the people, will rally masses of workers in the movement.
It can also be a school for the workers, generally the new workers, for the worth, the
ideals of the class struggle, the worth of collectiveness and the dynamics of empowerment and organization. As it has been historically proved the class struggle can have significant results in the improvement of the position of the working class. There is no right that wasn’t a goal of struggle and as a result of painful and bloody movement, sometimes supported by the popular labor movement. From the achievement of 8 hours of work, with the big wave of strikes and demonstrations that swept the United States to the right to form trade union organization in the factory, the sector, in national and world level, the Sunday holiday, the defense and increase of the salary, the collective bargaining and contracts, adjustment of wages to the price index, the right to work against unemployment, the social security, the conditions of health and safety in the work places, the right to leave and recreation, the right of women to work and equality with men, the prohibition of child labor, trade union rights and democratic freedoms. The class struggles are also those that set obstacles in the imperialistic wars, that create difficulties in the operation of the imperialistic machine.
In front of the new conditions and the international correlations we believe that the international coordination and the working solidarity between trade unions in all world is absolutely necessary.
The unity, the solidarity and the internationalism were and still are the basic tools of the militant trade union movement against capital.
We cordially wish every success in the accomplishment of the works of this important Congress.
“Re-invigorate the strength of the workers’ movement, Onward with the struggle of the working class”.
Long live workers in Philippines!
Long live international solidarity!
