AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND
THE faxed to 2 86 89 26 or 2 86 89 76 with prior notification to Sr. Raul Escobar, telephone no: 5 78 15 56. Alfonso Moro *
BRITAIN
WORLD MEXICO Solidarity with Mexican •Ford Workers ON January 10 comrade Cleto Benigno Urbina, died from two bullet wounds fired by thugs working for the general secretary of the Ford workers' union, Hector Uriarte Martinez, and protected by the bosses and the hierarchy of CTM union confederation.
Previously, on January 8, eight other comrades were wounded by bullets and a further three by other weapons in an attack carried out in front of the enterprise. On that day some 100 armed thugs entered the plant, dressed in overalls and carrying company passes with the aim of intimidating workers so that they would "get down to work" and drop their economic demands and their idea of democratizing their union.
These threats had the opposite effect to the one intended. The angry workers confronted the hired killers, expelled them from the factory and detained three of them, leading to the outcome mentioned above. Now the workers are occupying the two plants that the multinational company has in the Valley of Mexico, and is getting ready to put up a firm resistance in defence of their source of work, their economic demands and their control over their union organization.
The conflict had its origin last December when the plant announced an (illegal) cut of some 70% in the Christmas bonus, and, furthermore, that there would be a very low profit share, even though Ford Mexico is the third largest exporting enterprise and has a high rate of expansion. The firm argued that the reduction in the Christmas bonus corresponded to taxes that had not been remitted previously, in this way making the workers pay for its own mistakes. This was the origin of the workers' indignation, which was increased when their leader, instead of defending the interests of the workers, justified the firm's actions.
Before this open betrayal by their leader, the workers had already taken steps to get rid of him. But from the first moment they have run up against the open collaboration between the firm and Uriarte, who has done everything he could to restrain the workers, with the sorry results previously described. Now the struggle has entered a critical phase, since until now neither the firm nor the authorities has shown any inclination to negotiate or give a satisfactory reply to the workers' demands. On the contrary, on the very morning of January 10, the firm announced that it no longer had any legal relations with these workers. The situation demands urgent solidarity from the international workers' movement.
Protests must be organized in every country in front of Ford factories, and messages demanding respect for the rights of Mexican workers sent to Ford Motor Company, Mexico at Paseo de la Reforma #333, Mexico, DF. Messages should also be sent to the official residence of Mexico's president, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, at Los Pinos; to the labour secretary, Arsenio Farrell Cubillas at Periferico Sur #4271 Zona Postal 20. Messages in support of the Ford workers' struggle should be sent to Dr. Lucio #103 Edificio Orion A-4 Despacho 103, Mexico DF or
İNTERN
MARXIS
Special issue on the national question in the USSR
• The national question in Soviet history - Antonio Moscato
• National questions in Yugoslavia
- Catherine Verla
• Stalinism, the national question and separatism in the USSR
- Oliver MacDonald
• A social and universal question
- Ivan Dzyuba
• For the independence of Soviet
Ukraine - Zbigniew Kowalewski
• Documents
"Outlook for Socialism 1989" Over 400 people attended Socialist Outlook's main event of the year, organized around the theme "The Socialist Outlook for Europe" in December 1989. People came to a series of workshops and plenary sessions that focussed around the momentous events in Eastern Europe and the process of European integration around 1992, featuring speakers from all over Europe and beyond.
The weekend opened with a rally, "The Crisis of Stalinism". An impressive platform of speakers - including Gunter Minnerup, editor of Labour Focus on Eastern Europe; and a speaker from October Review, journal of the Fourth International in Hong Kong - dissected the crisis of Stalinism. The highlight of the rally was the closing speech from Ernest Mandel, recently returned from a tour of meetings in East Germany and Poland.
While those attending the event were able to hear a series of speakers in the main plenary sessions: Socialists and 1992; lesbian and gay struggles in Europe; women's struggles in Europe; they were also able to discuss particluar aspects of these themes in greater depth in workshops.The event finished with a debate between Socialist Outlook and left Labour MP Ken Livingstone. * ATIGNAL
REVIEW
İNTERNATINAL
MARXIST REVIEW
Vel. 4, No. 2 Autom 1998 12.50/88
ДСЕСОЮЗНАЯ ODO CHA irt
ЯРМАРКА
The national question in te history or the in the history of the
USSR and todav
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27
PANAMA
Unjust Cause
HONDURAS.
GOATEMALA
NiCARAGUA
CosTa Ric
OCEANO PACÍFICO
MAR DEL CARIBE
COLOM government.
The invasion of Panama took place at a moment when other countries and revolutionary movements in the region are trying to consolidate the democratic process (as with the FSLN in Nicaragua) or gain real political independence (the FMLN in El Salvador). Thus the landing of 24,000 marines in Panama must be seen as an open provocation menacing the whole region with death and desolation. It is not surprising that the only Latin American president who has openly supported the US action is El Salvador's Alfredo Cristiani.
Invasion is warning to revolutionary forces
The invasion of Panama is a clear warning to the democratic and revolutionary forces; the next target of the imperialists is the besieged Nicaraguan revolution. The transfer of the Panama canal to exclusive Panamanian control, scheduled for 1999 by the Torrijos-Carter accords of 1977, has been thrown into question by the invasion. This would be the most damaging the consequence of the invasion for the Panamanian people.
It is necessary to immediately mobilize to demand the withdrawal of US troops from Panamanian territory. It is for the Panamanian people to decide their own destiny.*
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THE invasion of the Republic of Panama by United States troops, ordered by George Bush on December 20,1989, has dealt a heavy blow to the aspirations for peace of the peoples of Latin America. With this new act of interference, the US has shown clearly that it has no respect for the accords reached in Central America aimed at assuring self-determination and represents a serious threat to all hope of a durable peace in the strife-torn region. ALFONSO MORO T HE invasion is a continuation of the "big stick" policy applied since the time of President Monroe in the early 19th century. The US proclaimed itself the "guardian of democracy" and took upon itself the right to overthrow and replace governments according to the interests of big capital. The name given to the Panama operation — Just Cause — is not an empty formula. It contains an enormous ideological charge, intended to make acceptable something that everybody who understands democracy should reject: the intention to decide for other people who should govern them.
Tenth imperialist agression of century