Sudety Ute Argentine Workers

Scan page 3

The military dictatorship seized power on March 24th in Argentina not primarily (as the capitalist press implies) in order to crush the guerilla organisations, but to combat the growing mobilisation of the working class against the capitalist policies of the Peron REPRESENTATIVE This was made clear by Comrade Julio Mendoza, European representative of the Socialist Workers Party (PS1), Argentinian sympathising organisation of the "United Secretariat of the Fourth International"

He was speaking at a meeting of solidarity with the victims of General Videla's repression called in London on October 6th by the Workers Socialist League.

He characterised the coup as totally anti-working class and pro-imperialist. He stressed in particular the need of the Argentinian capitalists to destroy the rapidly growing "coordination committees" through which the workers were fighting the Mondelli Plan, the last effort of the Peron government in March to attack the economic position of the workers..

It was through these • "coordination committees" that the workers were posing a real challenge to the class collaborationist trade union leaders of the Peronist movement.

Since the coup thousands of leaders of these committees have been arrested, murdered OI kidnapped.

And the force of repression has been especially hard on the political organisations of the left.

Many militants of the PST are missing or in prison and in danger of their lives.

But Comrade Mendoza said, a defeat on the scale of Chile had not taken place. The recent wave of militant strikes in the motor industry proved that the ruling dictatorship had not destroyed the fighting capacity of the working class.

STRIKE

This has been confirmed again by last week's major strike in the electric power industry, called after the administration had sacked large numbers of workers, including the most important local union leaders.

Comrade Mendoza attacked the criminal policies of the guerilla organisations, the PRT/ERP and the 'left' Peronist Montoneros, who counterposed the armed struggle of an elite to the mass struggle of the working class.

The Montoneros had consistently pursued an alliance "progressive" sections of tl capitalists. Instead he posed tl need for unity of action against ti dictatorship.

The Workers Socialist Leag speaker argued that the maj, political differences which exi between the WSL and both the PS and the British Internation Marxist Group (which was al represented con the platforr should not stand in the way • united action of those and oth organisațions against the Vide dictatorship.

ACTION The WS stresses the need for campaign of actions and not t verbal solidarity and appeals to tl dictatorship for mercy, which con from the Labour lefts.

Socialists should campaign in t trade unions and other workes organisations to force the Labor government to break all trade ar financial links with anti-worki class dictatorships such as the ol in Argentina.

in particular all arms deliveri must be stopped until the dictato ship is overthrown.

The WS invites all politic tendencies in the labour moveme to join a movement of solidarity c that basis.

Scan page 4

Page 4 SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 20th October 1976