We inform you about some of the elements of the political scene of the country and the activity that our Party develops in this context.
1. Last Tuesday, October 1, the National Government adopted a package of economic and labour measures that among other elements includes the following:
a. The elimination of state subsidies to fossil fuels. The American gallon of diesel was raised from $1.03 to $2.30 (123%), and that of regular petrol from $1.85 to $2.40. With this measure, says the Government, there would be a saving of $1.3 billion dollars a year.b. To “protect those who could be affected by the measure,” it said, 300,000 families will be added to those who now receive the so-called Human Development Bonus (known as the Poverty Bonus), who will receive an additional US $15 per month.
c. Companies that receive an income over $10 million dollars a year will pay a special contribution for three years, which would raise US $300 million, which would be “allocated to safety, health and education.”
d. Elimination or reduction of tariffs for machinery, equipment and raw material; automatic returns of taxes for exporters; elimination of advance payment of income tax; elimination of import taxes on technological devices such as cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. and reduction in half of the tax on the exit of foreign currency (ISD) for raw materials, inputs for capital goods
e. Public company workers will contribute each month a day’s salary.
f. In the labour field he announced:
i. The sending to the National Assembly of a labour reform project that contemplates new forms of labour hiring, without the benefits that workers currently have in aspects such as stability. The trade union movement has denounced it as a counter-reform that pursues the precariousness of work.
ii. Occasional contracts in the public sector will be renewed with 20% less remuneration.
iii. The vacation period for public sector employees and workers is reduced from 30 to 15 days a year, as in the private sector.
2. As can be seen, the measures adopted strongly affect the economy of the popular sectors, benefit the large entrepreneurs and, to cover their anti-popular nature, incorporate the issue of the Human Development Bonus.
The first thing Lenin Moreno said in announcing his economic package is that he will not raise the Value Added Tax (today 12%) as expected by statements by officials of the same government.
The rising price of fuels has a strong impact on the cost of various services and products. Fuel up, everything up! It has been one of the aspects denounced and agitated upon in the mobilisations.
3. The social response to the economic package was immediate. The guilds of the carriers announced a national strike, which began on Thursday, October 3. This declaration put the popular struggle on a new level: the repression of the masses came to the surface, the streets were taken over by the young people, the indigenous people, workers, women, residents of neighbourhoods and popular areas, merchants, and peasants. The government responded with threats and violent repression. On the first day there were about 300 detainees, several injured, a partner lost his eye due to the impact of a teargas projectile. The state of emergency was declared and the threats of the defence minister increased. The Army has taken to the streets and roads to carry out repression with the police.The struggle did not stop. On Friday, October, 4 massive actions of the indigenous movement took place in their territories (provinces) and the struggle, mainly of the youth, continued in the cities. The state of exception was overcome with the fight in the streets.
The demands which were raised are summarised here:
* Revocation of the decree that eliminates the fuel subsidy;In the midst of the protests, the National Strike, which had been decided months ago by the United Workers Front (FUT) in response to the government’s neo-liberal and anti-popular policy, took hold. From Thursday we launched the slogan of General Strike NOW!
4. The organised popular movement is acting together. The “National Unitary Collective of Workers, Indigenous, Social and Popular Organisations” (which organised and directed the struggles against the government of Rafael Correa) was reconstituted, in which the main trade union centres, the CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador tr.) and its regional bodies, our teachers’ organisations, students, peasants, the Popular Front, and our headquarters.The Unitary Collective resolved: to call for general and permanent mobilisation; progressive actions of the indigenous movement, which would take force on October 14 and 15; the FUT would call a national protest day for October 9 and also participate on October 14 and 15; and then define the date of the strike.
5. The development of the events raised the need to immediately call the strike. On Friday afternoon the Unitary Collective decided that the strike will be on Wednesday, October 9.With measures like these, much more resources could be obtained than what is proposed with the economic package.
9. We raise a unitary discourse, the call to all organisations and all the people to face government policy. We are organising our forces to make October 9 an important day of struggle, the previous days we will also be on the streets, with rallies, street and road closures, organising the banging of pots and pans (cacerolazos), etc.There is a new mood among the masses of workers and people. As we pointed out at the beginning of this information, there has been an “uncovering” in this repression that has existed for years, in which people were afraid to fight in the streets because of the way in which Correismo carried out repression. Today, thousands of workers, youth, indigenous people, women are fighting in the street, regaining confidence in their own organisation and struggle. We are glad that this is happening in this way, and that we have direct responsibility for the recovery of the popular movement. We are in the front ranks of the fight, fulfilling our political responsibility.
Central Committee Secretariat*******
The peoples of Ecuador have won an important victory with an eleven-day popular uprising. We have pushed back the Government which, with the exercise of brutal repression had been emboldened by the support of the entire right and imperialism, and which thought it could impose the neoliberal economic package. Moreno insisted that he would not step back but had to repeal decree 883 and develop a new one.
The results of this struggle were made possible by the magnitude of the protest, its combativeness and the unity of actiion of the popular forces. We have fought together with the indigenous movement, workers, youth, women, teachers, neighborhood residents, small merchants, peasants. The whole people has risen. It is necessary to highlight the combativeness, the courage of the youth that fulfilled the role of a shock force in these combats, and the action of the indigenous women who, once again, showed their courage.
Our forces have fulfilled their role in this fight, we managed to position them, regain strength, and promote leadership. Our Party, Popular Unity and other leftist organizations have been in the struggle.
The National Strike, pushed from months ago, was an important point on this day. We have played an important role in driving the action of the FUT (United Workers’ Front).
The Government has been defeated, the right has been defeated, the IMF policy has been defeated – at this point.
The image of the Government is totally affected, its right hand men in this crisis totally questioned: Jarrin and Romo. We must continue with the demand that they resign immediately, and we must continue to hit at the image of the Vice President and the Minister of Economy, unmask the brutal repression of the Police and the Army.
The National Assembly is once again questioned.
The fighting peoples trampled upon and overcame the state of exception, the curfew, the misinformation of the bourgeois media.
The intentions of Correismo were not fulfilled, despite their great efforts. His coup attempts were defeated. The image of Correismo is beaten.
It is essential to promote in the people the importance of unity and the struggle in having conquered this victory.
This day puts the popular movement in a new ideological and political situation. There are better conditions for its development. We must make efforts to strengthen our forces.
We must evaluate in our organizations and in mass organizations, unions, associations, communes, cooperatives, etc. what this fight has been and consider new actions. The Popular Assemblies that have been created in these days must be maintained to evaluate the actions and make these organs of debate of proposals and definition of future actions.
We highlight international solidarity, the messages and actions that have been developed in several countries.
PCMLE Central CommitteeTranslated from the Spanish by Vijay Singh.
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