VICTORY TO THE POLISH COALMINERS’ STRIKE!

VICTORY TO THE POLISH COALMINERS’ STRIKE

HANDS OFF THE STRIKERS

SOLIDARITY IS THE WORKERS’ WEAPON

 

Announcement of the

Organization of Communists Internationalists of Greece (OKDE)

in solidarity with the Polish Coalminers on strike

 

Workers of Europe,

The Polish Coalminers are on strike since January 7, 2015. The Polish government and big capitalists are trying to make workers pay for the crisis of the capitalist system.

The strike began on January 7 against the decision of the newly–elected prime minister Ewa Kopacz, who in the style of Thatcher announced the closure of four coal mines of the state-owned mining company Kompania Weglowa (the largest European coal mining company, employing 64.000 workers in 14 mines and 5 plants), throwing some 5.000 workers on the streets and irreversibly damaging the economy of the country and region (south Poland – Silesia). These closures would only be the beginning of a big attack against the organized nucleus of the Polish workers.

The strike, limited in certain pits at first, met with solidarity strikes of coal miners of other pits and soon embraced all 14 mines. Strikers occupied the pits, blocked railway lines and organized militant demonstrations. On January 17, the parliament voted in favor of the privatization of the mines as a “solution”! Following the layoff of ten workers of a mine, who were on a solidarity strike deemed “illegal” by the courts of law, a national strike in the whole sector of coal mining began on February 2. Participation in the union meetings is massive and decisions in favor of strikes are almost unanimous.

Faced with the prospect of the strike expanding to other sections of workers and also peasants, the “independent” Polish justice declared the strike illegal on February 12. After that, all the weight of the state apparatus fell on the strikes, with police attacking using rubber bullets, water cannons, teargas. At the same time, workers’ unions are being prosecuted and their leaders are potentially facing imprisonment.

The struggle of the Polish coalminers continues and represents a model for the workers all over Europe to follow. Militant strikes, demonstrations, occupations, self–organizing and solidarity are the only way to resist the capitalist crisis and European ultra–neoliberal policies, in the form of “memorandums”, “austerity” or “reforms”. The “democratic” EU does not hesitate to destroy workers, peoples and whole countries in order to serve the interests of capitalists and usurers. Struggles such as that of that of the Polish coal miners and their co–ordination on a European level is the only perspective.

 

ALL IN SUPPORT OF THE POLISH COAL MINERS! THEIR STRIKE SHALL WIN!

ORGANIZATION  OF  COMMUNISTS  INTERNATIONALISTS  OF  GREECE