CRTURI: Build workplace councils

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-. Unlike the Stalinists, the Campaign for the Restoration of Trade Union Rights in Iran sketches out a working class line - though failing to call for the 'workplace councils' to link together to form local soviets.

Let us ask who is struggling against whom in Iran? It is the imperialist powers through their con trol of the oil and other industries, and the working class.. And what is the present: state of this The working class has shown that by using the strike weapon they can defeat the imperialists even when the latter are backed by an army which has the most up-to-date weapons of any country in the Middle East.

There is a third force, those who sincerely talk about "injustice" and " oppression" but are incapable of seeing that "injustice" and "'oppression"' cannot be wiped out without the destruction of the rule of international capital and its replacement with that of the working class internationally.

These people look to an "islamic solution" to Iran's problems without being able to spell out in concrete terms what this would mean.

. At the same time we have to recognise that although the working class does not yet have a unified leadership it has still managed to lay some fundamental pillars for its own rule, in other words, the workplace councils.

These councils are the foundation for the establishment of the rule of the working people and for the practice of genuine democracy:

Therefore the most imporary socialists is to give all possible support to these councils and to their strengthening.

This means that all Iranian. socialists living outside Iran should return to their country as soon as possible so that they can participate in the work of building these councils.

But it must also be emphasised that these workplace councils are not enough: the working people need a strong unified leadership which can only come through the formation of a revolutionary working class party.

Building such a party needs several prerequisites, one of them being organic relations with the working people; and the workplace council is one of the most indispensable cornerstones for building such a party.

We have talked about the establishment and strengthening of workplace councils-but we should go further, and realise the importance of building such councils amongst soldiers and airmen and the lower ranks of officers.

The purpose of this would be to turn the armed forces into the defenders of democracy instead of imperialism, as they are now.

Those of us who are returning to Iran to carry on our fight for democracy and socialism within that country, appeal to the British working class to continue its sympathetic interest in, and ássistance for, our struggle.

We would point .. out, however, that any solidarity campaign formed for this purpose, if it truly has the interests of Iranian workers at its heart, will clearly speil out where. it stands in terms of the class British workers should beware of Marxist phraseology covering liberal ideas!

There is an argument that in order to build up a "strong and widespread" campaign one should not specify which class the campaign supports.

To put it differently, this kind of reasoning is trying to put forward the idea that a solidarity campaign is above class struggle, which is absurd.

Any campaign which does not make its position clear (...) and does not concentrate its activities around workers' demands will betray the interests of the workers in Iran.

It is these working people who should be the focus of such a campaign, and their allies should be the British working class.

Therefore the main activities of a campaign should take place on the shop floor and not on the university campuses.

Khomeini different. The basic task of the socialist movement is the building of a revolutionary party fused with the mass movement. regime and imperialism.

Such a Front would have the duty of leading the struggles of the peoples against the regime and imperialism; and, while it would make use of all the ordinary ways of struggle, it would, at the same time, under-. take to organise the preparation and leadership of armed struggle against the armed forces of the regime.

CC Statement Jan. 13 1979.

This position, echoing the disastrous Popular Front line of seeking alliances with 'progressive sections of the bourgeoisie' as in Spain 1936 and Chile 1973 is aped by the Morning Star. which on Feb. 14 published the following Tudeh statement:

The revolutionary movement that has brought about the latest events in Iran has united various classes and strata ranging from the working class to patriotic capitalists not enmeshed with imperialism.

We stress the need to maintain this unity in this critical situation, which is not yet secure, and to advance to the building of a new society.

•The movement is deeply anti-imperialist and democratic: It is against the imperialistbacked monarchy against one of history's most savage dicta torships, and against all imperialists-especially the Americans, The Americans plundered our country, they stood behind all the atrocities in Iran. So long as there are American experts in Iran the revolution is in danger. We do not intend to become another Chile...

We-support the Ayatollah because of his programme which is anti imperial. ist. anti-monarchist and, in the present context democratic.

would like to stress the integrity of Ayatollah Khomeini.

As to the efforts to scare Western opinion by absurdities about Islamic law, I can only say that Iran is a sophisticated society. Khomeini has stressed that women are free and must have equal rights with men.

The Ayatollah has also said that it will not model itself on any other Islamic societies.

On the question of our return to Iran, the Tudeh Party was illegally outlawed in 1948.

Members of our party played no little part in recent events. We hope to be able to act freelywithin a short time.

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tant task, and the most urgent one; for all Iranian revolution-