Argentina: the dictators and their friends

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It is now just over a year since General Videla's military dictatorship seized power from the corrupt and reactionaly government of, Peron's widow, Isabel.

The coup of last March 24 was undertaken on behalf of the capitalists-both those of Argentina itseli and those of the imperialist powers which operate there.

Not that Peron's government was anti-capitalist or anti-imperialist-just the reverse.

The coup was needed because the Peronist leaders had become increasingly exposed in the eyes of Argentinian workers as ruthless agents of capital.

They could no longer successfully perform their role as policemen against the rising militancy of the workers.

"INTERVENED"

Yet at the same time those workers had still not succeeded in replacing the old Peronist leaders of the powerful trade unions with a principled leadership.

This is the main reason why the workers could not prevent the military from seizing power.

After the coup all except seven of the trade unions were "intervened"-that is. taken over completely by the military.

Their leaders were either arrested or else escaped to a comfortable exile, where some have collaborated openly with the military junta in the International Labour Organisation.

But the Junta has found that getting rid of the national leadership and making trade unions illegal does not amount to getting rid of the fighting strength of the labour movement.

The intense repression has not stopped major struggles breaking out.

Where outright strikes have appeared to be too dangerous, workers have resorted to other forms of struggle such as the sabotage of production and go-slows.

"SETTLEMENT"

The major areas of struggle have been the motor industry (with major disputes last summer in General Motors, Fords, Renault and Fiat), the docks (which were paralysed last autumn by a strike) and the electric power industry which has been continuously in a state of crisis for six months.

The electricity workers have been struggling for higher wages and against the regime's plans for speed-up and a longer working week in the catastrophically indebted public sector.

A month ago the regime claimed to have reached a "settlement" with the power workers.

The union, with which the military was forced against its will, to negotiate, agreed to some increase in the working week (though not the new shift system the regime wanted) as long as negotiations continued on other demands.

"SADNESS"

Despite this sudden retreat of the bureaucracy the w orkers are carrying on with a form of go-slow and sabotage which they call "working with sadness" or "working with anger"

Workers' protests have also forced the regime to pi ostpone its to sack 15,000 railway workers.

Even when they are not successful, the recent examples of resistance show an extraordinary will on the part of the Argentinian working class to fight the Junta and its policies.

The actions have taken place in an environment of murderous repression.

RUTHLESS

Both the licenced death squads, the unofficial arm of state repression which are justified as a "healthy and normal reaction" by the Foreign Minister and the official police and army have systematically imprisoned kidnapped and murdered the militants of trade unions and workers' political parties.

They have waged a continuous ruthless war against the two urban guerilla groups, the Peronist Montoneros and the Castroite Peoples Revolutionary Army (ERP).

Repression has also extended the Jewish community and liberal Catholic opponents regime's methods.

A recent study by Amnesty International concludes that the number of political prisoners now known to be in custody without charges is around 6,000.

In addition it estimates that up to 5,000 have "disappeared" into the hands of the Junta.

Thousands of others have been charged with or convicted of trade union and political "offences"

NO COMFORT Yet despite this, the workers continue to fight. And, though the regime keeps claiming complete victory over the guerillas, they too have continued to stage spectacular, politically fruitless, attacks including a near successful attempt to assassinate Videla in February.

There is no political comfort in all this for Videla's junta. And, as a result, the tactical divisions in it are widening.

There are two camps. One consists of generals who want to try to get more civilian politicians (especially of the right wing Radical Party and the Social Democrats) into the government and even perhaps do a deal with some of the union leaders.

The other is made up of those who want to rely exclusively on military rule.

The regime tensions economic policies of the are also intensifying the within the ruling class.

Savage wage control and rapid, though somewhat reduced inflation has, according to the government's own figures, cut real wages to less than a half of their level in 1975.

This has benefitted the exporting capitalists, especially in agriculture, but it is destroying the market for the smaller manufacturers.

And the wage cuts and growing unemployment everyday provoke more resistance among the class.

The situation is one where active solidarity from the world labour movement would help Argentinian workers to put a rapid end to the dictatorship.

COSMETIC

But the scandalous tact is that, pursuing the tactical interests of American imperialism, President Jimmy Carter has taken more action against the regime than all •demonstration through Buenos the reformist and Stalinist leaders of the labour movement put together!

Of course, Carter's recent reduction of military aid to Argentina from $/47 million to #15 million is a purely cosmetic move designed to support the new hypocritical "human rights" tactic of American imperialism.

It will do little harm to Videla and he could dismiss the move with contempt.

But he has not even needed to react to actions from labour movement leaders because nothing has been done.

The torrent of harmless words which has come from the reformists of the so-called "Socialist International" is not enough to drown a fly let alone overthrow a dictatorship.

RED-CARPET

No reformist leader has proposed any action in solidarity with Argentinian workers.

Last year Callaghan's Labour government gave a red-carpet welcome to the dictatorship's Finance Minister Martinez de Hoz and helped him to borrow from British banks.

From world Stalinism, however, there have not even been any words against the dictatorship.

The Argentinian Communist Party did a deal with the junta soon after it seized power: the CP offered critical support if the junta would allow it to continue to exist.

The CP has continued to support Videla, as representing the "progressive" wing of the military, even though its own militants have suffered increasing repression; some of them have been murdered by the regime and many others imprisoned.

The vice-president of the CP youth movement recently said:

«The attacks on the government carried out by the ultras are attacks on the people. In spite of its heterogeneous views, the military government agrees on one point: the sensible and democratic policies that it carries out"

This obscene treachery followed by world Stalinism. Chilean CP leader Luis Corvalan (recently swapped by the USSR for Vladimir Bukoysky) has ostentatiously omitted Argentina from recent appeals for international solidarity against dictatorships in Latin America.

And the Soviet government which welcomed Videla's coup, is now actively trying to block any consideration of Argentina by the United Nations Committee on Human Rights.

cuts.

workers in struggle can a way forward be found.

the Labour Party.

struct the Trotskyist Fourth International.

initiative towards its reconstruction.

General Videla Since the Junta came to power the Soviet Union has become one Argentina's trading partners, purchasing large amounts of wheat and beef.

After Carter's cut in aid, the dictatorship 1s reported to have sent a delegation to the Sovie Inion looking for new supplies o arms.

There is no reason to think tha he Soviet Union will deny thi request since it already supplies arms to other anti-working military dictatorships such as that of Peru.

The labour movement in Britain must contribute to the building of a world-wide campaign to replace the hypocritical words of the reformists with real actions.

These must include a total economic embargo against Argentina, and forcing the Stalinists to end their obscene support for Videla's dictatorship.

No arms for the Junta!

For a boycott of all economic relations with Argentina!

Release all political prisoners Restore trade union and politca rights!

Down military

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SOC SS, Wednesday 13 March, 1977 He described Hickman as a

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ship! _ORKERS