SP Newsletter No.235
With a serious economic downturn on the agenda many companies have begun to implement job cuts and plant closures in order to reduce costs and defend profits.

Companies across Australia in the manufacturing, aviation, media, finance and retail industries have already announced thousands of job losses. Car companies have led the charge this year with job losses at Mitsubishi, General Motors, Ford and Kenworth Trucks.

These cuts have flowed on to dozens of component manufacturers. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed that 12,000 Victorian manufacturing jobs were lost in June alone!

Australian Reserve Bank Governor, Glenn Stevens said in early September that he expected “a fall off in jobs growth” which will add another 100,000 people to the unemployment queue over the next 12 months. In other words, the worst is yet to come.

What we are seeing is that when the global economy moves into downturn working people pay the price. While the rich scramble to hold onto their already massive profits, ordinary people are forced in to the dole queue or into low-skilled and low-paid jobs.

This trend should be resisted by the trade union movement at all costs. It was the bosses who created this economic mess, they can not expect working people to bail them out of it. As The Socialist has said before: “It’s their system so make the bosses pay!”

Workers in companies facing closures or job losses should demand that the firm open its accounts so that the public can see where the profits of the past years have gone. We can not just accept the boss’s arguments of cost cutting.

At the moment in Australia most union leaders do not have a fighting approach to job losses. In manufacturing the unions generally support economic protection in the form of tariffs or import controls as a way of protecting local jobs. They also call for corporate subsidies to the big employers. Protectionism is no solution to the loss of jobs.

These arguments only lead to nationalist demands and promote the idea that workers should join with ‘their’ government or local bosses to save Aussie jobs. The impression is given that bosses and workers have joint interests when clearly they don’t.

These arguments also give the impression that job losses should be blamed on workers in low waged countries, thereby dividing workers internationally and playing into the hands of the bosses. For socialists neither the ‘free-market’ nor protectionism is a way out for the working class.

Trade unions need to develop a fighting and internationalist approach to job losses. Genuine links should be made with unions in other countries to ensure companies are not shifting off shore to take advantage of cheaper wages.

We also need a plan of industrial action to defend every job under attack. Such a plan should be organised by mass shop stewards meetings in every major town and city.

If companies can’t guarantee jobs on decent terms and conditions then these businesses must be taken into public ownership and used for the public good, not to line the pockets of the employers.

SP election campaign in Yarra

All Victorian Councils will go to the polls on November 29. SP will be running a strong campaign in the City of Yarra. We will be defending Stephen Jolly’s seat in the Langridge ward and we will also be standing Denise Dudley in the Melba ward and Anthony Main in the Nichols ward.

We will need help door knocking, letter boxing, staffing the pre polling booths and on election day. We also need to raise money to pay for the campaign. If you can help our campaign in any way, contact our National Office on 0396399111. For more information about our work in Yarra visit. http://www.socialistpartyaustralia.org/council

Also check out our new Youtube video about the campaign. Many thanks to comedian Corinne Grant for producing the clip.
http://www.socialistpartyaustralia.org/archives/1519

SP financial appeal

SP needs $20,000 to pay for our election campaign and National Conference. Please read this important appeal letter and donate now! Thanks to all those who have already donated. http://www.socialistpartyaustralia.org/archives/1446

News links

Ukraine: Prime Minister blocks President’s early election
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2008/10/15ukraia.html

Britain: Government bailouts - Measures to prop up capitalism
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2008/10/14britaa.html

Canada: Federal elections this week, as economic crisis deepens
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2008/10/13canada.html

Join the Socialist Party

If you agree with what you have read in our newsletter or on our website you should consider joining SP. The Socialist Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth as well as members and supporters in all other states.

We are involved in trade union work and student work. We also run community, anti-war and environmental campaigns. But most of all we want to build a party that will fight to get rid of the capitalist system, the system that is at the root of all of these problems. We fight for socialism - a system that will bring an end to wars, poverty and environmental destruction. To join SP contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a membership application form.

Subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ newspaper!

Support the Socialist Party by subscribing to our monthly newspaper ‘The Socialist’. Subscription rates are only $10 per year or $20 solidarity price. You will receive 11 copies per year delivered to your door every month. You will also receive our email newsletter every week and you will know that you are supporting an organisation that is at the fore of fighting against the capitalist system. To subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a subscription form.

Socialist Party contact details

Melbourne: Phone Anthony on 0396399111.
Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
Newcastle: Phone Samantha on 0249681545.
Perth: Phone John on 0894020728.
Rest of Australia: Phone our National Office on 0396399111.
Rest of the world: Phone our International Office on ++ 44 20 8988 8760.

The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is organised in over 40 countries across the world.

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