WORLD FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS Athens, Greece 15th October 2011 TO: THE WORKERS OF ΤΗΕARCHELORMITTALSTEEL PLANT IN LIEGE, BELGIUM No "giant" is stronger than the working class united $ 61 billion in 2009 $ 78 billion in 2010 $ 22.2 billion by March, 31 2001 (7,2% increase) These are the revenues of one of the leading global steel industry, Archelor Mittal. In 2010, ArcelorMittal produced 92,629,000 tonnes of steel, of which 37 percent was produced in Western Europe and 11 percent in Central and Eastern Europe. Arcelor employs 95,000 people in over 60 countries. With the excuse of the international capitalist economic crisis, this steel giant has announced the close down of one of its furnaces in Liege, Belgium resulting in thousands of job-losses. The strategy of the transnational company aims to the strengthening of the company in the international competitiveness, the maintenance and growth of its profit by raising its production in countries with cheaper labour cost (e.g the wages in Ukraine reach $500) and the pressuring for even lower wages in Northern Europe on the fear of more lay-offs. The World Federation of Trade Unions expresses its solidarity with the workers of the ArchelorMittal Steel Plant in Liege, Belgium in their struggle and their strike. No "giant" is stronger than the working class united. Brothers, on behalf of the 80 million workers members of WFTU, who live and work in 120 countries, we stand on your side on your fair struggle for your families and lives. In the fire of the struggle, we have to make some conclusions: - The capitalists no matter how many charity events they organize or how many activities they sponsor they are ruthless against the working class, they have no sacred God other than the increase of their profit. - The working class has, especially while the globalization proceeds, to stand united not only in national but also in international level. The coordination and the common struggle with class-oriented strategy is our strongest weapon against our common employers. The unity and the expression of solidarity cannot depend on the short-term strategy of the monopolies or by sectoral, national or other divisions. No one should exclude himself, with excuses such as "I will not be harmed by this attack", from expressing his solidarity to the struggles of our colleagues. The attack against the labor and social rights in the excuse of the capitalist crisis is absolute against the working class, in order to lower the labor cost, especially in the European Union, for the boosting of the profiting of the multinationals. They want to make the working people pay for their crisis. - We have to realize every day, the necessity of a class-oriented strategy of the trade union movement. For example, is a union which votes to accept lower wages, in order to reopen a mill of the same company in Georgetown, USA, a union working for the interest of its members? Or is it working for the interests of the multinational company which wants us to work for a loaf of bread and barely being able to support our families, in order for them to have billions as "cash-flow". - We have to be able to see more clearly the role of the business unions and the sold-out trade unionists in every factory, in every corporation and in international level. The role they play in order to cultivate the spirit that workers and monopolies have common goals and common interests. The 16th World Trade Union Congress held in Athens on April 2011 is addressing the following call to the workers worldwide: The workers' force is their unity in the class struggles for their contemporary needs. Only this way can they terrify the monopolies and pressure for their rights.
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