Argentina is going through its worst ever economic crisis – and the working class is bearing the brunt of it. The economy has shrunk by a fifth, while inflation is running at 40 per cent. The real value of wages has slumped 70 per cent this year and 450,000 jobs have been lost.
This has left one in every five people unemployed, one in two living in poverty, and one in four destitute. In the poorest regions – like Tucuman – children are dying daily from starvation. And this in the world’s fourth largest food exporter!
The IMF precipitated this crisis last December when it halted a $22 billion loan package to the country, citing non-compliance with its conditions.
A few weeks later, the country defaulted on its debt and the government has been negotiating with the IMF since, trying to renew aid to the country. But the IMF has refused further loans unless the government agrees to savage cuts in social programmes, deregulate energy prices and ease the tax burden on the rich.
It has demanded – and got – the Congress to repeal laws that discriminated against foreign creditors and it wants the courts to stop interfering with the freeze on savers’ bank deposits.
Given the pressure on the government from below and the crisis within the ruling Peronist party it has been difficult for President Duhalde to get Congress and the provincial governors to agree to all these conditions. Last month the government refused the pay back money due on a World Bank loan in a bid to force the IMF to soften its stance.
Meanwhile, the situation for the masses gets worse. A renewed offensive of the working class and its allies is urgently needed to regain the political initiative. The tens of thousands of vanguard fighters in the occupied factories, piqueteros, popular assemblies and co-ordinadoras must become an army of agitators directing themselves to the task of getting the millions of industrial workers to strike. They must rally the whole of the working class around a fighting programme:
• No to a new agreement with the IMF. For a general strike to block Congress ratifying the any agreement. For demonstrations and mass blockades of roads and occupation of town halls in protest. Return all the savings to the people at original value plus interest. Nationalise the banks under workers’ control. Repudiate the debt!
• Strengthen and spread the occupations of the factories. Occupy all firms declaring redundancies or closure. Nationalise them under workers’ control. Share available work among the workforce!
• Work for the unemployed not handouts. For a programme of socially useful public works on a living wage. For the immediate restoration of the 25 per cent cut in real wages, and future increases indexed to inflation as judged by committees of workers and housewives/husbands!
• For action councils in all towns and cities uniting the workers, the unemployed and smaller savers. For a revolutionary constituent assembly to fulfil the popular demand – “get rid of them all”!
Of course, ruthless action against the banks and employers will bring down the wrath of the IMF and capital markets. An investment and loan strike by the international financiers will try to strangle and starve the country and bring the people to heel.
In the face of this only a workers’ government can deal with the crisis, one based on workers’ councils of elected and recallable deputies based in the enterprises, offices and barrios. This government will need to arm itself to protect itself from the death squads and provocateurs, and army coup plotters.
The revolutionary workers’ government will confiscate the assets and wealth of the big corporations and financial conglomerates. It will immediately prevent the movement abroad of capital and wealth and establish an emergency action plan for putting the country back to work, oversee food distribution and the provision of basic education and health needs.
Our key slogans in the coming period should be:
• Down with the Duhalde government of hunger and repression, lackey of the IMF!
• For a united campaign of action between the employed and unemployed workers – between the unions, the piqueteros organisations and the occupied factories and workplaces. For workers’ control of hiring, firing and workplace conditions and a plan to provide work for all!
• For councils of action made up of employed and unemployed workers’ delegates, delegates of the popular barrios and the popular assemblies!
• For an all-out indefinite general strike from 20 December to tear up all agreements with the IMF and sweep away the entire corrupt ruling class!
• For elections to a sovereign, revolutionary constituent assembly- not for the presidency or Congress!
• For an independent mass workers’ party won to a programme of social revolution!
• For a national assembly of occupied workers, piqueteros and popular assemblies!
• For workers’ power in Argentina. For a workers’ government based on workers’ councils and a workers’ and popular militia!
• Spread the revolution throughout the continent and throughout the world!
• Build a new revolutionary workers’ international!