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Upcoming Events FEB 18 Northeast Marxist School
Recent AnalysisFightback supports #Occupy movement: We say, "Nationalize the banks!" After Gaddafi's death: Revolution and counter-revolution in Libya Apathy wins: Half of Ontario voters tune out provincial election Stop Rob Ford’s austerity! For a one-day general strike to reverse the cuts Remembering Jack Layton's legacy: Let's continue the struggle! Fightback's 10th anniversary conference coincides with massive shifts in world situation Weekly Newsletter
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Over the past weeks tensions between Iran and the West have been moving towards a boiling point. The imposition of strict sanctions by the US and its allies is already being felt in Iran and threatens to cripple the economy. Alongside these sanctions, military excursions into the Gulf on both sides, Iran’s test firing of missiles, the assassination of Iranian scientists, the bringing down of an unmanned US drone by Iran, and a constant war of words is threatening to cause an armed clash between Israel and the United States on one side, and Iran on the other.
The past year has been particularly difficult for thousands of workers across Quebec and the rest of Canada. Workers have had to deal with back-to-work legislation, the closing down of various factories, and defeats at the negotiating table. On New Year’s Eve, Rio Tinto Alcan managers met to discuss the rejection of the proposed collective agreement of the three union units at the plant in Alma, Quebec. Overnight, the bosses sent security guards into the factory to remove the workers there — a lockout was declared. The plant employs close to 800 workers and is one of the largest aluminum producers in North America.
With the Arab revolutions, the Euro crisis, the mass movement in Greece, and the Occupy movement, more and more workers and youth are looking for a socialist alternative to capitalist austerity. Fightback Canada, La Riposte Quebec, and Socialist Appeal USA are organizing their second annual Marxist school in Northeast North America to provide Marxist answers to arm militant activists in the struggles to come. (French announcement is also available.)
Even following the removal of the Occupy Toronto camp at St. James Park, the bourgeois media continues to attack the #Occupy movement. In December, Fightback activists Farshad Azadian and Matt Gardner, both of whom actively participated at Occupy Toronto, appeared on CFRB NewsTalk 1010, a popular Toronto talk-radio station. They debate right-wing host Jerry Agar and discuss why movements like #Occupy have arisen.
465 members of the Canadian Auto Workers are currently locked-out at Caterpillar's Electro-Motive Diesel Plant in London. Shamefully, the company is demanding a 50% pay cut from its employees. This lockout cannot be seen in isolation; it is part of a broad assault by the ruling class, who are attacking workers and pushing down wages around the world. This struggle could be precedent-setting and have wide implications for workers across Canada. The entire labour movement must respond.
Twelve months ago, we contrasted the attitude of the bourgeoisie and the working class as the effects of the capitalist crisis played out. The bourgeois have no confidence in their own system, only seeing a dead end. The working class, on the other hand, are beginning to realize their own strength. In the past year, the working masses around the world have risen up and begun to challenge the status-quo. What can revolutionaries look forward to in 2012?
Over 600 transit workers in the York Region area have been on strike, affecting 85 bus routes. For nine weeks, these workers have been fighting with a host of private contractors operating the York Region Transit (YRT) services, to get better wages and working conditions. Throughout the labour dispute, these transit workers, organized in the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) locals 113 and 1587, have pointed to the fact that they are far underpaid compared to their counterparts in neighbouring jurisdictions.
