MARCH 2014 - Communication no. 1
General Secretariat, Communication No. 1,
March 2014
Comrades.
PRESENTATION:
This will be a way of relating to all of you who will try to make each month, in 3 languages.
In these communications, which shall be numbered for ease, I include both the work of the General Secretariat and the Presidency, for each and every one of the members of the collective leadership.
Its contents can always be corrected by the contributions of the members of the collective leadership elected at the Founding Congress.
These will always be complementary to the contents of the website of the UIS communications: www.pensionistas.info
WEB:
By the way we have responsibles for the content of the web in several languages:
Arab, Bahrain ALBA union.
Castilian or Spanish, the Spanish PyJ CSU Union.
Catalan, Spanish COS Union.
Basque, Spanish LAB Union.
Greek PAME Union.
English, the AIBDPA Union from India.
We shall therefore ask other unions to take a day to keep the site in the language they use most. Any suggestions or offers will be well received. Languages without assignment, for the moment, are: French, Galician-Portuguese, Italian and Russian.
CONTENTS:
This first number is used to account for everything done since we parted from Barcelona to end our very successful Congress.
As ANNEX A) I put the Assessment of the results of the Barcelona Congress. We have written this text between the President and the General Secretariat (SG). Now all members of the Collective Leadership can complete it. With the contributions we will make it public on the web, in a week.
At the end of the document attached as Annex A), at ANNEX 5, a summary of the resolutions adopted at the First Meeting by the collective direction elected at the foundational Congress of the P & R UIS from the WFTU.
Work of the General Secretariat (SG). -
The first task has been incorporating the documents of the amendments and contributions submitted by delegates (takes into account also the written submissions of the delegates who could not be present at the Congress).
The second task has been to get the translations to the 3 official languages of the conference: English, French and Spanish (Castilian). This task has been delayed several weeks. We will need more people to do translations (from anywhere on the planet via email). Proposal: ask for translators.
The SG has sent to all Management Members the documents approved by Congress: Laws, Political & Syndical Issues and 6 Resolutions.
The SG has also sent the resolutions of the Presidential Council of the WSF (Rome, 14th-15th/2/14) and his personal involvement in the meeting.
The SG has asked each of the Management Team to prepare a work plan for the issues which he is responsible for. As they are made they will be announced to the other members of the collective leadership.
Work of other members of management. -
SG has received reports that 5 Vice-Presidents are beginning to develop their tasks, aiming to convene (in one year) 5 corresponding Regional Congresses.
On the web, in multiple languages, you can see the work of trade unions in Asia (India), Oceania (Australia), America (Ecuador), etc.
We will be placing on the web all the information to prove the activity by various organizations.
I know several people responsible for different Secretaries are already preparing its Plan of Work.
It remains to name the two people, union leaders, which should accompany Comrade Costas Skarparis in the Committee on Financial Control.
We also hope to know this March the collective decisions of the FSC of France, the USB of Italy, and the trade unions in Senegal, to confirm the proposed presence in management teams chosen people of these countries.
Barcelona, March 2014.
Quim Boix
WFTU Presidential Council
Secretary General of the UIS (Union International)
Pensioners and Retired (P & R) of the WFTU
http://www.wftucentral.org/?language=es
http://www.pensionistas.info/web/es
Sant Joan Pg 176 5-3, 08037 Barcelona, Spain.
0034 609547814 (only for urgent matters)
NOTE -I've put on red unresolved issues.
ANNEX A)
PROPOSAL TO BE APPROVED BY THE R&P WFTU
COLLECTIVE ASSESSMENT of the WFTU R&P (Pensioners and Retired) TUI FOUNDING CONGRESS
We intend to put this collective opinion on the website of the new WFTU TUI R&P.
We believe that we have had an important Congress in which have strengthened the class struggle of the entire WFTU, a large global organization, the only one that struggles against capitalism as a union, supported by nearly 90 million workers in 280 unions in 120 countries worldwide.
We also accomplished one of the resolutions of the 16th WFTU Congress (held in April 2011 in Athens): organizing R&P worldwide to achieve the universal right to a decent state pension (which allows to live with dignity, ie providing water, food, housing, health, leisure, culture and age-appropriate care: all of these to be garanteed by goverments).
There's enough money on Earth to do so, especially if we end imperialism and its military expenditure, if we end the right of exploitation of man by man (which is the current slavery imposed by the capitalist system), and if wealth is distributed so that the fact of today's reality in which 85 people (the richest of the World) have equal wealth than the poorest 3.500 million people remains a unique historical anecdote.
On the TUI website ( http://www.pensionistas.info ), which is in 10 languages so far, we'll upload the Congress interventions: from the openins session (on behalf of the Preparatory Committee) the greeting by the WFTU Secretariat, the video sent by George Mavrikos as WFTU Sec Gen., the adopted documents and resolutions (all of them unanimously by both delegates and guests or observers), and the delegates' and guests' speeches, as they are being sent. We'll also include, see Annex 1, the list of members of the management bodies elected in Congress (unanimously), and we will uload the huge quantity of photographs taken at the Congress (we'l also try to uload two videos, one of the opening ceremony and another one of the Congress development and the militant work).
It is necessary to acknowledge the effort of all the people who have attended (64) as delegates and guests from 20 countries. We'd also like to acknowledge the work of those who have tried to be present (28), from 19 other countries, and who have been unable to overcome various difficulties (visa, money to pay for travel expenses, sudden sickness, last-minute union struggles in their country, start arrangements too late). In Annex 2 we'll list the participating countries.
In conclusion, we can say that the amount of 92 people, union leaders from 35 countries (4 countries are on both lists), shows the great interest that this no. 10 WTU Founding Congress of the WFTU has arisen.
When this document was being written, at the P&R CSU (as organisers of the Congress, held in Barcelona) we had recieved the congratulations from those delegates present at the Congress, coming from abroad and from the Spanish State. The militant work of dozens of people has enabled a low-cost Congress. Attached as Annex 3, we include the economic balance with the income and expenses of the Founding Congress.
The Congress largely met the objectives set by the WFTU Secretariat:
0) Promoting the WFTU and the new TUI. We held a previous event, on Feb 4th 2014, in the College of Engineers (at Barcelona's city center), event which was broadcast live on the College web, and which advertised the Congress, the TUI and which included support messages by organizations, neighborhood associations and professional groups. We have recorded the event on video.
1) Gathering R&P union leaders from all over the world;
2) Conducting a comprehensive discussion of the reality of the class struggle worldwide towards the specific demands of the P&R group, and together with the general class struggle of the WFTU;
3) Approving the two base documents (both unanimously, guests included) made public a year earlier (which will be published once the amendments approved by Congress are incorporated): Statutes of the new TUI and Union Orientation Document (including proposals for work in the coming years, especially the realization of the 5-Regional Continental Congresses to complete the management structure of the new TUI);
4) Electing (also unanimously, and one by one) all the candidates to direct the WTU, based on the proposal submitted by the WFTU Secretariat of the, after having studied the various options (see Annex 1);
5) Approving a General Resolution and 6 thematic resolutions (Cuba, Colombia, Palestine, Sahara, Mexico and Euskadi) to be published (once the amendments fostered by the collective debate are incorporated) on the website of the new TUI ( http:/ / www.pensionistas.info );
6) Receiving greetings (which will also be posted on the TUI website) from trade union organizations not present: Canada and USA (WFTU North and WFTU Canada), Colombia (OCP, Colombian Pensioners Organization, and PCC National Commission) Denmark (PC), Ecuador (Union of Retired Electricity Workers from Quito), Finland (KRAY, critical unionists network), Italy (USB), Mexico (Workers University of Mexico), Nicaragua (Association of Pensioners and Contributors to the Social Security of Nicaragua "APECONIC"), Panama (Central Nacional de Trabajadores), Peru (CGTP), Senegal (set of unions and PIT), Somalia (Somali Trade Union Federation), Sweden (LO), Uruguay (National Union of Metal Workers and Allied Branches of the PIT-CNT), and many others from the Spanish state (neighbours' associations, AST, CIG, Col lectiu “Ronda de Abogados”, COBAS, COS (Labor Class Coordination), CSU-Extremadura, Aragon CUT, FAVB, FSOC, Taifa Economists Group, IAC, Intersindical Canaria, Intersindical CSC, Intersindical Valenciana, Jubiqué, Justicia Existe, LAB, PCPC-PCPE, Union of Architects, bank unionists,SIndicato Ferroviario-Intersindical).
Furthermore, thanks to the excellent collective dynamics, at the end of the Congress we could make make a first meeting of the new management team elected. So we advanced work and saved the expenses of a meeting outside the Congress on future dates (travel and accommodation, plus simultaneous translation resources). In this meeting working criteria of the new direction team and the dates for Regional Conferences (if possible in a year) were approved. Comrade President, Dimos Koumpouris, will write the minutes of this first meeting reflecting the agreements adopted in it.
The new Secretary General could do many bilateral meetings with most of the delegations present. In them, the will to start working right away in every country and on every continent was demonstrated.Some (Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Cuba, Ecuador, Gabon, Greece, India and DR Congo), before we spread this assessment, have already been put to work to meet the agreements.
We'd like to finish by by thanking the WFTU Secretariat's support ( including interpreters, which eventually offered 4-language simultaneous translation: English, French, Greek and Spanish) and acknowledging the amazing work of all volunteers (59 in total, and some worked in various subjects) who militantly assured the organization (8), transportation (22) meals (14) and translation (20) either simultaneously or in written texts.
Barcelona, March 2014.
On behalf of the Executive Board and the Secretariat of the P&R TUI of the WFTU
Dimos Koumpouris President
Quim Boix Secretary General
TUI (TradeUnion International) of Pensioners and Retired Persons (R & P) of the WFTU
http://www.wftucentral.org/?language=es
http://www.pensionistas.info/web/es
ANNEX 1:
Elected direction:
President: Dimos Koumpouris of PAME (Greece).
Secretary-General: Quim Boix, CSU H & Js (Spain).
Deputy Secretary-General: Jean Marie N'Guema, CGT (Gabon).
Vice President for Africa Lazare Kimankata, TCC (Dem. Rep. Congo).
Vice President for America: Martha Hervas, the CTE (Ecuador).
Vice President for Asia: Mohan Bahadur, ENSA (Nepal).
Vice President for Europe: Vladimir Kapuralin, Pensioners (Croatia)
Vice President for the Middle East: Abdul Abbas, the Alba Labour Union (Bahrain).
Secr. Organization: D. Gopalakrishnan, All India BSNL (India).
Secr. Finance: José María Lucas, CSU H & Js (Spain).
Secr. Health and Social Security: Frank Goldsmith, of WFTU North (USA).
Secr. Propaganda: Danielle Gautier, the Front Synd. Classe (France).
Secr. Genre: Emiddia Papi, USB (Italy).
Secr. Union Training: Fred Krausert, Maritime Union (Australia).
Technical and Research Commission:
Mark Wolman, CTA (Argentina).
Narayanan Namboodiri, CITU (India).
Lázara Santiago, CTC (Cuba).
Panagiotis Palmos, PAME (Greece).
Roger Perret, the UIS Food (France).
Miguel Guerrero, CSU H & Js (Spain).
A union leader from Senegal.
Other union leaders which are eventually proposed and approved.
Financial Control Commission:
President: Costas Skarparis of PEO (Cyprus)
Secretary: a union leader from Asia.
Secretary: a union leader from Africa.
IMPORTANT NOTE -. The WFTU Secretariat should help us narrow the names not yet specified of the previous management team. I have personally contacted those people elected who didn0t attend the Congress.
ANNEX 2:
Countries present ( number of delegatesin brackets):
For the WFTU Secretariat, Comrade Gilda Chacón of Cuba
Africa: Gabon (1) and Democratic Republic of Congo (1).
America: Argentina (1) Brazil (2), Colombia (1) Cuba (1), Ecuador (1) Mexico (4).
Asia: India (3) and Nepal (2).
Oceania: Australia (1).
Middle East: Bahrain (2).
Europe: Croatia (1) Cyprus (1) Denmark (1), Spain (27), France (6), Great Britain (1), Greece (4), and Portugal (1).
64 people from 20 countries
Countries that ultimately could not attend against their will and foresight:
Africa: Algeria (2) Mauritius (1) Niger (2) Senegal (2) Somalia (2).
America: Ecuador (3) USA (1) Panama (1) Uruguay (1) Venezuela (1).
Asia: India (1) Nepal (1) Pakistan (2).
Oceania: Australia (1).
Europe: Belarus (2), Italy (1), Hungary (1) Romania (1) and Turkish Cypriots (2).
Total 28 people absent for various reasons from 19 countries.
ANNEX 3.-
Economic balance of revenue and expenditure
Total income: € 14,478.02
Received from :
Help bonus: € 1,884.32 - 123 contributors
Deposits on the account: € 3,600 - 4 trade unions from Spain
Individual contributions: € 8,550 - 58 persons
Contributions with materials: € 443.70 - 8 contributors
More of that, some contributions from trade unions and some people haven't been counted (photocopies, transport, translations, help in the kitchen, etc.).
Total expenses : € 13,980.66
Divided into :
Hotel: € 6,474.00
Food: € 2,095.35
Devices of simultaneous translation: € 1,833.15
Transport : € 1,231.78
Private cars* : € 963.48
Materials: € 650.14
Informatics: € 105.65
Gifts: € 611.96
Financial Expenses: € 15.15
Delegations provided as help: € 2,359.13
Real expense paid by the CSU PyJ (Central Trade Union of pensioners): € 11,621.53
BALANCE WHICH THE NEW UIS STARTS WITH: € 2,856.49
* There are still pending the expenses of some private cars.
ANNEX 4.- PRESS RELEASE
THE TRADE UNIONS INTERNATIONAL (TUI) OF PENSIONERS AND RETIREES (P&R) HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
From February 4th to 6th, 2014, the opening Congress of the INTERNATIONAL OF TRADE UNIONS OF PENSIONERS AND RETIREES was held in Barcelona, Spain, with the participation of more than 70 delegates from 21 countries.
The Congress was preceded by a meeting of the Congress ‘delegates with several organizations based in Spain. The meeting was held at the Engineers College of Barcelona. Comrade Quim Boix greeted the Éngineers´College for its support to this meeting and also recognizes the various messages received for support, compromise and solidarity with the FSM and with the new Trade Unions International (TUI).
During its two working days, the Congress appealed for the much needed international unity of pensioners and retirees in its struggle to stop the current cuts in public pensions; against the high prices of food, health and basic services; for the right to decent and proper housing and for a better quality of life, as this policies can be changed only by the suppression of the capitalist system, as capitalism is not an cannot be the solution, for capitalism is the main force behind these offensive against Pensioners and Retirees (P&R).
All guests and participants at the Congress gave their greetings and congratulations to the WFTU for its aim and for being the only TUI organization that binds together pensioners and retirees (P&R) at its own International of trade unions in order to support them in its hard struggle for a dignified life along with their rights.
The Congress elected comrade Dimos Koumpouris, President of the Pensioners´Federation of PAME, as President of the new International of Trade Unions. Comrade Quim Boix Lluch as General Secretary of the CSU and member of Presidential Council of the WFTU was appointed General Secretary. Comrade Jean Marie N´Guema, from the Confederation Gabonese du Travail, was appointed Adjutant General Secretary. The Executive Council of the new TUI is also formed by five Regional Vice-Presidents, six Secretaries and two Working Commissions.
The WFTU´s secretariat was represented during the Congress by comrade Gilda Chacón Bravo, from the Cuban CTC, who expressed her greetings and congratulations to the appointed board and delegates and called them to make a true stronghold for the class struggle out of the new International of Trade Unions, pointing out that the foundation of the new International must be just the beginning of the work to be carried out form no won by all of us along with the WFTU.
ANNEX 5.-
The recently appointed Executive Council of the new International of Trade unions of pensioners and retirees of the WFTU was called, along with the secretaries and the directors´ organs, at the end of the Congress. The following decisions were taken:
1.- It expressed its gratitude to the WFTU Secretariat, that made possible the success of the Congress.
2.- It sent its warm class conscious greetings to pensioners and retirees all over the world.
3.- A general appeal was made in order to give direct notice of the decisions taken during the Congress, the pensioners and retirees ‘organizations present at the Congress, the voted regulations, the different documents focused on the kind of struggle to be carried out, the political positions and the several resolutions approved. It was remarked our aim to take advantage of all new media as Internet as well as its working capacities while using at the same time other media (i.e. traditional Press).
4.- The Executive Council calls all organizations so they can discuss and release in their countries the documents approved and decisions taken during the Congress, so they can be known by all pensioners and retirees and by the workers movement in every country.
5.- The Executive council has decided to hold a new meeting in Bahrein in March 2015, thus accepting the invitation made by the representative of the organization from this country, the Workers Union ALBA.
