Today the people of Jujuy clashed with the brutal repression of the dictatorial Morales regime, which seeks to impose, through blood and fire, the anti-worker, repressive and pro imperialist reform that the Radical Civic Union (UCR) and the Justice Party (PJ) voted together. The unity of teachers and state workers fighting for wages, the piquetero movement fighting for jobs and against hunger, and the native communities fighting for water and their lands has constituted a popular uprising. Those who define themselves as the “doves” and not “the hawks” in the Together for Change (JxC) coalition, have revealed their true face once again. Lithium monopolies and IMF-mandated starvation wages are the priority of the capitalist politicians that rule in the interests of corporations.
The wounded, some seriously, and the arrests, echo the uprising of 2001 or the repression of Pueyrredón Bridge. Same with the cavalry charge. The unemployed worker that was seriously injured by a gas grenade fired directly at his head recalls the murder of Carlos Fuentealba. The holiday decreed for tomorrow recalls the dictatorships that, powerless to ward off a general strike like the one that will take place in the province of Jujuy on June 21, decree a holiday to disguise the strike, demobilize and repress with greater ease.
Jujuy Governor Morales (UCR-JxC) accuses Kirchnerism, President Alberto Fernández and the left with a double objective. Red baiting those of us who support each struggle and denounce the reactionary constituent assembly at all times, and, at the same time, cover their association with the PJ, which contributed all its votes to the reactionary reform. For this reason, we reject outright the proposal of a federal intervention of the province of Jujuy, as has been raised by some sectors of Kirchnerism and others linked to the national government, because it would be a maneuver to confiscate a popular movement by those who govern with the IMF. When it is precisely those ties with the Fund -a responsibility of Macrismo before and of Peronism today- that have generated the current situation with wage strikes in a dozen provinces, which include governments of both Together for Change and Peronism and Kirchnerism, such as Santa Cruz.
We especially highlight that this reform that takes away rights from the majority and guarantees businesses such as lithium to a minority of capitalists, was not voted by JxC alone, it was voted in common by the Morales legislators and the Peronism ones. They all voted unanimously, except for the legislators of the Left Front Unity, who always rejected this reform and withdrew from this farce of a constituent assembly days before the vote. Once again, it has been made clear that only the Left Front consistently confronts all the attacks against the social and democratic rights of the working class and popular majorities.
For our part, we also want to vindicate the people of Jujuy, who for weeks have been waging a huge street fight for all their rights. And that, today, they once again showed an enormous show of strength and struggle, during long hours, facing the repression and defending their right to protest, with great dignity they faced the repression and made their voice and fair and genuine demands heard. And it was an honor for us to accompany this great worker and peoples feat with our candidates for president and vice president Gabriel Solano and Vilma Ripoll and the legislators Romina del Pla and Vanesa Gagliardi, who are in Jujuy participating in that mobilization. Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, Alejandro Bodart, Néstor Pitrola, Jessi Gentile and Vanina Biasi, together with our militants, were part of the unitary march to the House of Jujuy, where the repression and reactionary reform of Morales was also repudiated. In addition, throughout the country our representatives and militants mobilized in support of the people of Jujuy. We also highlight the presence of Eduardo Belliboni and Mónica Sulle, as well as Ileana Celotto and Valeria Filgueiras, leaders of AGD-UBA and Ademys, along with other labor and human rights representatives from the Memory, Truth and Justice Meeting.
Morales’ backtracking on a series of points to save the anti-protests essence of the reform is just that, a maneuver to get the reform passed. But it also reflects the enormous impact of the popular uprising. We call to redouble the support for the people of Jujuy in their struggle against the Morales regime, for salaries that cover the family basket and against the repressive reform.
It is necessary to call an active great national strike, with marches and pickets throughout the country, to accompany the provincial strike in Jujuy and all the actions that its people decide to carry out tomorrow and the following day. The trade union federations that have been complicit with their passivity in these attacks, must stop turning a blind eye and call a general strike until the reform falls. And from the left we have to continue contributing all our labor and social strength to helping organize this struggle, calling for the unity and coordination from below of all activists in each place of work, study and in popular neighborhoods to impose these measures of struggle.
Once again we place ourselves at the disposal of this important political and social struggle that anticipates the country that we are heading to, with new attacks on social and democratic rights. A country that needs the left intervening with all its strength and actively supporting, in the first place, this exemplary struggle of the people of Jujuy.
Workers Left Front Unity
“Unity of fighters and the Left” List (Partido Obrero and MST)