En relación a [L-I] Argentine unions join forces for nationwide,
el 17 Nov 00, a las 14:09, Johannes Schneider dijo:
> I am sure comrades from Argentina will keep us updated.
> Johannes
I will, certainly. For the time being, what is happening could be summed up like
this:
The De la Rúa government has taken another step towards abyss in a desperate effort
to bring some "calm" to what is known by the media here as "the markets", that is
the imperialist vampires, particularly the NYSE speculators, and their domestic
associates.
Thus, in an unprecedented display of lowliness, we could watch on TV the whole
cabinet waiting eagerly for a fax from the IMF (most probably, sent by some third
rank official) last Friday, at 6 o'clock PM local time (which makes 4 PM at
Washington, that's why I presume that none of the high priests was answering "our"
prayers). This fax provided what has come to be known (and laughed at) as "financial
shielding" in order to "prevent default" in a "climate of consensus".
The fax spelled out the new requests from the financial clique, namely that the age
for retirement be raised for women, that private funds will be the only ones to work
here, that future retirements will be curtailed in at least 200 dollars a month, and
so on. Financial squeezes were to be put on the provinces also, and funds for social
programs would be further jibarized. The government threatened the Justicialist
Party (official "Peronism") that if they did not agree with this plan, things would
become worse still, and though the Justicialists soon gave in, the governors of the
three main provinces of Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santa Fe), who belong
to that party, began a long struggle not to lose control of social aid funds in the
fire that is sweeping all over our country's economy.
In the meanwhile, both the CTA and Moyano's CGT launched a national strike for
Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th, with demonstrations the country over. It is a 36 hour
strike, and I dare bet that the country will be frozen again. The date was chosen
because a delegation of the IMF is coming here those days. Though at first it
perspired that the strike was to be a strong display of power, by taking the whole
of Thursday and then returning to work ON FRIDAY AT NOON, actually this was not the
way it will be. We shall have a 12 hour strike on Thursday, and a 24 hour strike on
Friday.
Most important, the state of consciousness of the middle layers is beginning to pass
from disilussionment to anger, as I can feel among my fellow office workers. I had
commented, some time ago (and Julio had commented in the same sense) that
Argentinian politics was beginning to defrost with the positions taken by Moyano and
his CGT. It is pleasant to see that one's predictions begin to become true.
There is a clear tendency among the lowest ranks of our society to revolt,
inorganically as yet, but consistently. And the revolts are carried on, in a very
important sign, with women at the first lines. At the same time, while part of the
middle classes (the ones less affected by this ruinous policy) are still in
disillusionment, most of them are beginning to radicalize.
A nice cocktail for a Friday evening...
A hug,
Néstor Miguel Gorojovsky
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