Transit Workers Respond as We Always Do in Latest Emergency

As City, State and MTA officials seemed to be losing their collective heads over the 'A' Train derailment on Tuesday morning, TWU train crews and Maintenance of Way personnel calmly and quickly got the situation under control.

 

The derailment at the end of the morning rush caused panic among the passengers as smoke invaded some of the cars. The train's crew immediately began an orderly and professional evacuation.  The crew got the vast majority of passengers to walk to the front of the train to get out onto the platform through the first two cars which made it into the station.  Some panicked passengers left the train from the rear onto the tracks to walk back to the previous station.  The crew urged those passengers to return to the train and get out the safe way through the front.  Most listened.

After all passengers were accounted for, Local 100 Maintenance personnel moved in like the cavalry.  All MOW titles responded.  Debris was removed from the tracks, signals were repaired, and the train was re-railed and moved out of the way.  Modified service was restored before the evening rush. MOW members continued work throughout the night to get the system ready for the morning.

 

Tony Utano, TWU Local 100 Vice President for the Maintenance of Way Division, said: "This was a serious derailment, with quite of bit of damage to signals and some structural damage to the walls.  Our members worked as fast and safely as possible to bring the system back to normal."

Local 100 President John Samuelsen responded to numerous media outlets and insisted that subway system needs a substantial and immediate infusion of cash, mainly from the City of New York, for non-capital state of good repair work. "The long-term capital projects are vital to providing a modern, safe, reliable system in the future," said Samuelsen.  "But what is needed today, immediately, is more financial resources for regular, on-going maintenance to insure that the system can handle today's record ridership."

 

Exclusive photos of the scene were provided by Track Chair Paul Navarro and Vice Chair Duvet Williams. Many of those photos can be seen in the media links below. Click on the links to see how the story of the derailment played out in the media, and how TWU members and officials are quoted.

New York Daily News

NBC-TV

New York Daily News

The New York Times

New York 1
 

WPIX-11

NBC-TV

ABC-TV

GANIZATIONS OTHER NEWSLETTERS AND BLOGS POLITICAL ACTION RESOURCES ABOUT CONFINED SPACE CONTACT OSHA Proposes to Delay Recordkeeping Rule

Confined Space

A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues

OSHA has officially announced a proposal to delay the reporting requirements of its “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” recordkeeping rule that was issued last July.

The record keeping rule simply requires employers already covered by OSHA’s record keeping requirements to send the form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) to OSHA and then OSHA would publicize the information on its website.  The rule also prohibits employers from retaliating against workers for reporting injuries or illnesses.

Employers were originally required to send their information in to OSHA by July 1. OSHA announced its “intention” to delay reporting last month.  The non-retaliation part of the standard, which generated intense industry opposition, may not fare as well.  That part of the regulation is in effect, but OSHA states in this proposal that it “intends to issue a separate proposal to reconsider, revise, or remove other provisions of the prior final rule.” So stay tuned for that.

OSHA justifies the delay by stating that it “will allow OSHA an opportunity to further review and consider the rule” and that the delay “will allow OSHA to provide employers the same four-month window for submitting data that the original rule would have provided.”  OSHA had originally planned to post a website last February so that employers would have four months to submit the data to meet the original July 1 deadline, but the new administration refused to put the website up.

It is not clear whether this delay will satisfy industry objections to making this information publicly available. An industry coalition filed a petition last month  requesting that DOL stay both parts of the rule and re-open rule making because collecting the information allegedly “exceeds OSHA’s statutory authority” and “will have an adverse impact one workplace safety and health.” According to the petitioners, the rule would reveal confidential information and prohibit employers from conducting post incident drug testing and establishing incentive programs. The petitioners were the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Chicken Council and several others. None of that is true, of course, but attorneys must send their kids to college.

There are some amusing parts to the announcement (And I admit to being one of the few people in the world who can find humor in the Federal Register.)

On one hand, the agency is claiming a whopping $6,953 to $19,177 in cost savings based on the interest that employers will save during the five months they don’t have to spend money sending the information in to OSHA. (Those would be national costs savings, not per employer.)  They therefore claim that this effort is “de-regulatory.”

They do not, however, claim any benefits lost by the fact that workers and employers will not be able to enjoy the benefits of the regulation during the five month delay.  The benefits claimed under the rule include 1) improvement of OSHA’s ability to identify, target, and remove safety and health hazards, thereby preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths. 2) improvement in the quality of the information submitted to OSHA, and 3) improving worker safety by making the data publicly available on OSHA’s website so that workers would know which employers are more dangerous, and good employers can compare their safety and health records with other businesses in their industry.

Because OSHA actually has to change the regulation to delay the dates, today’s announcement is a proposal and OSHA will accept comments on the delay for two weeks, until July 13, 2017. You may submit comments and attachments electronically at www.regulations.gov. There should be two messages:

1. Implement the reporting requirements with no further delay.
2. Do not change the anti-retaliation provisions. The record is full of examples of employees being retaliated against for reporting. Employees have a right to report injuries and illnesses without fear of retaliation.

Call now to save Medicaid for our students!

Our students need your help. Among all the dangerous consequences this new "healthcare" bill will have, one of the most alarming is how it will completely dismantle Medicaid. Republican senators are feeling the pressure from your calls, and have been forced to push the vote from this week until after the July 4th congressional recess. We must keep the pressure on.

Here's what's at stake:

More than a third of all children in America receive their health insurance through Medicaid, but for our students and their families this isn't only about insurance. Medicaid provides $4 billion per year for healthcare services in our nation's schools - that's vision and hearing screenings, physical and occupational therapy for students with disabilities, and other critical services that keep our students healthy and ready to learn.

You don't have to take my word for it. On Monday the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this bill will end Medicaid coverage for at least 15 million people, including millions of our students, over the next 10 years.

Click here to call your senators right now, and demand they vote NO. Even if you think they're definitely voting for the bill, or definitely voting against, and even if you've already called - every last senator needs to keep hearing from their constituents on this.

If this bill passes with these Medicaid cuts, it will endanger our nation's children and affect millions of students' education. Take two minutes and call.

Lily Eskelsen García

President

National Education Association

South Africa: NEHAWU 11th National Congress kicked off

26 Jun 2017

AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICA

The 11th National Congress of NEHAWU kicked off today on June 26th with great success. In the Congress hunfreds of delegates are taking part and very important resolutions for the future of the class-oriented trade union movement in S. Africa will be taken.

The WFTU is present in the congress with a high level delegation headed by Hariharan Mahadevan from AITUC-India member of the WFTU Secretariat, Vincent Kapenga member of the WFTU Presidential Council from CTP-D.R. Congo, Anda Anastasaki General Coordinator of WFTU Central Offices and on behalf of  WFTU TUI PS&A, its president Artur Sequeira member of the WFTU Secretariat.

WFTU Statement on the World Refugee Day

20 Jun 2017 REFUGEES

The World Federation of Trade Unions on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, 20th of June 2017, expresses its firm, internationalist solidarity with the millions of refugees and displaced persons who are forced to abandon their countries, their homes because of the imperialist wars and conflicts.

This year the situation is worse than ever, with 65,6 million of displaced persons worldwide, of whom 22,5 millions are refugees. All workers, whether they are foreigners or locals are class brothers and our struggles are common, no matter the nationality, race, color of skin or religion are.

The WFTU calls upon the international working class, to keep expressing its solidarity with immigrants and refugees, especially now, when imperialist wars and aggression have created huge waves of refugees.

The World Federation of Trade Unions with its anti-imperialist and internationalist position and action denounces the murderous and hypocritical policy of the European Union and its Governments and struggles for the elimination of the aggressiveness against the people of North Africa and the Middle East, for the dissolution of NATO and for the utilization of the natural resources by the people for their own interests and for the popular development that will bring the reconstruction and the prosperity of the people.

We demand the immediate end of all imperialist interventions. We ask from the International Organizations to support the countries of origin of economic immigrants and of the political refugees.

Based on this the WFTU calls for:
• The abolishment of the Dublin and the Schengen Treaty, the Frontex and all repressive mechanisms.
• Stopping the measures of the European Union for the repression at the borders.
• End now the imperialist interventions of EU-USA-NATO.
• Direct transfer of the refugees from the islands and the entry points to the countries of their final destination.
• Increase of the personnel and the infrastructure for the rescue, the record-identification, the housing, feeding, medical care and the safe transfer of the people. Decent housing for all refugees, education for their children under state responsibility.
• Creation of dignified centers of welcoming and hospitality

Nurses buy – and forgive – $2.6 million in medical debt for Minnesotans

MNA President Mary Turner (L) and Executive Director
Rose Roach rip up medical debt for 1,800 Minnesotans

 Twin Cities community members overwhelmingly supported Allina nurses during their historic strike last year. Today, members of the Minnesota Nurses Association offered a thank-you gift for that support, purchasing and forgiving the past-due accounts of 1,800 families facing a combined $2.6 million in medical debt.

MNA, a union of more than 20,000 registered nurses, located and acquired the accounts with help from RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based non-profit. Like a collection agency, the organization buys medical debt at a fraction of its value.

Rather than aggressively pursuing the debt it purchased, though, MNA immediately forgave it.

“Nurses are happy to allow these families to be free of their debt,” MNA President Mary Turner said. “They’ve had this medical debt hanging over their heads for two years or more.  It’s cost them their credit, pushed them toward bankruptcy and hurt them in so many ways.”

MNA paid $28,000 for the $2.6 million balance.

Names and other details regarding the forgiven accounts will remain private, but one Minnesotan struggling to pay down medical debt, Debra Puchala, agreed to tell her story during a press conference at MNA’s headquarters in St. Paul this morning.

After undergoing hip replacement surgery in September 2015 and shoulder surgery the following year, Puchala owes various medical providers more than $5,000.

“The bills kept coming,” she said. “When you have surgery, you know, you get more than one bill, and … everybody wants their money right away. I was told that I was going too slow.”

One of her six bills wound up in collection, and as a result, Puchala said, “I can’t make a regular medical appointment. I have to go to either urgent care or, if it gets bad, emergency.”

In January 2017, faced with the prospect of tacking on another $5,000 to her debt load before reaching the insurance plan’s deductible, Puchala dropped out of her physical therapy regimen, and she continues to put off knee replacement surgery, she said, “because I can’t take on the debt.”

MNA has long derided the U.S. health care system for forcing patients like Puchala into consumer decisions that pit their wellness against their other needs, like food and rent.

Medical debt is the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. Past due accounts to health care providers are cited in 62 percent of bankruptcy cases, and bad debt to medical providers is expected to top $200 billion by 2019.

“Medical bills are now the No. 1 reason people are contacted by debt collectors,” Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson said at the MNA press conference. “Even people with health insurance face unpaid medical bills due to the very high deductibles in many insurance policies.

“The Minnesota Nurses Association is generous to have relieved people from the weight of this debt.”

The union was inspired to acquire Minnesotans’ medical debt after several members watched a report on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” about RIP Medical Debt.

“We’d had many discussions about how to repay the community for what they gave nurses during the strike,” Turner said. “The John Oliver show inspired us, and we decided to see if we could do the same thing. MNA is grateful to RIP Medical Debt for helping us make this happen.”

About 5,000 MNA members who work at Abbott Northwestern, Mercy, United and Unity hospitals and Phillips Eye Institute spent nearly a month and a half on the picket line last year in a campaign to keep their high-quality health insurance, improve workplace safety and protect patients from staffing shortages.

UNION ADVOCATE

THE VOICE OF SAINT PAUL'S WORKING FAMILIES SINCE 1897

Labor groups say 'sham unions' undercut other organizations to the benefit of themselves and employers

GINGER ADAMS OTIS

At a time when unions are under assault by everything from pension-busting employers to the right-to-work steamroller, they also have to fight off an enemy within — unaffiliated, employer-friendly rivals called “sham unions” by traditional labor organizations.

Take the Brooklyn-based “League of International Federated Employees.”

It has exactly one local, LIFE 890, and a history pockmarked by complaints to the National Labor Relations Board.

Major labor organizations charge that groups like LIFE 890 are in it more for themselves than to protect and promote workers' rights.The “sham” model, they say, is to make deals with employers that subtly undercut the contracts of stronger unions, putting more money in the pockets of owners while paying lip service to the ideals of organized labor.

They’re usually found in small companies inside a union-heavy, big-city business.

LIFE 890, for example, found its niche in New York City’s waste management and cartage businesses, a longtime Teamsters stronghold.

But you don’t need the Teamsters or the AFL-CIO to set yourself up as a union, says Arthur Schwartz, a veteran New York City labor lawyer.

“You need two members, a tax ID, you draw up a constitution and some bylaws, and that’s it — you’re a union,” Schwartz says. “You don’t even have to have a bank account.”

There is no shortage of company owners who would rather not have a big-union shop or carry the cost of their pension plans and other benefit programs, says Schwartz, who sees “a definite cottage industry in these non-AFL-CIO affiliated unions, where the top leaders give themselves pretty enormous salaries — and in many cases, they also set up a union health fund, and they take a salary as head of that, too.”

Like some of its client companies, LIFE 890 is a family business.

John Mongello Jr. is its principal officer. His father, John Mongello Sr., was once listed as its secretary-treasurer and later its vice president.

According to the latest publicly available tax records, Mongello took home a salary of more than $197,000 in 2014 — and another $90,000 in rent for his union’s headquarters, a Brooklyn brownstone owned by an LLC set up by Mangello and his wife Kathy.

Their daughter, Jessica Gambino, was also making $72,000 in 2014 as a manager of the LIFE 890 benefit plan.

Groups like LIFE 890 favor small workforces because that makes it relatively easy to manage elections, says Teamsters lawyer Mike Manley: “You don’t have to get too many people to go along with the game plan, in order for it to work.”

Even so, taking over a union shop doesn't come easy.

LIFE 890’s latest target is Teamsters Local 813 at a Queens company called Planet Waste. The owner, Tom Tolentino, indicated he had high hopes his roughly 15 hired hands would vote out Local 813 and bring in LIFE 890 during an election called for March 22.

He told the Daily News in a March 12 interview he might have to close up shop if he couldn’t get out from under the Teamsters’ pension plan. He insisted, though, that his workers were free to vote however they chose.

The Teamsters wound up filing a litany of complaints against Tolentino with the NLRB, accusing him of trying to stack the deck for LIFE 890 through “unlawful assistance and support.”

This included claims Tolentino hired five new workers just ahead of the election, allegedly to throw it in favor of LIFE 890.

One of those new hires was named Polito Chiclana — and his last name rang a bell with the Teamsters.

Polito Chilcana, the new worker at Planet Waste, told colleagues he is Dina Chiclana's nephew.More than 10 years ago, the Teamsters had charged LIFE 890 with doing the same thing — hiring new worker-voters before elections at two other companies they were trying to raid. According to an affidavit submitted to the NLRB, a woman named Dina Chiclana had hired new workers at both firms with the promise, “Vote for Local 890, LIFE, and you guys will have jobs forever.”

In the 2006 case, the NLRB said the Teamsters waited too long to challenge the eligibility of specific employees, so its claims were dismissed.

In the current case at Planet Waste, the NLRB said it saw “prima facie” evidence to support Local 813’s claims and canceled the March 22 vote.

Then things really got nasty. Tolentino's lawyer, Steven Horowitz, dredged up a 2011 sexual harassment complaint against Local 813 President Sean Campbell. Filed by a former union employee, the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and no admission of guilt from either Campbell or the union.

That didn’t stop Horowitz from sending Tolentino an email calling Campbell a "sexual predator." The lawyer told Tolentino, "Feel free to show this to the employees."

Tolentino did just that — at least according to the defamation suit that Campbell has since filed against him.

No new date for the Planet Waste election has been set.

The WFTU General Secretary addressed the 106th ILC Plenary Session today on June 12th, 2017

12 Jun 2017

106th ILC, GS SPEECHES, ILO

106ILC – Plenary – June 12,2017

Speech of the World Federation of Trade Unions General Secretary Mr. George Mavrikos

Dear Colleagues,

On the behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions, we would like to extend our warm greetings to all representatives of trade union organizations of workers.

We live in a time period in which life, life quality, work and working conditions for the working class and the poor farmers are getting worse and worse day-by-day in all capitalist world.

The situation for all workers is crucial; the younger generations, the young workers, the young scientists and the young farmers are living in uncertainty and insecurity about the future.

The WFTU tries to organize the resistance and the struggles of trade unions in every corner of the planet, with the aim of defending the rights acquired by workers in every country and sector.

From this podium, we condemn the trade union persecutions in Kazakhstan; we express our solidarity with trade unionists in Colombia who suffer from the violence of paramilitary groups; especially we stand by the side of Colombian trade unionists who struggle against the efforts for dismantling of their trade unions. By the side of the workers in Honduras who struggle for collective bargaining agreements, by the side of Teachers in Mexico in their struggles against the education reforms, we express our solidarity with the ex-Braceros and with our brothers in Angola. We express our solidarity with the teachers and the working class in Turkey who suffer the consequences of the anti-democratic policies of the government of Turkey. We condemn the anti-labor policy of SAMSUNG multinational and we support the Samsung General Labor Union and its General Secretary Kim Sung Hwan who was in prison for 3 years because of his trade union activity.

The situation is complex and uncertain. The severe poverty and high unemployment generate a lot of difficulties in the development of struggles.

But we have no alternative. It is our duty to unite all workers according to the social class they belong to and to organize our resistance, sometimes through the defense, sometimes through the attack; with a flexible and clever strategy so as to have concrete positive results for the benefit of workers.

Along with the struggle for our financial, social, democratic and trade union rights that we must carry-out, we must also strengthen our action against the strategies of imperialism, of multinationals and transnationals that cause bloodshed to many peoples and force millions of people to abandon their country, region and home.

As WFTU, within the international trade union movement, we have at the forefront of our struggles our solidarity and internationalism with the peoples and the countries that are suffering imperialists interventions.

– Venezuela is today the target of the policies of the US and their allies.

– Cuba continues to suffer from the criminal US blockade that lasts more than 55 years.

-The Palestinian people still live without having their own country, while thousands of Palestinian children are imprisoned in the jails of Israel.

– The Syrian people suffer from the attacks of thousands of mercenaries who have been recruited and supported by imperialists.

– The peoples of Iraq, of Mali, of Libya, of Afghanistan, are suffering from undemocratic policies.

-The Gulf region is on fire because of the economic rivalries and intra-imperialistic antagonisms.

-The people of Mexico experience racism and the threats of the US President, who threatens to build a wall and persecute all economic immigrants.

This is the outline of the dark reality of today’s capitalism.

Under these circumstances the world working class, all workers, we need a militant, efficient and active trade union movement. We need trade unions that will have courage, that will withstand, that will be democratic; that they will pay attention to the base of their members and that will unite all workers irrespective of religion, color, gender and language.

In today’s framework the theme of “Building a future with decent work” is more accurate than ever and can be achieved only through class oriented struggles having in their center the satisfaction of workers contemporary needs.

The trade union movement also needs a representative ILO, without exclusions and discriminations; with equal treatment of its members trade unions, with democracy and transparency.

In this direction the WFTU has composed and distributed a text of general principles. We will continue our fight until the current unilateral picture of the Governing Body comes to an end. Proportional representation, equality and transparency are the preconditions for decent work and decent relations.

Thank you

Golden State Warriors refuse to visit White House after winning NBA title: reports

he NBA champion Golden State Warriors unanimously agreed to skip the customary White House visit, according to reports, although the team says they have not yet been invited.

The Warriors claimed their second title in three seasons Monday night with a 129-120 Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, their opponent in three straight NBA Finals appearances.

But the team, led by superstars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, has reportedly decided by a unanimous vote not to accept congratulations from President Donald Trump.

NBA champion Warriors skipping the White House visit, as a unanimous team decision per reports.

— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) June 13, 2017

The team issued an official statement later on Tuesday morning.

“Today is all about celebrating our championship,” the team said. “We have not received an invitation to the White House, but will make those decisions when and if necessary.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has ripped Trump as a “blowhard” and “ill-suited” for the office, and player David West said the president was a poor role model.

“All the tactics that he used to get elected are the very things that someone like me, who works with youth on a consistent basis, are the things that we try to talk our young folks out of being,” West said. “We try to talk our young people out of being bullies. We try to talk our young men out of disrespecting women. We try to talk our young people into being accepting of other people’s opinions and other people’s walks of life.”

“He is the complete opposite of all of that,” West added.

Curry has also criticized Trump, who was described as “a great asset” by the CEO of Under Armour, which the player endorses.

“I agree with that description,” Curry said, “if you remove the ‘et’” from asset.”

WFTU statement on the demonstration for peace in Israel

29 May 2017

ISRAEL

The World Federation of Trade Unions, representing 92 million workers in the 5 continents, considers that the demonstration for peace held in Israel is a remarkable effort.

The demonstration was held under the central slogan “2 states, 1 hope” and thousands of participants responded to this call, expressing their disagreement with the situation in Palestine.

Such initiatives are hopeful and prove that the peoples all over the world have nothing to divide.

The Secretariat

South Africa: The WFTU is present in the Central Committee of the National Union of Mineworkers

09 Jun 2017

AFRICA, NUM, SOUTH AFRICA

The NUM Central Committee meeting is taking place in Pretoria and WFTU is represented by Nikolas Theodorakis. The Central Committee (CC) of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is meeting on the 8th to 9th June 2017 in Pretoria.

Over 700 delegates from the branches of the NUM throughout South Africa are attending. The Central Committee discussions are focused on the organisational, economic, political and international matters facing the NUM. This year ‘s theme is “Recruit, Fight Retrenchments, Assess and Forge unity”.

Following the speech delivered by Nikolas Theodorakis:

“Dear comrades of NUM CC

On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions, of its almost 100 million members from 126 countries of the world and on behalf of my organization, PAME, from Greece, I transfer to you warm militant greeting and wishes for success to the works of your central committee.

Dear comrades, it is our great pleasure to be here with you, only a few months after the successful 17th World Trade Union Congress of the WFTU, which was hosted and organized by you, the forces of WFTU in South Africa.

This congress had great significance also for the following reasons. It was the 1st time in the history of the world trade union movement that a World Trade Union Congress took place in Africa.

Also, it is the 1st time that in the Presidency of a World Trade Union organization was elected a comrade from Africa, as comrade Mike from NEHAWU was elected President of the WFTU. Furthermore, South Africa is represented at the Presidential Council of WFTU with one more comrade, from NUM, comrade General Secretary David Sipunzi, who was elected Vice President of the WFTU.

The successful organization and the role of the WFTU affiliates in the Congress, the role of POPCRU, CEPPWAWU, NEHAWU and NUM was crucial and showed the south African unions as a pioneering force in the trade union movement of Africa, but also in the rest of the world.

In this direction, your forces, the forces of WFTU in South Africa have great duties in front of them, as well as great possibilities. Important stop is the PanAfrican Meeting of WFTU in Nigeria, on July 25-26. There your forces, with the other African unions, should evaluate the developments, the new conditions, and to organize the response of the workers of the richest continent, which has suffered and still suffers till today the greatest theft of its peoples’ wealth.

Additionally, important role can and should be for NUM its participation to the 3rd World Congress of Young Workers of WFTU, which is to take place in Rome, November 2-3. Especially during a period when the new generation suffers the consequences of the capitalist crisis and has to face unemployment, flexible working relations, etc.

Dear comrades,

Specifically, the conditions of the global capitalist crisis will escalate the offensive of the monopolies, of imperialism, against the peoples. As you know today, the wealth owned by the 8 richest persons of the planet equals with that of the poorest 3.5 billions of the world population. The wealth of the capitalists is based on the more brutal exploitation of the workers. On the theft of the natural resources of the countries.

And when the peoples rise up, when people raise their heads up, when the workers, rallied in their unions try to change the status quo, then imperialism, its mechanisms, like the IMF, the World Bank, their secret services, even their armies intervene to control, to protect the profits of their multinationals. They do everything so as to eliminate from the peoples their right to decide themselves for their own future.

In this task, valuable tool is their mercenaries within the trade union movement, the ITUC. A mechanism of imperialism, which with money and threats controls big unions for the purposes of the USA and the IMF. And they use all means and all tactics for this.  Wherever they cannot buyoff, or strike directly, they spread confusion, disorientation. They put obstacles in the action of the fighters so as to forward the plans of the monopolies. We witnessed their dirty role in Libya and Syria, where they supported the bloodbath caused by the imperialists. We see them in Venezuela to attack the legal Government, by repeating the propaganda of US State Department. While, with pride they finance the mafia of Miami against the Cuban revolution and support the Apartheid of Israel against the heroic people of Palestine. They are forces dangerous for the peoples, for the workers of each country and they must be isolated.

Especially dangerous are those forces who put on the mask of the “revolutionary”, those who say a lot of words, but do not do anything for the rights of the workers. Opportunists leaders, who for the profits of the multinationals sacrifice the workers.

WFTU, the class oriented trade unions of the world and the heroic unions of South Africa are not intimidated by such tactics by imperialism and its lackeys.

We have the power that comes from the success of the WFTU Congress, its decisions and class orientation.

We have the power of the heroic COSATU

We have the power of the heroic SACP

We have the power of class solidarity, of organization, internationalism, of those characteristics of the working class, of its values that imperialism could not and cannot defeat.

We have the power of the heroes of the working class

We have the power of Moses Mabida

We have the power of our martyrs

We have the power of the great struggles of the past, of the present and of the future

We have the power of the just struggle of the working class for the abolition of exploitation of man by man.

Based on this power, we are optimist that NUM and the other forces of WFTU in South Africa will continue their vanguard role in defense of the workers of South Africa, but also we are optimist that you will fulfill with success your new duties, to be the voice and the fist of the class unions of Africa, of the workers of the world.”

The CC will conclude with a rally on the 10th of June 2017 in Rustenburg.