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Bolivian Workers and Peasants Flood the Streets, Demand an End to U.S. backed Dictatorship

Bolivian national strike and nationwide road blockades were called for by the Bolivian trade union center, the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) in August.

by Adam Pedesclaux

For the past few weeks, tens of thousands have been marching, striking, and blocking traffic along many of the major highways across Bolivia. They are demanding the resignation of the coup government of Jeanine Áñez. Áñez’ fascist government has carried out cuts to social programs and privatizations, which have wrecked the national healthcare system, killing thousands. It has brutally repressed and massacred workers, peasants, and indigenous people who have stood up to defend themselves. Using the pandemic as an excuse, her government has postponed elections to maintain its grip on power.

On November 2019, with U.S. backing, Áñez’s right wing government of the rich removed the democratically elected president Evo Morales and other high ranking officials of the MAS (Movement for Socialism) party of Bolivia. The ultra-rich in Bolivia are deeply racist and want to crush the historic liberation of the Indigenous masses in Bolivia, which Morales’ party stood for. Morales’ party had also worked to guarantee universal healthcare, improve literacy, and return land to the indigenous people that had been stolen by the rich. Áñez government is attempting to reverse every last one of these progressive reforms but the trade unions, indigenous and peasant organizations in the streets are determined to fight back.

Fascist Coup in Bolivia the Work of Billionaires

Bolivia has one of the world’s largest reserves of lithium, a mineral needed for the production for batteries.

The U.S. company Tesla requires vast amounts of lithium to maintain production of its electric cars.

When it was recently reported that Tesla’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, might have played a role in supporting the right-wing coup in Bolivia, Musk replied: “ We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it.” These are the words of the same billionaire who called the covid lockdown “fascist,” as thousands of predominantly Black, Latinx, and Indigenous frontline workers were succumbing to the virus and who vocally opposed any government relief for workers. In moments like these, the real motives of the U.S. ruling class are revealed. We know that U.S. billionaires are conscious of their role in oppression and misery around the world, but rarely are they so frank.

The future of the world’ peoples should be in their own hands, not in the hands of billionaire creeps like Elon Musk.

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General Strike Shuts Down France

Millions of workers in France have been on strike to protest the anti-worker policies of the Macron government. Sign reads “Let’s Revolt!”

Workers Tell Capitalist Government, “Don’t Mess With Us!”

By Nath Clarke

Current French President Emmanuel Macron, who puts the interests of bankers and big business above the people, announced plans to gut Social Security, affecting millions of people across the country. The Yellow Vest movement and many unions have been struggling against his policies (cuts to public spending, increased taxes for the poor, and tax cuts for the super-rich) for over a year. Working French people are not done fighting back against cuts to Social Security, public hospitals, and aid for poor families.

After the government announced plans to reform retirements, several of the most powerful unions offered an ultimatum on December 15th: scrap this law or feel the rage of the people. Since December 3rd, the teachers’ union, the train workers’ union, the bus drivers’ union, the hospital workers’ union, the truckers’, the EMTs’, the airport workers’, the refinery workers’, the firefighters’—and even the lawyers’— unions have issued a call to strike.

The rage of the people is a force to be reckoned with: in Paris, public transportation has come to a halt; only every third train is running across the rest of France; entire refineries have been shut down as their workers walk out. Although the government and corporate media are claiming these unions are just lazy or that these reforms will not affect restaurant workers, cashiers, and other workers in the private sector, nobody is fooled.

Nico, a trucker from the Corbières in Southern France, said that although the strikes have made getting around difficult, he understands that these folks are fighting for everyone. Macron’s reforms will mean that Social Security is a fixed rate. In a country where inflation is constantly on the rise, this will affect all workers, particularly women and folks who earn inconsistent salaries throughout their career.

Edouard, a landscaper who has been going to Yellow Vest protests since last year, told the Workers Voice:

“The government is trying to change the entire system so that different careers get access to different monthly sums based on their supposed societal value. Meanwhile, senators and other politicians will keep their own separate social security system—which receives 1.4 billion euros of funding every year. Cops will also maintain a more beneficial retirement, as France has slowly devolved into a police state under a state of emergency; cops are maiming protesters every week in order to maintain order, while nurses, teachers, servers, and countless other workers are left to starve…This reform is just an attempt to make more money off a system that works perfectly fine… except that it doesn’t generate enough profits for the super rich.”

At the protest on Thursday the 17th, hundreds of thousands of working class folks chanted: “This is democracy,” “Less money for the bankers, more money for the people,” and “Macron, we won’t slow down ’til we stop this reform.” The French government is nothing without the working people whose labor produces all the wealth. It’s the people’s money, and when we unite and fight, we always win.

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150 Million Workers Strike in India

Kerala, India

On Jan. 8 and 9, between 150 and 200 million workers and peasants in India participated in a general strike that affected the entire country. Although ignored by Western corporate media outlets like CNN and FOX News, this was likely the biggest strike in world history. To put the sheer number of participants into perspective, this is equivalent to half the population of the United States participating in a strike.

In Mumbai alone, it is estimated that 12 million people participated. But the strike also affected many rural areas. Most sectors of the economy experienced slowdowns and even shutdowns. Farmers carried out road and rail blockades in support of the strike. The strike featured broad participation of women who have led many struggles against the current government of the reactionary Narendra Modi. Student and other non-union organizations also joined in on a mass scale.

The strike was organized by 10 different trade unions spanning many sectors of the economy including farmers, bank, factory, and transport workers. Prominent among these were the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), associated with the Communist Party of India. In the crowds of people, many could be seen carrying the flags of communist parties and affiliated workers’ organizations.

The 10 unions produced a 12-point charter of demands, summarizing many of the demands of the masses who are resisting the austerity policies of the Modi government. In the five years of Modi’s rule, the top 1% of the Indian population has increased its share of all household wealth by more than 20% while unemployment is at record heights and more than 90% of Indians make less than 10,000 rupees a year (US $143). The unions’ demands include a stop to “all pro-corporate, anti-worker amendments to Labour laws,” and the implementation of “a national common minimum wage of Rs.18,000/month for all workers.”