There are currently more than 5,000,000 people on the dole in Spain. Unemployment rates continue rising despite the Government’s attempts to hide it. Spain is the European country with the highest unemployment rate. Exploitation, especially of impoverished immigrants, who make our economy richer, is on the rise as well. It is the first time in history that young people have worse working conditions than their parents.
There are more than 1,600 million unemployed people in the world and 60% of workers worldwide are exploited in the black economy. This situation condemns ¾ of humanity to starvation. In the 21st century, slavery is growing, there being more than 400 million child slaves.
Unemployment kills. Many abortions, nervous breakdowns, suicides, industrial accidents, domestic violence, starvation and destitution are caused by unemployment and exploitation.
UNEMPLOYMENT IS A POLITICAL AND TRADE UNION CRIME
The world economic system has a wicked organisation and seeks to obtain maximum benefit, by using people and their work as goods.
Unemployment is artificially created. It is business. It is created against workers, especially the weakest ones, in order to be able to exploit them with impunity.
Unemployment is a tool for social control, it humiliates workers by forcing them to endure exploitation in order to be able to get or maintain a job, it attacks people’s dignity and their solidarity vocation, as well as being an assault against family and human life.
Unemployment divides workers, confronting permanent with temporary ones, setting the employed against the unemployed, Spanish against immigrants…
In view of this gross injustice, WE CONDEMN:
- the international banking and financial systems, which speculate and, in doing so, cause millions of people’s deaths.
- multinational companies, which are based on the principle of maximum benefit and, in doing so, generate exploitation and slavery.
- international organisms, especially ILO, as political accomplices of the present situation of injustice.
- governments, especially PSOE government, which has favoured legislation against workers (Temporary Employment Agencies, junk contracts, subcontracts…) and has put the people’s money at the service of financial institutions, taking sides with the oppressors against the oppressed. PSOE government, with every parliamentary party’s support, has given the banking system 236,000 million Euros, and grants and subsidies have been offered to clean up their image and prevent a solidarity response from workers and the unemployed.
- Trade Unions, for having betrayed workers, especially the weakest ones. In 2008, Trade Unions received 17 million Euros from the Government, just from the State General Budget. For this reason they defend the Government.
- the satisfied, many of ourselves, the enriched society citizens who, with our consumerism and indifference, are responsible for the exploitation and plundering of the impoverished.
FOR LABOUR DIGNITY: LABOUR OVER CAPITAL
Work is a right as well as a duty. Work is solidarity. It is the expression of human capacity which allows Man to achieve further integral and collective promotion. When a person is denied work, this person is deprived of active participation and society of their contribution.
Defence of the dignity of human life, from conception to natural death, calls for a fight against unemployment, destitution and plundering. Throughout its history, the workers’ movement fought for freedom and decent working conditions, and therefore conquered the eight-hour working day. This solidarity is still essential.
Labour, the only way to generate wealth, must always be over capital, because capital is nothing but accumulated labour, the fruits of generations of workers’ effort.
UNEMPLOYMENT CAN BE SOLVED
Let’s unify our struggle against the causes of Starvation, Child Slavery and Un-employment, which have the same origin: the economic Imperialism which dominates the world. Full employment, workers’ prominence, a fair salary and decent work are possible and necessary. Unemployment can be solved but it is not eradicated because there is no political will to do so.
WE DEMAND:
- the rooting out of commercial and financial schemes that rob impoverished countries, and restitution of what has been stolen.
- eradication of Child Slavery worldwide.
- work and wealth redistribution, which is worldwide possible thanks to technological advances.
- binding international labour legislation that guarantees decent work and that repeals laws against solidarity with the immigrants.
- eradication of the black economy, exploitation through sub-contracting, overtime work, abusive working hours, junk contracts and piecework. Public knowledge of the exploited workers’ contribution to the economy.
- transformation of means of production and profitability that are against Man (armaments, financial speculation…) into others beneficial to the common good.
- elimination of subventions to trade Unions and their self-financing. Restitution of the money supplied to banks and Trade Unions, and its total allocation to the fight against unemployment and labour exploitation.
- the President of Spain, Mr. Rodriguez Zapatero’s resignation.
- that, displaying a sense of shame, every public official-elect cut their wages down to minimum wage to show solidarity with the millions of unemployed.
Unemployment can be solved by promoting a self-managing culture and society of solidarity engaged in a political fight for decent work for workers worldwide.