[ARGENTINA - GENERAL STRIKE] “A MANDATE TO FIGHT AGAINST CRISTINA’S AND KICILLOF’S RODRIGAZO”

TPR’s Press Release
Thursday, April 10th, 2014

April 10th: massive support to the general strike all around the country 

“A MANDATE TO FIGHT AGAINST CRISTINA’S AND KICILLOF’S RODRIGAZO”

Defeat of the government. Victory for fighters.

Asked about the conclusions of the general strike on April 10th, Juan Marino, leader of the Tendencia Piquetera Revolucionaria (TPR) stated: “Firstly we want to underline the massive support to the strike all around the country. National government and the kirchnerist bureaucracy of CGT-Caló and CTA-Yasky and the political apparatus of La Cámpora tried to stop the strike. Results are evident: they failed. They tried to twist workers’ arm and they couldn’t. This is a victory of the fighters who defeated the government that is implementing the adjustment".

Regarding the rol played by CGT-Moyano, CGT-Barrionuevo and CTA-Michel in the strike Marino was sharp: “pro-imperialist bureaucracy spent the journey attacking the left instead of the government. In their declarations they criticize the pickets and those who promote the transformation of the strike in an active protest. It’s a boycott of the national strike. It’s not by chance: it’s the same trade union bureaucracy that separated historical teachers strike of 17 days with the rest of the workers movement in order to allow Baradel [linked with Yasky bureaucracy, TN] to betray the teachers. One important thing that even the left gathered in the Sindical Combative Summit didn’t denounce is that the same bureaucracy that called the strike 'against the adjustment’ politically supports Massa, Macri and Binner, those who criticize Cristina’s adjustment in order to apply one faster and worse. Thus the bureaucracy now allows the government to take the political initiative instead of launching a struggle plan. On the contrary, the conclusion of the strike is that it was a mandate to fight against Cristina’s and Kicillof’s Rodrigazo. The left and the fighters have to launch a political alternative to the ‘anti-government’ bureaucracy and call immediately a struggle plan with strikes of 36 hours and pickets all around the country. If the government doesn’t stop with their attacks to workers, workers shouldn’t stop until they defeat the Rodrigazo”.

Also, the leader of the TPR pictures the impact of the general strike in each sector: “The national strike had a great national impact. There were about 50 pickets in 17 provinces. Left Front’s parties demonstrated in the pickets in Mendoza and Córdoba; in Jujuy, SEOM [civil servants trade union, TN] set many pickets and in that province and in Tucumán the CCC demonstrated; there were pickets of truck drivers in Santa Cruz and Misiones and also of gastronomic workers in Córdoba.

In Santa Cruz there was a demonstration claiming for the acquittal of Las Heras Oil Workers. In Córdoba, transport strike and pickets paralyzed even the car factories, while in Rosario 11 pickets paralyzed the city. In La Plata there were two pickets, on in the freeway to Buenos Aires. There were also pickets in front of the industrial parks of Zárate, Tortuguitas, Pilar, Almirante Brown and Garín. The core of the demonstrations were the pickets near Buenos Aires which stop the circulation towards the city: in the Pueyrredón Bridge, in Henry Ford and Panamericana freeway, in Ecotrans in front of Pirelli, in Castelar on the freeway, in front of Posadas Hospital and in Route 3 in Isidro Casanova. Against this massive political demonstration the government launch a strong repressive operative, hurting a comrade of Kromberg factory, Maximiliano, and arresting Jorge Medina, delegate of Donnelley factory. The national government is responsible for this”

About this, Marino told about the participation of the TPR and the Coordinating Committee in Defense of Left Front in the national strike: “The Coordinating Committee in Defense of Left Front was part of the struggle to make the strike active. In Buenos Aires, the TPR was in the pickets in Pueyrredón Bridge and in Panamericana freeway and Henry Ford. In the picket on the Bridge, with more than 20 organizations and 2000 comrades, we participated with an important delegation composed by piqueteros from Barrio Charrúa, residents of Lugano occupation, highschool students of Buenos Aires that are fighting against the NESC law and railway workers and bus drivers from line 60, which are promoting the struggle plan for their wages in their workplaces against the paralyzing policy of trade union bureaucracy. In the picket in Panamericana freeway and Henry Ford, the TPR participated with a delegation, which repudiated the repression of the government and took part in the demonstration that liberated Medina. In Córdoba, the TPR solidarized with the occupation of the Urgencies Municipal Hospital by SUOEM workers and with the assemblies in municipal hospitals and in the 107 (social defense service). In addition, to unite the left with the workers struggle in the province, participated in the demonstration called by the teachers opposition summit, which rejected the boycott to the strike by the leadership of UPEC. There, in the unitary rally spoke Alejandro Furman, leader of the TPR in the province”.

“A special remark deserves the prominent demonstration of the piqueteros in Chaco. There, a demonstration and rally was organized in front of Government House, with more than 2000 people. The Coordinating Committee in Defense of Left Front (integrated by Estatales en Lucha [Civil Servants in Struggle, TN], the MCC and the Movimiento 20 de Diciembre) was half of the demonstration, along with Partido Obrero, PRML, the MTD 17 de Julio, a part of ATE-Chaco including its Assistant Secretary, Radio Chaco en lucha and Barrios de Pie. The rally denounced Capitanich’s role as part of Cristina and Kicillof Rodrigazo, and stated a political delimitation of Moyano, Barrionuevo and Micheli. The demonstration was a result of a previous political struggle leaded by the Coordinating Committee which intervened in the Multisectorial posing the need of demonstrating independently of Micheli’s bureaucracy, achieving that some sectors of the Multisectorial demonstrate with the fighters, against the government and overcoming trade union bureaucracy. The Coordinating Committee, also, called the demonstration with a leaflet of the SUTNA San Fernando Summit declaration and called to imitate it organizing workers summits in Chaco and every provinces to promote the struggle plan” added the leader of the TPR.

Finally, Marino argued against declarations of the Cabinet Chief, Capitanich, and posed the political perspective towards May day: “In a clear provocations against the fighters, Capitanich said that ‘Barrionuevo is the new leader of the left’. We, the TPR, reply him: if Barrionuevo is the leader of the left, due to his attacks to the strike and the pickets Capitanich is the new leader of the right. Against this government that is implementing the adjustment and against all the factions of the trade union bureaucracy, the left and the working class vanguard have the oncoming task of gathering the fighters after the 10th and vote resolutions on the way to launch a struggle plan and the general strike against the Rodrigazo. This struggle has to lead to unitary rallies on May day in Plaza de Mayo square and in the political squares all around the country”.

Interview to Juan Marino in Télam in the picket of Pueyrredón Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7MyKagbXW0#t=79

Contact:

Juan Marino - +54 (911) 156 335 9278

TPR’s Press Secretary

TENDENCIA PIQUETERA REVOLUCIONARIA

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