This is the website of the new UIS (International Union of Trade Unions) of the WFTU (World Federation of Trade Unions) that was created in Barcelona (Spain) in February 2014, bringing together the unions (and other organizations with class positions) of the PiJ (Pensioners and Retirees) of the 5 continents of our planet.
The WFTU is the largest world organization in the fight against capitalist exploitation. And also the largest organization that opposes imperialism. There is no other that unites truly class unions (since others sometimes call themselves class unions but support the IMF, International Monetary Fund, and NATO).
The WFTU was founded in 1945, in Paris, joining and coordinating the unions that helped defeat fascism. Already in its beginnings, social democracy (fulfilling its repeated role of helping the bourgeoisie) tried to break the unity of class unionism. At the Founding Congress of the WFTU in Paris, they tried to prevent the WFTU from taking a position against colonialism, which was still widespread in that half of the 20th century.
In 1949, the aforementioned unions broke with the WFTU and created the CSIOL, the International Trade Union Confederation of Free Organizations (which is now the ITUC after adding the unions of Christian origin), which is the one that supported (demonstrating that they were not free organizations, but dependent on big capital) the coup against Allende, Apartheid and the Zionists of Israel (they still have leaders of Zionism in the world leadership of the ITUC).
We, the PiJ who promote this new UIS of the WFTU, speak out with resounding and clarity against yellow unionism, against class conciliation unionism, against the unionism of negotiation without struggle, of claudication in exchange for perks by union leaders.
The PiJ, due to our age, have lived through the union battles of the second half of the last century and we know how, thanks to the WFTU and the example of the working class of the countries that were building socialism, great victories were won over the employers: reduction of hours, holidays, the right to public and free health and education, retirement pensions, improvements in safety and hygiene in the workplace, the right to collective bargaining, union rights, etc.
We have experienced the retaliation of capital (murders, arrests, torture, unfair trials, imprisonments, dismissals, blacklists, unemployment, occupational diseases, avoidable work accidents, labor emigration, etc.) and from it we have learned that only with organization as a class can we achieve great and small victories.
We have seen how the employers bought and corrupted union leaders. The Spanish case is scandalous: those who succeeded the historic leader of CCOO (Workers' Committees), Marcelino Camacho, have sold out: Antonio Gutiérrez to social democracy, to the PSOE, and Fidalgo to the party that succeeded Franco's fascism, to the PP.
But, since its 15th Congress, the WFTU is regaining strength and with the actions of each year on October 3, the date of its foundation in 1945, it has managed to get hundreds of unions from all over the planet to join the International Days of Action against Capitalism.
At the last and 16th congress of the WFTU (Athens, April 2011) among many other agreements, the almost 900 representatives of 320 class unions from the 5 continents, decided to create a UIS of PiJ.
Here is our origin and the basis of our future.
We are going to reinforce the work of the almost 90 million workers affiliated with the WFTU through their unions, country by country. We are going to organize and coordinate the struggles of PiJs from all over the planet. We are going to make it known that while in Europe the rights of the PiJ are being lost (with the support of the ITUC unions for these reactionary measures), in Latin America the demands of pensioners and retirees are being advanced.
We are going to fight so that in countries where public pensions for workers after their working life do not yet exist, there are some and of good quality.
Our goal is to achieve throughout the planet that all employees have a sufficient minimum public pension, which ensures them a dignified life, with free transport, health, care and leisure services (ending the large private businesses that capitalism wants to base on these human needs).
We are going to fight for the end of capitalism, to end the exploitation of man by man.
A world without workers is impossible, a world without capitalists is necessary and possible.
The future of Humanity is Socialism and the working class will build it.
