Iran Workers' Message of Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers

Translation of a message of solidarity with the workers in Wisconsin, from Iranian workers; more specifically, from the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers' Organizations. Many thanks to Revolutionary Fesenjan for sending the original our way.

Message of Solidarity with American Workers

American Workers,
We have heard the sounds of your protests against the brazen attack on your rights, imposed on you by the capitalist system. Wisconsin Governor's plan is only one of the latest attacks that, along with all the other attacks, have been conducted against you, our fellow class sisters and brothers. Based on what we have heard about this plan, the workers' share of contribution to the pensions has been raised by 5.8%, to the healthcare services by 12.6%, and the wages are to be cut by 8%, and their work-hours will be increased. [Also,] the legal responsibilities of workers' representatives in bargaining with the employers will be reduced, and special privileges will be granted to the employers for firing/laying off workers and ...

We remember how capitalism in the U.S. has always tried to resolve its crises by putting more pressure on you the workers. The state that protects capital (whether during Republican or Democrat administrations), in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis, in order to prevent the bankruptcies of more banks and financial and other companies, has been taking enormous sums of money from people's pockets and taxes in order to inject several hundred billions of dollars into these banks and institutions, so as to prevent a chainlike collapse of key institutions of capital. We know how during periods of growth of capital and capitalists, enormous amounts of wealth is extracted and stolen from our labor and lives, and during the periods of reduced profitability how those wages for us, wage slaves, get even more taken out of them, lest this exploitative system of capital gets harmed or collapses.

Under the guise of 'freedom' and 'democracy' and defense of American people's interests, and using the wealth produced by the workers, [American capitalists] militarily attack other countries in the world. While those who really get harmed by these attacks are the American workers and workers in countries under attack, capitalist states and capitalists in these states -- in short, the capitalist world-system -- find themselves new markets, new resources and new strategic positions that provide the conditions for increasing their power. We know that from these trickeries and deceits, capital's share is the ever more increasing concentration of wealth, and the workers' share is nothing but more misery and more wretchedness.

We are well aware that all of us workers, either directly or indirectly, are the main victims of the crimes of global system of capital, and capitalists and their states have amassed legendary profits and wealth from our work, pain and blood.

Workers' protests in the U.S., which has now gone beyond the state of Wisconsin, is a protest against the latest and the newest pressures that capital's grip is forcing on the throats of workers.

Most assuredly, you must be aware that in other parts of the world too, such as in Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and ... various protests have been ongoing, since there are no limits nor no end to the greed and gluttony of capitalists. For example, in Iran, there are workers whose wages are more than thirty percent under poverty line, who have no food to eat, have no job security, who are forced into temporary, unsigned contracts; and yet, they are further subjected to removal of all price subsidies, which means even more will be taken out of their meager subsistence. Lack of freedom of expression [in Iran] and lack of any right to strike or to organize, lack of any and the least democratic rights, [mass] firing/lay-offs and threatening, assaulting and imprisoning workers and workers' rights activists, and suppressing independent workers' organizations, and many other [legal discriminations] are among the gifts that are showered daily on workers by capital.

This inhumane capitalist system, especially in countries such as [Iran], recognizes no rights whatsoever for the workers in the political, economic and social spheres; profit-orientation and brutality are the defining and essential characteristics of the capitalist system. The actual result of the domination of the capitalist class over human societies has been poverty, misery, hunger, injustice and inequality, gender-ethnic-national discrimination, oppression, [mass] imprisonment, wars, torture and violence, and lack of real freedom of expression and organization. Even parliamentarianism [and current representative institutions], here and there, display only shades of democracy.
[...]

American Workers,
It is necessary for us [workers] to rely on our own class power, and not to fall into the trap set by different factions of capital (in the U.S., the Democrats and Republicans), and to believe in the power of our unity and organization, and to strengthen or build our own independent organizations, so as to bypass the trap of yellow/collaborationist unions and institutions, which everywhere in the world cause a substantial waste of the working class energy. We must rely on our own autonomously-organized associations and organizations, and with international solidarity across the globe we must join hands so that we can act to rid not just the Middle East but all the world of the capitalist system.

Fellow Working Class Brothers and Sisters,
We have heard the voice of your protests! And we declare our solidarity with you, and we condemn any anti-workers' actions/steps/policies directed against you.

We strongly declare that any trespass or assault against economic and political rights of the American workers, is an assault on rights and existence and lives of the workers of Iran. We consider ourselves as your allies and share your ideals; as well, with the strengthening of your strikes and organized actions, as well as with the consolidation of your organized strength, we hope that you will be able to achieve your class demands step by step; we wish you success and all the best in your efforts until you reach the ultimate demand of human societies, which is the overthrow of capitalist relations.

Long live international solidarity of the working class!
Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers' Organizations
Esfand 1389 (February20-March20, 2011)