Capitalism is dragging humanity into an abyss. Rampant price increases, rising interest rates, collapsing banks and ecological disasters accompany the capitalists plunder of the planet in their drive for profits. Growing numbers of refugees are fleeing from immediate hell to anywhere they can. Meanwhile the war in Ukraine is dreadful confirmation of the ‘final solution’ capital has in store for the whole world. For decades the world’s rulers have gone from one expedient to another to avoid a depression like the 1930s.

Yet, no matter how much they turn the screws on the working class — whose labour produces the stuff they ultimately all make their profits from — they can’t solve the crisis of declining profit rates. This demands the write-off of existing capital values in order to restart a new round of accumulation. The big players are now threatening to overturn the game board and start afresh with most of the pieces kept in their own hands and the games room reduced to smithereens.

As it is, the richest 10% of people in the world now take 52% of all income. Or, put it another way, around 55% of the world’s population survives on 1.3% of the total wealth in the world. Where war and ‘natural’ disasters haven’t already punctured young people’s dreams, ambitions of steady professional careers and a secure future are making way for insecure and precarious (aka “shit”) jobs. Like all decadent societies, mental and psychological problems are on the rise as the gap between media-fed instant happiness and reality becomes a yawning chasm.

Over the last four decades workers have been in retreat everywhere. Now there are signs that something is beginning to change. Across the world, from Iran to Europe, Australia and the USA, millions are striking against rampant price rises and general decline in working conditions. For the moment, however, the majority of workers are still hesitant. The lost decades have left a legacy of low confidence and expectations. In a number of places, like Brazil, many still hope that some left politician will pull a rabbit out of the hat to make life more bearable. But at this stage of the capitalist crisis there is no chance of any general uplifting of workers’ living standards. So our struggle must be more than just a fight for a few more crumbs from the cake.

We Need to Get Serious

For at least two years now workers in the UK have earned respect from others for their militancy in resisting wage cuts, increased workloads and now the intolerable drop in living standards in the face of rampant inflation. Currently it is public sector workers (i.e. employees paid by the state, including professionals like junior doctors who once thought they were above striking) who are making the running but many other battles are being fought from North Sea oil riggers to Amazon warehouse operatives. Whether the boss is ‘public’ or ‘private’, they all say the same thing: “there’s not enough money in the kitty to pay you lot any more”. In the case of the current government led by millionaires and corrupt politicians who hived off billions worth of contracts for their cronies to supply often useless Covid equipment during the pandemic this just doesn’t hold water — especially as the same government has had no problem upping the money it supplies for weapons to Ukraine.

In terms of the number of workers who are ready to strike this is impressive. But it doesn’t take a tactical genius to see that the potential strength of taking simultaneous strike action across union and sector boundaries is not being realised. No doubt some groups can have more impact than others. But how much stronger would we be if workers came together across their union and workplace divisions and agreed on a common strategy and tactics? Instead we have a splintered on/off movement with different unions conducting separate campaigns where it’s only an accident if other workers are on strike at the same time. Meanwhile, any momentum that is gained is lost by the unions meticulously following the UK’s draconian anti-strike laws. (At least one week’s notice to prepare a shall-we-accept-this-offer ballot, never mind the endless palaver before a strike is legally permitted.) So far, this piecemeal approach has made it easy for the government to sit and wait for the movement to burn itself out. Strikes and demos remain only token resistance unless they link up with other workers. Generally isolated workplaces or even regions cannot win on their own. (The supposed gains of union victories more often than not turn out to be less bad losses.) Effective collective action means everyone, regardless of union allegiance, has to actively participate. So don’t expect anyone from the CWO to put themselves forward to be the union rep! On the other hand, strike committees elected by mass meetings (assemblies) of all workers and recallable by them have been the traditional methods of workers around the world to make their weight felt. This is in order that everyone, whatever their job designation, is actively involved and is a crucial first step. However, these are not the only criteria for success in the struggle. Much to the delight of the tabloids in Britain, Macron’s government has beaten back the recent mass movement of workers in France against increasing the retirement age. (Albeit orchestrated by the unions.) The tabloid press here were jubilant but they overlooked the fact that the retirement age here is already higher than it is now set to be in France. The fact is that the only real gains we can make at this point are practical lessons in organising on the ground accompanied by a political awakening and consolidation beyond national borders.

Capitalism is hurtling towards its final response to its economic woes. The point at issue is no less than the abolition of capitalism itself. We can’t do this gradually because we have no economic power to build up within the system. The only thing we can develop is our consciousness of what we are fighting for and awareness of how high the stakes are.

The above article is taken from the current edition (No. 62) of Aurora, bulletin of the Communist Workers’ Organisation. The content of this Aurora is based on the collective May Day statement issued by the political groups of the Internationalist Communist Tendency to which the CWO belongs. See leftcom.org for the full version.

Notes:

A Word on our May Day Banner: This joyful scene hails from revolutionary Russia in May 1920. Despite the fearsome difficulties threatening the working class and survival of their soviet power — not least continued isolation following the defeat of the Spartacus League and the workers' councils (soviets) in Germany, but also desperate food shortages, typhus and other diseases, plus the growing military intervention of capitalist powers bent on suppressing them — the working class could still see a future worth fighting for. In these troubled times of economic crisis and growing nationalism it is essential that the world’s workers realise that today, as yesterday, their combined power can change the world. Long Live Working Class Solidarity Worldwide!