WAC Strengthens its International Ties
Printer-friendly VersionWAC at Conference of Spanish Trade Union CCOO
The Spanish trade union CCOO held its four-yearly conference in mid-December, following a seminar organized by partners in FPS, the fund identified with the trade union. Participants came from North Africa, the Maghreb and the Middle East, and included Assaf Adiv, chairman of the Workers Advice Center (WAC), and Roni Ben Efrat, WAC’s international relations coordinator, who were present at both events.
Our participation in the 9th CCOO conference gave us, as WAC representatives, a rare glimpse into the world of organized workers that has no parallel in Israel or Palestine. In addition to the many conversations we had with activists in this fascinating union, we also had the opportunity to meet many representatives of trade unions from around the world who, like us, had come to participate in the conference.
When the thousand and one CCOO representatives entered the conference halls in Madrid, the strength of the organization could be felt. From the enthusiasm, dress and behavior of the delegates – men and women, young and old they demonstrated a sense of pride and self-assurance hard to find anywhere except within the trade union movement.
Seminar and meeting with trade unions from the Maghreb
Prior to the conference, we participated together with 20 trade union representatives from North Africa, Palestine and Israel in a seminar organized by the “Peace and Solidarity” fund FPS. The seminar was held in a central Madrid building usually used as a museum and cultural activities center. It focused on two main subjects: The first, in which a WAC representative also gave a lecture, debated the obligation of unions to develop new initiatives, civil society organizations, and move away from traditional and conservative methods of activism. The second focused on the ways that trade unions can contribute to political democratization in the societies in which they operate. Here the Spanish union was taken as a role model by those in totalitarian or semi-totalitarian societies, such as many Arab and North African countries.
This was our first opportunity to meet representatives from Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian unions, as well as a few from West Africa – Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Mali. We also strengthened our ties with two prominent trade union activists in the West Bank – Hasan Barghouti, director of the Center for Democracy and Workers Rights, and Khaled Abu Hilal, representative of the Palestinian Confederation of Trade Unions and a member of the Democratic Front.
One of the most prominent speakers was Mustafa Brahama, spokesperson of the Democratic Confederation of Moroccan Workers (CDT). Mustafa spent 10 years in jail for being a member of a revolutionary leftist organization (Illa Ilamam). One of his cellmates was Avraham Tzarfati, sentenced to 15 years.
In the shadow of internal disagreement
On Wednesday, 17 December, the conference was launched in the giant conference hall in Madrid, with a thousand and one representatives from throughout Spain and hundreds of local guests. CCOO was created by the Spanish Communist Party in the 50s and 60s as part of the struggle against Franco’s fascist regime. The union’s history includes legendary figures, some of whom paid with their lives for workers’ rights and democracy. One of legends, Marcileno Camacho, jailed by Franco for many years, was at the conference with his wife. One of the most moving moments in the opening ceremony was when the thousand delegates applauded as a sign of respect for the union’s veteran activists. Portraits of the union’s founders were projected onto a screen – they may have passed away, but their presence, smiles and wrinkled faces could be sensed in the hearts of those at the conference.
Two slogans were emblazoned in the hall: “Work is the pillar of society,” and “Stronger, more beneficial” (mas fuertes, mas utiles). A representative of Spain’s second most important union, UGT (identified with the ruling socialist party), also spoke. Another moment of excitement was provided when around 50 photographers barged into the hall – it was clear that someone of some importance was coming. Sure enough, none other than Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Zapatero entered, the first time a prime minister has been present at such a conference. Zapatero even gave a speech of about half an hour.
The union’s general secretary of the previous eight years, Jose Fidalgo, gave a speech reviewing the union’s many achievements including the impressive growth in the number of members (from a million members in 2004 to 1.2 million today), as well as a list of progressive social legislation achieved. Fidalgo emphasized the close ties between CCOO and UGT and his involvement in the European and international trade union confederations (ETUC and ITUC).
But with the global financial crisis looming over the conference, it soon became clear that the union was divided into two factions each of which was struggling for leadership. One faction supported Fidalgo, who aimed to lead for a further four years (according to the union’s bylaws, the secretary general can retain his post for a maximum of three tenures, a total of 12 years). The other faction put forward their candidate Ignacio Toxo, who has been the leader of the metalworkers’ union for many years. In union branches before the conference, in Spain’s various autonomous regions, discussions were held that generated great interest in the conference and created a lot of tension.
After the secretary general’s speech, the delegates met to formulate their position, for or against the general direction outlined by Fidalgo. Voting began in the evening. Each region is given six minutes to present its position. Those in favor received their allotted time to explain the reasons for their support. However, if the representatives of a region did not agree with each other, each side was given time in proportion with the number of representatives for or against. Thus for example, a representative of the minority (28%) would receive only one minute and forty seconds to present his views, while a representative of the majority (78%) would receive four minutes and twenty seconds. The tension in the hall was palpable and attentiveness at a peak.
The discussion ended with voting, which continued into the night of the 19 December. It revealed an almost equal division of opinion: 512 for Toxo and 484 for Fidalgo. The workers’ committee also revealed equal differences of opinion: 22 voted in favor of the new secretary general, 21 voted in favor of the previous secretary general.
The union’s importance and the sense that the discussion reflects the desire of Spanish workers for a more hardline position regarding the crisis created extensive interest in Spain regarding internal developments. A picture of the new secretary general was in the headlines the following day. The Spanish daily El Mundo claimed that the election of Ignacio represents a leftward turn for the union.
Widening WAC’s international ties
WAC’s invitation to the conference is an expression of the mutual interest between the two organizations that has continued for a number of years. Avi Yehezkel, the Histadrut representative, was present too. However, an understanding is developing among European unions that the Histadrut should not be granted a monopoly in the field of industrial relations in Israel.
Our participation in the conference enabled us to develop new ties with a large number of organizations. The conference and the time spent with delegates in the evenings and during the breaks allowed us to get to know many representatives and begin positive dialogue and cooperation (see attached list of unions).
One of the most important meetings was with Kamal Abbas, the director of the independent trade union center in Egypt (CTUWS), who told us about the development of a workers’ movement in Egypt in recent years. The complete interview with Kamal will be published in a separate document. Kamal was extremely friendly and was delighted to meet WAC representatives. His attitude reflected a progressive position that sees democratic workers’ unions, Jewish and Arab, as allies and partners for dialogue.
The CCOO conference, which took place under the shadow of the global financial crisis and the failure of capitalism to make good on its promises of affluence, placed serious challenges in the path of unions. The strategy of inter-class cooperation between capital and the workforce needs to give way to the struggle for the workers’ consciousness and the unity of workers in creative struggles of global scope to create a just and stable social system.
List of unions and union representatives with whom we met:
•Sette Deong, from the autonomous union of Senegal UNSAS, a relatively new union, considered more independent and leftwing than the main veteran union which is identified with the ruling party.
•Fuse Keisuke from Japan’s Zeroren, an independent union competing with Japan’s main conservative union.
•Pekka Ristela, representative of Finland’s main blue-collar workers’ union SAK. He himself is an outstanding leftist (from the green-red party which has significant representation in the Finnish and European parliaments).
•Carlos Carvalho from CGTP, one of Portugal’s leading unions, identified with the strong Portuguese Communist Party.
•Jean-Francois Courbe from France’s CGT, the historical workers’ union identified with the French Communist Party.
•Gabriele Bischoff from Germany’s important union, GDB.
•K. K. Divakaran MLA from India’s CITU, a union formed by and identified with India’s largest communist party, the CPI-M.
•Jeong Kwang Ho from Korea’s FKTU which offers an alternative to the union controlled by the country’s ruling party.
•We also met representatives of various unions from Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Britain, Romania and Brazil, and other unions from Latin America and Africa.
