/r/workerscouncil
A subreddit dedicated to the International Communist Left
Not officially associated with any organization. Members of any proletarian organizations (as well as non-members) are all welcomed and encouraged to participate.
Workers Council is a home to Ultra-left Marxists critical of Bolshevism and Revisionism. Our focus is on the Marxism of the German-Dutch left or better known as "council communism". We are interested in anything that influenced or has been influenced by council communists.
We welcome all content that would be found interesting by council communists and hope to see Marxist analyses of world events and theoretical pieces. We still promote criticism and schisms between Marxists to better ourselves. We do not condone any opportunism, apologia, bigotry, or anti-communism.
Anything about broader left communism should go to /r/left_communism
Anything about broader communism should go to /r/communists
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/r/workerscouncil
Tuesday 9 April, 8pm Central European Time (+1 GMT) Google Meet platform:
for the link write to icparty@interncommparty.org
The imperialist clash final act of the crisis of Capital
Communists historically condemn and oppose all wars between imperialisms, which represent the highest point of the degeneration of the capitalist world.
In imperialism, wars between bourgeois states see only one, single loser, the international proletariat.
Communists do not call the workers to stand for the victory of one or the other imperialist front, both reactionary and anti-proletarian.
They have always waited and worked for the war of the working class for communism.
For all the bourgeois parties and false communists, however, it is irresistible to submit to either side, no one manages to rise above the huge fray.
Only those who place themselves completely on the side of the proletarians - who have no homeland and no flag because all homelands and all national flags are against them - are allowed to be against each side in the war.
The solution to the ongoing imperialist wars is: against the Ukrainian and against the Russian bourgeoisie; against the Israeli and against the Palestinian bourgeoisie. Which on a practical level means being, in each country, against its own bourgeoisie.
The deadly machine of war is not stopped by appealing for peace, but by the proletariat's struggle against its own ruling class. This means rejecting the 'defence of the fatherland', spreading the strikes from the cities to the army, uniting civil and uniformed proletarians in the struggle, turning the gun: not against the proletarians of the other country but against their own bourgeois regime. As in Russia in the Red October of 1917: not against the German proletarians but against the bourgeois government of St. Petersburg and the Tsar.
However, the immediate impact of the Russian gas cut-off and the disruption of food supplies imposed a cost estimated last year by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) at between EUR 100 and 160 billion, or around EUR 2,000 per inhabitant.
Even in the face of an occupying army, the struggle to be waged is a class struggle, strikes in defence of wages and living conditions, all the way to social revolt, appealing to the civilian and uniformed proletarians of the occupying army, forced to perform police functions, to revolt against their bourgeois regime and to solidarise with the proletarian revolt of the occupied country. This can only be done by rejecting the calls of the bourgeois parties to fight to 'drive out the invader' and their typical infamous terrorist methods, which sow death among the proletarians of the occupying country, both civilian and uniformed.
For the union of Russian and Ukrainian proletarians - For the union of Israeli and Palestinian proletarians - Against their own national bourgeoisies - For the proletarian defeatism of the imperialist war
International Communist Party
Newspaper of the International Communist Party
https://www.international-communist-party.org/English/TheCPart/TCP_056.htm
Ever wondered how workers can organize and win despite restrictive laws designed to hold us back? Come hear from rank and file education workers who are doing just that by striking in a state where it is still illegal.
Join the Class Struggle Action Network (CSAN) Thursday, February 8th @ 6:30pm PST to hear from education workers in the Educators for a Democratic Union (a rank and file union reform caucus in NEA) invovled in the ongoing and illegal Massachusetts teachers strike.
If you would like to join the meeting, send an email to: class-struggle-action@proton.me or fill out the Join the Network form (https://class-struggle-action.net/?page_id=1893) and someone will follow up with you.
We will also hear updates about recent organizing going on in the network and have space for people to speak on worker organizing they're apart of. Then break into groups to discuss cross-sector solidarity mobilization, organizing outside the Portland area, and workplace issues/unionization effort support. The CSAN Monthly General Meetings are regular online gatherings where we hear from rank and file leaders in the labor movement and discuss how we can work together to build unions that fight for the working class.
For more information about the ongoing Massachussetts teachers strike check out the laters Labor Notes article on the matter https://labornotes.org/2024/01/massachusetts-teachers-illegal-strike-wave-rolls
Since our last report on the matter, 450 worker, of the newly formed combative Birtek-Sen union, at the Özak Tekstil factory which produces Levi’s jeans, have continued their strike despite layoffs by the company and government repression. The union is now calling for international solidarity this Friday on social media and for workers to gather to demonstrate in front of Levi’s stores world wide on Saturday. (Read and share the full article HERE)
We are asking comrades to join in on Saturday, December 23rd to distribute leaflets at Levi's stores in solidarity. Stores can be located at https://locations.levi.com/en-us/
Our leaflet is available as a pdf download here: https://class-struggle-action.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/LeviLeaflet.pdf
According to an email we received from Mehmet Türkmen, President of the Birteksen union,
Our peaceful protests and demands for basic labor rights have been met with excessive force by local authorities, including the use of tear gas and physical violence. Legal actions initiated against us by Özak Textile have further impeded our fight for justice.
“Levi’s: An Iconic Brand’s Iconic Failure” – this phrase encapsulates the dire situation at Özak Textile, a stark portrayal of Levi’s failure to honor its ethical commitments. Despite its reputation for social responsibility, Levi’s has overlooked the plight of these integral workers in its supply chain, allowing coercion, discrimination, excessive working hours, unsafe conditions, and suppression of union rights.
We demand from Levi’s and Özak:
Immediate reinstatement of all dismissed workers who wish to return.
Fair compensation for the periods workers were unable to work.
Establishment of a non-retaliation protocol to ensure returning workers face no discrimination or mobbing.
Improvement of working conditions through a protocol includes grievance mechanisms for reporting and resolving workplace issues.Should our demands continue to be ignored, we are compelled to escalate our efforts. Thus, we call for global action against Levi’s. Join us on social media this Friday evening (21.00 pm at Turkey) to express our collective discontent, and on Saturday, gather in peaceful protest in front of Levi’s stores worldwide.
This campaign is a stand for human rights and labor dignity everywhere. Your support is critical in our struggle for justice.
Newspaper of the International Communist Party
1. - Gaza War: All parties of the Israeli and Palestinian bourgeoisie direct their proletarians to the slaughter of a war
2. - Half A Million on Strike in Canada - Class Unions Needed
3. - Turkey: Prominent Labor Struggles in October
4. - Azerbaijani Offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
5. - The Historical Causes of Arab Separatism
6. - General Strike Against Labor Reform in Greece
7. - Portland Teachers Strike - It is time for OEA to take up a State wide strike strategy - Teachers need a general strike - On the School, the State and Capital
8. - The Tumultuous Progress of Indian Capitalism Between Bitter Social Tensions and Aspirations of Global Power
9. - A Self-Made Labor Shortage Pushes Bourgeois Society to Abandon its Moral Edifice
10. - Against War Between Bourgeois States! a Public Meeting in Genoa
11. - Life of the Party - 2023
– CL Publishers - PO Box 14344 - Portland, OR 97293 - clpublishers.com
- email icparty@interncommparty.org to arrange meeting or let us know you will be attending.
- Charlotte, NC: Mecklenburg Library South County, 5801 Rea Road: Dec. 2nd, 3pm
- Chicago, IL: Bourgeois Pig Cafe, 738 W Fullerton Ave: Dec. 2nd, 2pm
- Denver, CO: Copper Door Cafe, 2890 Fairfax St: SKIP
- Milwaukee, WI - Daily bird coffee shop, 818 E Center St: Dec 23rd 1pm
- Minneapolis - Isles Room, Walker Library, 2880 Hennepin Ave, Dec. 2nd, 1–3 pm
- New Brunswick, NJ - Barnes and Noble, 100 Somerset St 12: Dec. 2nd, noon
- Portland, OR: Honey Latte Cafe, 1033 SE Main St: Dec. 2nd, 11am
- Seattle: Cafe Allegro, 4214 University Way NE, Sunday, Dec 16th, Noon
- Meetings can be arranged in: Albuquerque, NM; Akron/Cleveland, OH; Bethlehem, PA; New York; Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA, Ventura.
Portland Association of Teachers Strike Is Against Capitalism!
It’s time for OEA to Take up a State Wide Strike Strategy!
TEACHERS NEED A GENERAL STRIKE!
On Wednesday November 1st, 3,700 teachers with the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) walked out on strike, closing 81 Portland Public Schools (PPS) serving 45,000 students. The historic strike was the first in the unions history. Teachers are fighting for wages that keep up with inflation, adequate planning and prep time, class caps to manage overcrowding and safe working conditions that address poorly weatherized buildings, rat and mold infestations. Throughout the strike, school administration and local politicians have engaged in a blame game, pointing fingers at each other for alleged budget shortfalls, while collaborating in their refusal to appropriate funding necessary to meet the teachers demands.
https://www.international-communist-party.org/English/TheCPart/TCP_055.htm#PatStrike
Hundreds of trade union members have blockaded a factory which manufactures weapons in protest over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Come have a coffee, chat, ask questions.
- email icparty@interncommparty.org to arrange meeting or let us know you will be attending.
- Meetings can be arranged in: Albuquerque, NM; Akron/Cleveland, OH; Bethlehem, PA; New York; Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA, Ventura.
– CL Publishers - PO Box 14344 - Portland, OR 97293 - clpublishers.com
İçindekiler
- Gazze’de Savaş: İsrail ve Filistin burjuvazisinin tüm partileri, proleterlerini, kârlarını savunmak ve çürümüş sermaye
- Azerbaycan’ın Dağlık Karabağ Taarruzu
- Demokratik Sosyalizm
- Brezilya Hükümeti İşçi Sınıfının Dostu Değil
- Türkiye’de Ekim Ayı İşçi Mücadeleleri
- UAW İşçileri Sınıf Sendikacılığını Savunuyor
- Yunanistan’da Genel Grev
- Çin Komünist Partisi’nin Kökenleri
- Siyonizm ve Anti Siyonizm
- Arap Ayrılıkçılığının Tarihsel Nedenleri
Al fianco e per l’unità dei proletari palestinesi e d’Israele!
CONTRO LA GUERRA FRA STATI BORGHESI
La guerra a Gaza, come quella in Ucraina, da entrambi i lati è condotta per interessi delle borghesie locali e delle potenze capitaliste regionali e mondiali che le spalleggiano. La masse lavoratrici sono carne da cannone, spinte a combattere a colpi di massacri della popolazione civile.
I conflitti in Ucraina, nel Nagorno-Karabakh, a Gaza non sono scollegati ma manifestazione della marcia verso una nuova guerra mondiale del capitalismo, spinto verso di essa dalla crisi economica mondiale di sovrapproduzione che minaccia i profitti di tutte le borghesie.
Le lotte di liberazione nazionale – in un mondo approdato ovunque e da decenni alla tappa dello sviluppo storico del capitalismo – non hanno più alcun contenuto sociale progressivo e altro non possono essere che strumenti della guerra fra imperialismi. Anche la lotta di liberazione palestinese non ha più alcuna possibilità di soluzione nel quadro attuale di crescente scontro interimperialistico, ma viene usata demagogicamente per asservire il proletariato mediorientale e inquadrarlo in uno dei fronti di guerra.
In tutti i paesi arabi e mediorientali la rivolta delle masse proletarie da decenni è deviata dalle borghesie nazionali contro il binomio USA-Israele. Ogni borghesia ha sempre bisogno del nemico esterno per impedire che la classe lavoratrice capisca che “il nemico è in casa nostra”, che è la borghesia, i suoi partiti, il suo regime.
La terza guerra mondiale potrà essere fermata solo dalla rivoluzione della classe lavoratrice unita al di sopra dei confini nazionali. Per la borghesia portare i proletari al massacro fratricida è una questione di vita o di morte di fronte alla montante crisi economica del capitalismo: se non scatta la guerra non si ferma la rivoluzione.
I partiti operai opportunisti, residui del falso comunismo staliniano, del suo antiamericanismo funzionale agli interessi dell’imperialismo russo o cinese, continuano oggi a sostenere la lotta per il miraggio di uno Stato palestinese, senza comprendere come sottometta i lavoratori all’influenza della propaganda di guerra degli imperialismi rivali. Questi partiti da decenni non contano più nulla per i proletari ma sono invece ancora utili alla borghesia per continuare a screditare il comunismo di fronte alla classe operaia, dopo l’infamia del falso comunismo in URSS e in Cina!
L’oppressione capitalistica sulla classe salariata d’Israele e la doppia oppressione capitalistica e nazionale sul proletariato palestinese avranno fine solo con la rivoluzione proletaria contro le borghesie israeliana e palestinese, con uno Stato unico espressione della dittatura rivoluzionaria della classe lavoratrice.
A questo scopo è necessario il rafforzamento del Partito Comunista Internazionale, la sua conquista nei principali paesi della direzione del movimento di lotta dei lavoratori contro lo sfruttamento capitalista, in difesa delle loro condizioni di vita e di lavoro.
SABATO 28 OTTOBRE ORE 16
in Salita degli Angeli 9 R (Dinegro)
The question of property, which is always at the heart of party propaganda, is a subject easily understood by proletarians approaching the party, and whose abolition will be a central objective of the dictatorship of the proletariat following the seizure of power. Nevertheless resents itself in less simple forms than one might commonly imagine; forms that are some‑times compound, which will have multiple consequences both in the course of the struggle for the conquest of power, and in the path that will follow to realize the communist society.
The text we present here, published over a period immediately after the end of the Second World Massacre, is an initial contribution to the re‑establishment of the correct cornerstones of Marxism, at a time when the major Stalinist parties were bending the true revolutionary doctrine to the demands of reconstruction, of the subjugation of the class to the interests of the bourgeoisie, of the directing of the generous energies of the proletariat towards the acceptance of the democratic/republican society, presented as a historic achievement of resistantial anti‑fascism.
This deliberate theoretical illumination, fortified by the bedrock of Marxist science, has not only equipped us to delve profoundly into the intricate property question, dissecting it comprehensively in all its multifaceted forms and definitions, but has also empowered us to ruthlessly dismantle the bourgeois and reformist misconceptions surrounding property that have long obstructed the revolutionary path.
Within the pages of this text, we grapple with pivotal matters, most notably debunking the fallacious labeling of State capitalism as Communism and delving into the true nature of nationalization. Yet, our exploration extends beyond the confines of present‑day concerns: it ventures into the realm of to‑morrow's challenges, concretely outlining the contours of a future society, the formation of a communist order.
https://www.international-communist-party.org/English/Texts/ProprCapital.htm
On October 9th Pharmacists with the American Pharmacists Association (APA) union began a three day walk out in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Massachusetts in protest of increasingly unsafe working conditions. While hundreds of Walgreens pharmacies have been shutdown, other Walgreens workers remain on the job, suffering from the same increasingly unsafe and exploitative working conditions maintained by the capitalist class.
In response, class unionist workers at a Walgreens location at 5420 NE 33rd Ave in Portland Oregon, led their coworkers in a spontaneous solidarity walkout with the workers of the APA, which resulted in the stores ultimate closure. According to the report back submitted to the CSAN Organizing Collective, from one worker involved,
“I started my day as usual and went to my shift at Walgreens to learn that the pharmacy department had walk out and was closed. When I had learned that many Walgreens locations that pharmacies had walked out, I told my coworkers that if we stayed we basically had crossed picket lines – we had already had to deal with the masses of unhappy customers that where get threatening with us. I explained that we will only continue to get harassed and that it would invalidate their walk out if we did not join them. I am proud to announce that the Walgreen on 33rd Ave in Portland Oregon today is closed in solidarity with the pharmacy department.”
1. - UAW Workers Stand-in for Class Unionism! [pdf]
- Vote No by Striking at UPS - No Workers Left Behind
2. - Democratic Socialism: False Friend of the Working Class
3. - Europe’s Decrepit Stalinist Parties Fail to Surprise on Ukraine
4. - Leaflet - For the Class Union: August 16th Public Sector Strike in Turkey
5. - In Brazil, as in Every Country, a Friendlier Government is still not a Friend of the Working Class
6. - Crucial Questions of Class Trade-Unionism Discussed at a Meeting of the CLA
7. - Firm Points of Trade Union Action
8. - Life of the Party
– Que fue en realidad el Frente Popular (V) (Le Prolétaire, números 13-14-16, 1964; números 18-19-20, 1965).
– Lenin centralista orgánico - Centralismo orgánico en Lenin, en la Izquierda y en la vida real del Partido (V): 41. “Centralismo democrático” - 42. El centralismo en la izquierda - 43. Cómo se estructura el partido según Lenin - 44. Trabajo unánime contra las escisiones - 45. ¿Cómo garantizar la disciplina? - 46. Cómo distribuir las tareas - 47. Impersonalidad y anonimato - 48. La falsa solución de las expulsiones - 49. Partido y fracciones - 50. Anticipación de la sociedad futura.
– Tiroteos en USA, una patologia social y un negocio “Redondo”
– Por el sindicato de clase:
- Venezuela: Luchar por mejores salarios es un delito que se paga con cárcel.
- Venezuela: Trabajadores jubilados de petroleo y petroquimica luchan por fondo de pensiones.
- Huelga de trabajadores de fabricantes de automoviles en EEUU.
- El proletariado no tiene patria.
Portland meeting: 31 in attendance for International Communist Party meeting on Marxism and the Communist Left.
Recording: https://clpublishers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ICP-PDX-2023-09-09-presentation.mp3
Informal Meetings of the International Communist Party
September 2023
email icparty@interncommparty.org to arrange meeting or let us know you will be attending:
Charlotte, NC. Sept 2nd, Mecklenburg Library South County: 5801 Rea Road: 3 pm
Chicago, IL - Sept 2nd, Bourgeois Pig Cafe, 738 W Fullerton Ave: 2pm
Denver, CO - Sept 2nd, at Copper Door Cafe, 2890 Fairfax St: 11 am.
New Brunswick, NJ - Sept 2nd, Barnes and Noble, 100 Somerset St 12 noon
Portland, OR – Sept 2nd, at Honey Latte Cafe, 1033 SE Main St: 11 am
Yakima, WA – Sept 1st at Northtown Coffeehouse, 32 N Front St: 6 pm
Starting October - meetings in Boston, Minneapolis and Milwaukee
Meetings can be arranged in: Albuquerque, Akron/Cleveland, Bethlehem, New York, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Raleigh, Ventura.
COMMUNIST LEFT semi-annual magazine of the international communist party
– The Continuing Massacre of Russian and Ukrainian Proletarians for the Greatest Profits of the Capitalists: Prefiguring a New Global Imperialist Confrontation – Not a War Between Russia and Ukraine – Who’s Leading the Game – Imperialist on Both Fronts – Against the European Bourgeoisies – Toward Rearmament – Capitalists in Cahoots – The Labour Movement in the United States of America: Part 17. The “Progressive Era” – Part 18. War: For capital, a panacea for all ills – The Economic and Social Structure of Russia Today – Part one (cont.), Struggle for Power in the Two Revolutions: 34. Monosyllabic Proof: Da - 35. April’s Benchmarks - 36. Repel Defencism! - 37. Defeatism Continues - 38. Transition: Between Which Two Stages? - 39. The Provisional Government to the Pillory! - 40. Party and Soviet - 41. Impeccable Tactics - 42. Down with Parliamentarism! - 43. Police, Army, Bureaucracy - 44. Frail Human Nature? – 45. The Clearly Bourgeois Social Measures – 46. Other False Dispersals – 47. Towards the April Conference – 48. Disagreement at the Conference – 49. The Question of Power Again – 50. The New Form of Power – 51. The Clear Alternative – 52. One Foot then the Other – 53. Further Steps Taken by the Two Feet – 54. Wrong Moves by the First Foot – 55. The Difficult post-April Maneuver – 56. The Russian National Question – 57. Two Conflicting Positions – 58. Lenin’s Confutation of the “Lefts” – 59. The Central Question: The State – 60. The Usual Historical Kitchen – 61. Lenin and the Question of Nationalities – 62. The Conference Resolution – 63. Despotism and Imperialism – 64. Separation of States – 65. Against “Cultural” Autonomy – 66. Nations and Proletarian Organizations – 67. Nationality and the Wes – 68. Revolution with Europe Summaries of three past Party General Meetings:
– Our Consistent Internationalist Work in the Party General Meeting Video conference meeting, 27-29 May 2022 [RG 143]
– Converging in the International Party Meeting is the Work of all our Goups Video conference meeting, 23-25 September 2022 [RG 144]
– Full Homogeneity of Purpose and Program at the Party General Meeting Video conference meeting, 27-29 January 2023 [RG 145]
Report abstracts:
Theoretical topics: Marxist Theory of Knowledge, Bourgeois ideology – Marxist Crisis Theory, The forces of production rebel against capitalism, Theories of surplus-value (David Ricardo, Adam Smith)
Historical topics: History of the Profintern, the Second Congress and beyond - Course of the global economy - Origins of the Communist Party of China - The Hungarian Revolution, conclusions - Military Question: The Russian revolution
Current events: Reports of the Venezuelan–Latin-American Section – The Party’s Trade Union Activity in ItalyFrom the Archive of the Left:
– Party and Class (1921)
– Party and Class Action (1921)
– Rome Theses on Tactics - Communist Party of Italy (1922)
– Revolutionary Party and Economic Action (1951)
We will spend part of the meeting discussing the 6page zine Class Struggle Committees, available for download atbit.ly/CSAN-zine (or scan QR code). See you on the 24th!
email icparty@interncommparty.org to arrange meeting or let us know you will be attending.
Meetings can be arranged in: Albuquerque, Akron/Cleveland, Bethlehem, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Raleigh, Ventura.
https://www.international-communist-party.org/English/TheCPart/TCP_053.htm#UPS
“The International Communist Party salutes UPS workers across the United States who have made the decision to strike! UPS workers are joining the growing ranks of workers all over the world, who are hitting picket lines, as they refuse to tolerate stagnant wages in the face of escalating inflation.
UPS workers have taken to a combative form of unionism centered around the power of the strike & are refusing sell out contracts. A refreshing step towards the return of a class unionist movement. A workers movement recognizing the absolute antagonism between the interests of the owning class and the working class.
The strike of 340,000 workers will be the largest in the U.S. in decades. This is an important step towards what workers need to adequately defend their unique class interests.
As the current economic crisis intensifies, workers must unite across industries and sectors to develop a class union movement free from the influence of either capitalist political party…”