February 15, 2010 - No. 33

Vale Inco

Oppose Monopoly Right and
the Use of Replacement Workers!

Vale Inco
• Oppose Monopoly Right and the Use of Replacement Workers!

Vancouver and Toronto
• Annual Memorial Marches Demand an End to Missing Women

Afghanistan
• What Are the Goals of the Afghan Operation?
• Afghan Surge Begins

Honduras
• "Truth Commission" Amidst Torture and Assassinations - Annie Bird, Rights Action
• National Front of Popular Resistance, Communiqué No. 47

Vale Inco

Oppose Monopoly Right and
the Use of Replacement Workers!

On the occasion of the Family Day protest in Sudbury, TML sends its warmest greetings to the striking workers of Vale Inco and their supporters. TML fully supports the demand of the workers and community that the company must not bring in replacement workers which will put the community's safety at risk. Not only will such activity endanger the community, but it is another attempt to undermine the ability of the workers to wage a successful strike in defence of their interests. Recent production figures for Vale Inco's Sudbury operations show precisely how effective the workers' strike has been and exposes Vale Inco's arrogant posturing that it can simply do as it pleases with or without the workers.

On February 10 at 4:30 am, hundreds of striking Steelworkers blocked access to Vale Inco facilities in Sudbury to demonstrate their opposition to the hiring of anti-worker mercenaries and the cancellation of an Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) hearing of a bad-faith bargaining complaint filed against the company by the Steelworkers.

Members of USW Local 6500 members formed a human barrier to prevent staff, management and contractors from entering the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex. Similar blockades went up simultaneously at Coleman Mine, Clarabelle Mill, North Mine and other Vale Inco operations in the city.

Knowing that the blockade was planned for that day, Vale Inco had already imported replacement workers to run the smelter, the striking workers reported. They outlined their complaints, including charges the company is bringing in replacement workers in vans with blackened windows or in moving trucks without windows in contravention of a picket-line protocol laid out in an injunction the company won against Steelworkers early in the strike.

In terms of the OLRB's role in the labour dispute, the board postponed a hearing into the bad-faith bargaining complaint filed by the union against Vale Inco from February 10 to March 30, allegedly due to a scheduling problem on the board's part. The hearing is expected to last four to seven days.

Another complaint filed by the union with the OLRB was heard February 8. It concerned USW Local 2020's office and technical workers being required to do the work of striking Steelworkers on risk of discipline including dismissal. No date has been scheduled for the Board to give its ruling.

Besides the problem that quasi-judicial bodies such as the OLRB are at not at all neutral in disputes between labour and capital, another problem which the workers are addressing is with the demonstrations is the aim of such hearings. These hearings seek to take the initiative out of the hands of the workers and give it to the employer and the state. How is it that the board can callously bide its time regardless of the impact on the workers and their community while the strike passes the seven-month mark and will have passed its eight-month mark by the time the bad-faith bargaining complaint is heard? Justice delayed is justice denied!

Conscious delay by the company or by the board itself is one of the tools which the employers use in order to wear down the resistance of the workers. The company is allowed to operate with mercenaries and avoid bargaining while workers are criminalized if they take measures to make their strike effective. Compare this situation to the speed with which the courts react when the company requires an injunction to place restrictions on the rights of the striking workers. These cases are heard immediately. Such is Canadian labour law!

In related news, striking Vale Inco workers in Voisey's Bay, Labrador reiterated their contempt for the company's latest offer by voting 100 percent in favour of rejecting it. This comes after a militant action on January 30 where the workers burned copies of the offer.

Speaking with the St. John's Telegram, union president Darren Cove said the union's executive had spent the previous week travelling the province polling its members on an offer from the company. "It just goes to show you the resolve of the membership, You would expect that they would have more objections, but no," said Cove.

TML salutes the resolute struggle of the striking workers and their supporters in their fight and congratulates them on their success in restricting the right of Vale Inco monopoly to carry on as it pleases in contravention of its legal obligations and the safety of the community.

Recent Production Numbers at Vale Inco's Sudbury Operations

Annual Memorial Marches Demand
an End to Missing Women

Vancouver

Between 7,500 and 10,000 people turned the 19th Annual Women's Memorial March into the largest gathering of people since the march was first organized to memorialize the murdered and missing women in BC in 1991. The march assembled at the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings at 1:00 pm. For three hours the march wound its way around the Downtown Eastside stopping at the sites where each of the women was last seen. The march completely filled the major streets of downtown and tied up traffic for hours.

As part of the Olympic-related militarization and repression in Vancouver and attempts by governments and monopoly media to present Vancouver and Canada as a utopia to the rest of the world, the police tried to persuade the Native women's organization responsible for the march to postpone the event, known to be held every year on the same date, until after the Olympics. The women refused, taking the stand that nothing should marginalize such an important issue facing society. The women were strongly supported by many organizations and their determination contributed to the large turnout.

The headquarters of the Vancouver Police Department was one of the stops along the march. The police were condemned for their months-long investigation of the Robert Pickton case during which time another 15 women were murdered at his residence.

Several women spoke about how there must be a major change in society to end the inhumanity to women, not just in Vancouver, but around the world. Time and again speakers emphasized that all human beings must be guaranteed their rights and treated with respect. Some women spoke about the failure of elected chiefs, mostly men, and governments to put an end to these crimes against women and bring the perpetrators to justice. It was noted that most of the murder cases on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are "unsolved crimes." One of the women Elders expressed frustration that after 19 years of marching to make their demands heard, nothing substantial has changed. Young Native women are still compelled by economic pressures to leave their homes to come to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver where they face a precarious and impoverished life, she pointed out.

The march concluded at the Japanese community centre near Oppenheimer Park, the former heart of the Japanese community before its members were interned during World War Two. There people were treated to food, songs and drumming to memorialize the women.

Toronto

In Toronto on February 14, several hundred women participated in the No More Silence Coalition's march honouring missing and murdered indigenous women. Held under the banner "No More Silence: Justice for Indigenous Women," the march took place in conjunction with the Vancouver Women's Memorial March and marches in other cities across the country, including Thunder Bay and London, Ontario. This year's event was the fifth annual one held in Toronto and was also notable for its larger numbers than in past years, in part in an expression of solidarity with the Vancouver march and opposition to the Olympics now taking place on stolen native lands.

The march started at police headquarters to highlight the fact that the state authorities refuse to seriously investigate or take measures to stop the continued disappearances and violence against indigenous women. Speakers made the link between the violence against indigenous women and the Olympic games and the increased impoverishment and violence that the games have brought to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver where so many of these women have died. Participants demanded that action be taken to end the killings, which one speaker characterized as acts of genocide against First Nations.

Speakers emphasized the fact that with the murders of these women they are losing a piece of the future of their nations. They spoke to the experiences of loss by the indigenous peoples since the coming of Columbus -- the loss of their land, of generations of their children to the residential schools and to the Children’s Aid Societies and the loss of their young women and their children yet to be born.

The rally read out the names of many of the missing and murdered women from Ontario and heard the moving intervention of a women elder of the Six Nations whose daughter and the unborn child she was carrying were murdered two years ago. Despite her loss, she underscored the strength and resilience of the indigenous peoples in ensuring the future of their nations.

Afghanistan

What Are the Goals of the Afghan Operation?

TML denounces the latest phase of the NATO surge in Afghanistan, known as "Operation Moshtarak" ("together" in the Dari language) in Helmand province which began on February 13. Even as profuse assurances from NATO that civilians would not be harmed still hung in the air, General Stanley McChrystal, the head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan confirmed on the second day of operations that 12 civilians had been killed when two rockets landed on their homes. With utmost cynicism, McChrystal called the loss of life "regrettable" while claiming efforts would be made to "avoid future incidents."

In launching the surge, the aggressive alliance seems to have taken great pains to announce the details of Operation Moshtarak, including that it is "Afghan-led" and that it is allegedly concerned about minimizing violence and civilian casualties. Publicly announcing the size and composition of one's forces as well as details of its military objectives, never mind phony concern for civilian lives, raises questions as to what is the actual goal of NATO's operation.

An item by Radio Havana Cuba notes the context in which the surge and its associated public relations is taking place:

"All this publicity is served up in the midst of a severe economic crisis in the headquarters of the pro-war group. People speak of a deficit of about $650 million which has caused the discreet dismissal of the civilian staff, and the postponement of other 'non-priority' programs. This also takes place at a moment in which the death toll of the invading forces has reached a significant number. The UK has already reached the figure of 255 soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan.

"According to the British Ministry of Defense the last time this happened was in 1982, in the Malvinas (the Falkland Islands) war.

"Meanwhile, the [U.S.] has lost 984 soldiers, in [a war] which has already turned into one of the longest armed conflicts in the military history of the northern nation. So far, there are no signs which guarantee a successful end for the U.S. forces. [...]

"[S]omething sounds fishy in the media spectacle around the offensive in Helmand. It is true that armed conflicts have changed a lot regarding the media and technology, but in essence, the military doctrine has experienced little change since 1832 when the Prussian General Karl von Clausewitz published the treaty 'On War.'

"To give details of a strategic operation has never been part of these principles, unless, of course, the goals are very different from those announced."

It is well-known that the imperialists have no interest in the well-being of Afghan civilians so any claims of concern can only be seen as an inducement for Afghans to accept a more "humanitarian" foreign occupation, to which Afghans have never submitted in any form. Meanwhile, the peoples of the world also reject the foreign occupation of Afghanistan and are demanding the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops. While the U.S. and other governments claim they wish to ultimately withdraw the troops from Afghanistan, they will not give up their aim of maintaining control of this strategic part of the world. In other words, any "withdrawal" will only be done on the condition that they are able to organize the suppression of the Afghan people through the treachery and opportunism of local proxies.

Given these hollow promises and the murky nature of NATO's "Operation Moshtarak," TML calls on everyone to denounce the latest war crimes being committed and exercise vigilance about what is unfolding in Afghanistan.

Afghan Surge Begins

As a direct result of the surge ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama in December 2009, NATO-led forces have begun "Operation Moshtarak," one of the largest military operations in Afghanistan since the illegal invasion and occupation began in 2001.

"Operation Moshtarak" (which means "together" in the Dari language), is being presented as an "Afghan-led" counter-insurgency operation. Ostensibly, its first objective is to capture the town of Marjah, a town of 80,000 people southwest of the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah. "Marjah is known to be the heart of the region's opium cultivation and drug trade," reports Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera also reports that a total of 15,000 troops are being deployed against Taliban forces in Helmand. Of these, about 60 percent or 9,000 are Afghans from the Afghan National Army, the border police and the Afghan gendarmerie. "Afghan-led" apparently refers to the planning stage of the operation, as these forces are mostly in support roles. The balance of the forces includes approximately 4,500 U.S. marines, 2,000 British soldiers, as well as troops from Denmark, Estonia and Canada.

According to U.S. authorities, this latest phase of the war constitutes a prototype for a new kind of military operation, in which the goal is to capture the area with a "minimum amount of violence." NATO officials have advised civilians not to leave their homes.

However, residents have little confidence in these hollow promises as incidents of Afghan civilians becoming "collateral damage" when killed by NATO "friendly fire" have continued unabated from the start of the illegal war. Residents of Marjah are attempting to flee even though the surrounding areas with heavily mined fields and roads are considered very dangerous.

Despite their assurances, NATO commanders are already preparing public opinion by announcing that the death toll of this operation could be higher than the first operations at the beginning of the invasion in October 2001.

Meanwhile, regardless that Afghans have never accepted foreign domination, news agencies report that NATO and Afghan officials have readied a large number of Afghan administrators as well as an Afghan governor to take over Marjah as soon as the fighting ends. More than 1,000 police are also standing by to ensure the "success" of the operation.

The tactic of trying to put a more human and familiar face on the occupation through the use of local puppets is described by Al Jazeera as "[putting] into practice the new U.S.-led counter-insurgency strategy combining the military objective of eradicating the Taliban with the need to replace their brand of harsh control with civilian authority."

Ali Ahmed Jalali, a former Afghan interior minister elaborated on the tactics by which the occupying forces hope to win support for the foreign occupation: "Marjah is a microcosm of the approach adopted by the international forces to clear an area and rebuild it and win the trust of the population.

"If the Marjah operation does lead to better stability in the area and if that is done properly, that will send a message to other parts of the country." Jalali qualified his remarks by saying that Marjah is only one of 385 districts in the country.

On Saturday, the first day of Operation Moshtarak, 4,500 U.S. Marines, 1,5000 Afghan troops and 300 U.S. soldiers began their assault on Marjah where NATO claims 1,000 Taliban are ensconced.

News reports cite the Taliban saying 2,000 of its militants are in the region. But, Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr reported that: "You hear NATO commanders as well as Afghan officials say that the operation so far has been a success. Yes, they're facing little resistance on the ground, but we have to remember that this has always been a Taliban tactic.

"Even though you hear their spokesmen saying all the time that 'we're going to face the invaders', and 'we're going to put up resistance,' the Taliban knows very well that they cannot face a superior army.

"The Taliban spokesmen [are instead] telling us that one of the choices they have is simply to withdraw and use improvised explosive devices and mines -- in fact, the whole area is booby-trapped.

"Commanders themselves are saying that they are advancing slowly because of the threat of such explosives."

On Sunday, despite NATO's assurances, an airstrike killed 12 civilians when 2 missiles struck their homes. NATO officials expressed "regret" at the incident.

(Al Jazeera, Radio Havana Cuba)

Honduras

"Truth Commission" Amidst Torture and Assassinations

- Annie Bird, Rights Action, February 5, 2010 -

TML is posting below an item by Annie Bird, co-director of the organization Rights Action which details the attempts by the illegitimate regime of Porfirio Lobo to lend itself an air of credibility through a "Truth Commission." This attempt to cover up the coup and other crimes committed by the anti-social oligarchic forces in Honduras is taking place in a situation where crimes continue to be committed against the Honduran people to repress their movement for political empowerment and where the vast majority of the Honduran people, the peoples of the world and their governments refuse to recognize a government elected through illegitimate elections held following the coup.

***

On Tuesday, February 4, Porfirio Lobo, the Honduran president "elected" in the fraudulent November 27, 2009 elections, gave the mandate to create a proposal for a "Truth Commission" to former Guatemalan vice president Eduardo Stein.

The same day, a union leader active in the pacific Resistance movement was murdered, and on February 2nd, two cameramen from the national Television outlet Globo TV were kidnapped and tortured by Honduran state security agents (see articles below).

The unionist's murder and the two journalist's testimonies confirm fears that repression will continue or increase against sectors that express opposition to the Lobo government, report on the ongoing human rights violations or advance the call for a new constitution in Honduras.

On January 27, 2010, Porfirio Lobo was sworn in as president of Honduras in a ceremony attended by few international diplomats, while hundreds of thousands of Hondurans marched from the National Teaching University to the airport to see off the plane that carried President Manuel Zelaya Rosales to the Dominican Republic.

In an attempt to strengthen the very weak image of his government, Lobo has constructed the appearance of what he calls a "government of national reconciliation," including political parties considered to be left leaning, but whom the National Resistance movement has stated that in no way represent the Resistance. Also, as part of this attempt to strengthen his government's legitimacy, Lobo is promoting the structuring of a Truth Commission.

The proposal to create a Truth Commission first appeared in the so-called San José-Tegucigalpa accords, and was an initiative of mediator Oscar Arias. While the National Popular Resistance front and ousted President Manuel Zelaya consider that "accord" to be null since Zelaya was not restored to the presidency, the Truth Commission continues to be promoted by the Lobo government and by the U.S. government which supported the illegal coup regime and supported the original design of the Truth Commission.

Mass mobilization of the National Front of Popular Resistance on January 27, 2010, the day President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country.

Promotion of a Truth Commission in the midst of on-going State repression, without the participation at any level of Honduran society, including the Resistance Movement, members of which have been most targeted for repression (including assassination, disappearance, rape, torture), and direct coordination with the author of the State repression -- the military-oligarchic regime installed after the military coup -- is an attempt to lend legitimacy to those carrying out violations without the conditions necessary to allow victims to clarify the truth.

The Resistance continues to set their sights on the establishment of a National Constitutional Assembly to draw up a new constitution that incorporates proposals from a broad sector of the society. The current constitution was the result of a process that initiated in 1981 following a military coup.

Even as we must denounce the on-going repression and human rights violations, in the short term, and view the "Truth Commission" with extreme caution and skepticism, we must work with and support the Resistance Movement in its medium and long-term struggle to establish the National Constituent Assembly and to refound their country and society.

National Front of Popular Resistance,
Communiqué No. 47

- February 5, 2010 -

The National Front, the Popular Resistance condemns the plans of the de facto regime of Porfirio Lobo Sosa to lay off large numbers of public employees and eliminate or coopt workers' defence organizations.

The National Association of Public Employees of Honduras (ANDEPH) has already received threats to oust the current leadership and replace it with one that is amenable to the interests of the coup.

Such action is carried out within the framework of the oligarchy's strategy to weaken the popular organizations of which nearly all joined the protests against the coup and continue to be a major force asserting the people's claims to restore democracy and install the People's National Constituent Assembly.

The Lobo-led dictatorship, on behalf of a small group of large employers, is aiming at intensifying the implementation of the neoliberal model that allows them to continue to concentrate wealth at the cost of the exploitation, theft and destruction of natural resources.

We call on all members of the Resistance throughout the country and particularly workers' organizations to be alert to the neoliberal onslaught of the oligarchy. We must close ranks against the enemies of the working class.

¡Resistimos y Venceremos!
(We Will Resist and We Will Win!)

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