GENERAL RESOLUTION

GENERAL RESOLUTIONS OF THE First World Congress (constituent congress) of the TUI of retired workers

Veteran trade unionist from around the World, all of them members of class struggle orientated organizations belonging to the TUI of P&R of WFTU, have gathered at the town of Barcelona (Catalonia / Spain) in order to celebrate the First World Congress (constituent congress) of the TUI of retired workers and seniors from the WFTU, in order to celebrate the First World Congress of the mentioned TUI. 

The congressional discussions and debates held during the meetings of February 5th and 6th, 2014, have made possible the constituent congress and the approval of the following RESOLUTION:

I.- The first Congress of the TUI, member of the WFTU, takes place in a crucial historical period in which millions of former activists and retired workers from all over the world are expecting for the rising of new ways of struggle in its aim to defend their rights currently under pressure from the attacks launched by the oligarchy of the central and peripherals capitalism as well as by despotic regimes clearly opposed in its social and economic policies to a minimum observance of the most elemental human rights.

II.- The United States, that were the economic winners of the Second World War that had a balance of 60 million dead, launched the Marshall Plan and imposed their economic system helped by the yellow unions and social democrats, in order to stop the advance of socialism in Europe. Europe was now liberated of capitalism and Nazism on the East end, thanks to the USSR. These measurements undoubtedly were an obstacle for the advancement of socialism. There was a rapid reconstruction of the western and an unprecedented industrial development, apart from the creation of the so-called welfare state with the aim of curbing the revolutionary movements of the communist parties. The intention was to convince workers of the benefits of the capitalist system and its economic efficiency on both blocks.

With the disappearance of the former USSR, world citizen’s conditions, especially the so-called middle class and workers have got worse. Capitalism, that does not have the contention of socialism these days, has no problem in ending with the welfare state while giving more power to multinational corporations and financial speculation implementing the economic neoliberalism of Milton Friedman's Chicago Boys. The media, that is all in finance capital hands, make us to believe that there is no other possible system than the one they are imposing, even putting down the political power so that almost no government dares to contradict them as most of them are funded through their banks and receive donations for their electoral campaigns.

Nowadays, the 85 richest families of the planet have more wealth than 3.5 billion citizens, inequalities between rich and poor countries are increasing, but also among all citizens in general. The major economic powers continue sacking the poorest countries of raw materials having no problem in generating ethnic or border wars with the aim of arming both sides and sell them weapons that are paid by raw materials as oil, gas, diamonds, coltan or other.

Even though the capital feels stronger and safer than ever these days, something is moving and this situation is reversible. Examples as the Arab spring, social movements in Western countries such as the 15M in Spain or Occupy Wall Street in the USA, and the advance of the real left in Greece are examples that it is possible. However, in order to avoid these movements ending up being just riots we have to let the youth know the way through our experience. We are millions of elderly people around the world whose rights are being attacked, but also the rights of our children and grandchildren are being decreased and might end up living under worse conditions than the ones of the 19th century. There are just a few that pretend to own the whole planted while the rest of us keep silent. However, we have the power of being the majority, we produce everything and, as money cannot be eaten, we are going to demonstrate them that everything can change and the story can turn the other way round. This founding Congress of pensioners and retired workers demonstrates that no only the youth can struggle for a better and fairer world where there are no classes and no exploitation of man by man, where women and men are equal and there is peace and solidarity between peoples.

III.- Although (depending of past and present different processes) the daily reality of retired workers and seniors is varied in many of its cultural, political and historical aspects,  the common problems are being increased as a consequence of the current crisis of global capitalism. The violence which the capitalist system tends to solve its problems is reaching higher levels when dealing with the retired and pensioner workers. By means of this structural violence the system …. (capitalism) tries to increase its earnings rate by taking away social benefits as well as by undoing social progress, particularly those achieved in the past by retired workers. A common trace of this policy comes defined by constant and deeper cuts in health care systems and in the monthly amounts perceived by seniors. In some countries, crucial and major facilities as the supply of fresh water have seen a severe increase in prices paid by workers of all ages.

IV.- Due to systemic crisis of global capitalism started in 2008 we are now seeing the sharpening process of the difficulties arisen as a result of previous crisis in recent History.

Nowadays, the governments of the economically powerful countries send 130.000.000.000 million dollars to be placed on the economic system of less developed countries. In exchange  to this massive investment, western economies obtain from these countries a net profit near to two trillion dollars through financial speculation, high rates of interest and uncountable devices based on the inequality of international commercial relationship. Other collateral elements make possible this situation, mainly the slave labour of more than 500 million children also condemned to serve as cannon fodder in several armed conflicts all over the Third World.

At the beginning of the present century, in 2011, the external debt of the less developed countries has reached the four trillion dollars mark, more than four times their debt in 1980. In 2000, more than 2.800 million people (almost one third of the global population) lived on a disposable income of less two USD a day, and among them other 1.200 million people was forced to survive with less than a USD a day. In 2014, this figures have become even worst.

V.- At the same time, the populations of the countries belonging to the so called “first World” are suffering an alarming worsening of their living standards. The average unemployment rate in Europe has risen to 12,22 %, with Greece and Spain on top of the list with averages of 27,6% and 26,6%. Supported by the reformist trade unions, the Troika imposes to the working class new and unbearable measures while as part of the same process spreads its military force placing its occupation armies in other continents in tight collaboration with the American imperialism, all this in order to keep the interests of the European bourgeoisie.

At this stage, we claim for the urgent cancellation of the public debt (national debt) of all European countries with the European Central Bank, for the exit from the European Union, the economic and monetary union represented by the common currency, the Euro, and the NATO.

In the United States of America 39% of households are currently suffering several problems related to the unemployment, and almost 50 millions of US ‘citizens depend from the government subsides and social funds for their daily lives. Almost 15% of the US youngster neither work or study… And also in Europe this statistic data are growing.

As a result of situations caused by unemployment, we are witnessing the gradual impoverishing of working class households counted in their tens of thousands, along with rising rates of suicide and other mental diseases and disorders as constant fear and stress directly caused by the lack of jobs.

VI.- From its origins as an offspring from the Old Regime and during its historical development, bourgeois capitalism has been unable to abolish (to end with) the social privileges of the ruling classes over the majority of the populations under their sphere of power (influence). From the Holy Alliance set in Paris (1815) bourgeois capitalism, along with the old monarchies, led the struggle against the working class in a long process in which repression played a basic role; this process was partially halted at the middle of the twentieth Century, but nowadays, and especially from 1991 onwards, has recovered its previous momentum.

VII.- In any case we all now that the world doesn´t remains on a permanent and standing position. From the point of view of the class struggle, the current situation on a global basis comes defined (or conditioned) by great and constant changes that could not have been imagined only six or seven years ago. The bankruptcy of the main capitalist economies of the Western World, especially the crack-down of the Bretton Woods Agreements after the conversion of the US dollar the rising of the Shanghai Organization (OCS), strengthened by the coming of age (growing consolidation) of the countries named / considered as BRICS; the defeat of the plans designed by the US in order to cope with the armed conflict in South Osetia; the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, probably the main investment bank of the United States and it´s wide area of influence; the various interventions in armed conflicts, as the shooting down by the Russian army of the missiles launched against Damascus by the Americans from its bases settled on Spanish territory… confirm the internal rivalries of a new World order  (MULTIPOLAR) as well as the slow decline of the United States of America´s hegemony (also SUPREMACY). Meanwhile, and along with all these facts, there are clear sings of a shifting of economic power from West to East.  ,,

VIII.- A worldwide multi-polar process is currently underway, and this process is driven by the arms race in which different governments dedicate their biggest budgetary efforts in order to achieve the supremacy over weapons of mass destruction as part of their offensive strategies of domination, while other countries are forced to take part in the arms race to defend themselves from external threats from their neighbouring countries. This waste of billion of dollars from public funds is paid by the workers and the less privileged classes while at the same time presents an important risk to the survival of life on Earth.

The TUI and WFTU ´struggle is (currently) aimed to make reality its goal of social welfare. This organizations strongly appeal (demand) to end with the arms race and with the aggressive policies of imperialism as the only way to establish peace and co-operation among countries (peoples), supressing capitalist´s tyranny through the path of real democracy made possible by the socialist model of society. 

IX.- The exit (way out) from the capitalism´s structural and systemic crisis born from the exhaustion of its production capacity could (be only attained in) found two different and opposed ways: the socialist´ society as it was rehearsed in the former Soviet Union during most of the twentieth century – a model still operating in Cuba and in the People´s Democratic Republic of North Korea, or the impose of a capitalist economic model based on exploitation and modern slavery.

Only the gathering of forces (the accumulation of forces) of the working class and popular movements could pave the way to an exit focused on the interests of the working class. This must be the key to put an end to the exploitation of man by man; the socialist way to end with suffering of the oppressed peoples through the liberation of the working class. At this crucial stage we must face a powerful element that blocks the massive class-consciousness: the role played by reformists organizations with its denial of class struggle.
Our urgent task is the recovery of a class-conscious trade unionism through the constant development of platforms for demands useful in the struggle for emancipation and able to bring to the working class a strengthened self-confidence based on anti-capitalist and ideological principles as well as the compromise to become a member of the WFTU, stronghold in the fight against the huge power of the employers all over the world.

X.- The first congress of TUI, P&R and WFTU appeals for mass affiliation of retired workers and seniors to fight for the following common objectives:

1) Organize seniors and retired workers who agree with giving themselves an instrument for the class defence as part of the trade unionism´s model represented by the WFTU in the struggle against inequalities and for the ensuring of a dignified life to all workers – male and female – who have dedicated their entire labour lives to the well being of society.
2) Join our forces and experiences to give further strength to the working and popular movements, to those employed workers whose aim is to create, through mass actions,  the conditions needed to socialize the capitalist´s means of production and for the collectivization of the wealth taken from earth as to ensure workers the enjoyment of the product derived from their´s work force in equal terms for all, so nobody would be the victim of the exploitation planned by the privileged elements of society.
3) We must fight in order to attain our aim to get to every worker in the world a decent retirement income from 60 years old onwards (the retirement age should be improved in the course of the struggle) along with public health care services, proper and decent housing, culture, leisure, the access to public, high quality, transportation system, healthy environment and special care for the disabled.

XI.- This first Congress has approved the launching of TUI of pensioners and retired workers, as member of the WFTU; it has also approved its articles of association and its political and trade union document (available  in ten different languages at the web /www.pensionistas.info/web/es). The Congress has appointed the world leaders of this TUI (formed by veteran trade unionist and internationalist organizers from all over the world). It has also settled its headquarters at Barcelona under the Management of the Spanish branch of CSU / P&R (till the celebration of its second congress), has prepared the necessary meetings in order to complete the Executive Board.

XII.- Hundreds of millions of pensioners and retired workers have now at their disposal a new tool in their struggle for their rights.

LONG LIVE TO WORKING CLASS!
DOWN WITH WAR!
LONG LIVE TO PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM!
LONG LIVE TO WFTU!

Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 6, 2014.