Dear comrades,
European capitalism finds itself in a challenging scenario of economic slowdown. Despite massive injections of public money during the pandemic, which represented a clear case of wealth transfer from labor to private hands, the difficulties of accumulation are once again becoming evident. It is from an understanding of this scenario that communists must prepare for the threats looming over the lives of workers on our continent: imperialist war and increase exploitation.
Both threats must be understood together, as war will undoubtedly have consequences on the direct and indirect wages of workers. In addition to the direct consequences regarding the risk of a generalization of war confrontation. Regarding the devaluation of labor force, European monopolies, through their political managers, seek to improve yield in the face of declining competitiveness against powers like the US or China. The digital transition and the “flexicurity” strategy contribute to this line. The goal is clear: fewer workers to exploit more.
In the particular case of our country, capital’s spokespeople have been complaining for decades about the <<stiffness>> of the Spanish labor market, meaning the obstacle to their accumulation needs represented by the conquests of the labor movement. Since the capitalist crisis of 2008, governmental efforts, through various labor reforms, have focused on this line. The lowering of dismissal costs and the promotion of temporality were the clearest measures in this regard. The labor reform of the current social-democratic government did not depart from this line, but dressed it up as promoting labor “stability.” In addition to not modifying the dismissal cost, the focus of this recent labor reform was on a new type of contract: the discontinuous permanent contract. Through this contract, the mobility of new employment is consecrated, as workers are considered “permanent” even though they only work during specific cycles for their employer, and unemployment figures are statistically disguised. The flexicurity model allows capitalists to use labor perfectly tailored to each situation.
In addition, real wages of workers have lost 12.8% of purchasing power since the 2008 crisis. Wage increases have been below the accumulated inflation over the past 14 years. In their investiture agreement, however, the PSOE (socialist party) and SUMAR agreed to link future wage increases to productivity growth, unlinking them from the inflation rates. This change further subordinates the conditions of workers to the accumulation needs of employers. This is without mentioning the amount of informality and labor fraud existing: in the last decade, 48% of the overtime worked by Spanish workers was not paid.
This scenario means that there are increasingly more workers, particularly among the youth, who do not have assurances, not even to reproduce their labor power, facing difficulties in accessing basic products and services. For example, one in five under 30 in Spain is in poverty or at risk of exclusion despite having a job
Therefore, it becomes obvious that the increase in the rate exploitation, through different ways, is a constant in the social democratic policy. However, the leadership of the main trade unions in Spain actively collaborates in the implementation and achievement of such policy, hindering any possibility of a certain generalisation of union struggle. The corporatization of the unions is reaching new heights throug the participation of the new social democratic government, particularly through its control of the Ministry of Labour.
Facing this, the communists strengthen our intervention in the workplaces through the deepening and application of the “workers’ shift” strategy. This strategy of our party aims to retrieve the positions lost in the workers’ movement and trade unions due to the Eurocommunist reformist approach. The priority intervention in the productive sphere, using all available platforms and means to access the broad mass of wage workers, is a key factor to allow the forces of the workers’ movement to be progressively recomposing of workers movement and directing towards class combativity and the revolutionary horizon.
This priority orientation has its organizational coverage in the recovery of grassroots organizations in productive centers, and also in the definition of specific strategies towards the different strategic economic sectors. The organization in the productive sphere guarantees the proletarian hegemony of party action and is a key element in the “bolshevization” process of the communist parties. This process is already yielding us the first results in sectors such as transportation or education.
Many of the elements highlighted here are transversal to all workers in Europe. Therefore, we would like to conclude this contribution by proposing to the rest of the parties that are members of the European Communist Action the launch of a joint campaign in the context of European elections with the slogan: “Workers of Europe, rise up!“. This campaign should call for the organization and struggle of the working class against the crisis and war scenario that is coming close.
Thank you very much, comrades