Brazil - April 23, 2023

The first 100 days of the pro-imperialist Lula-Alckmin government

Last Tuesday 11 April marked the 100th day of the Lula-Alckmin government. It was clear that they are governing for imperialism, which is continuing the plundering of Brazil; they are opening the way not only to the privatization of the Belo Horizonte Metroferrovia, but mainly of Petrobras, as well as their willingness to hand over the treasury of the Central Bank, even though they rant against the rise in interest rates, to repay the foreign debt to the IMF, which already amounts to 100% of the GDP.

Imperialism is coming for everything in Latin America. They want Petrobras, water, agribusiness, lithium and all the wealth of the continent. And clearly Lula is ready to hand it all over. This is the government of the bankers and oligarchs, who govern by means of deals with Bolsonarism in the ministries, in Congress and in the governorships, supported by the Armed Forces and the most rancid of the bourgeois justice system in Brazil.

First Lula, in 2018, surrendered to Judge Moro and agreed to go to prison, paving the way for Bolsonaro to govern, while during the latter's 4 years of government the PT governors and their allied parties from Parliament supported each and every one of Bolsonaro's plans. Now during the first 100 days of Lula's government, without a mask, they are keeping untouched the pro-imperialist plans already outlined by Bolsonaro and are moving forward in negotiating the surrender of the nation to imperialism and its transnationals. If this can happen, it is not because the working class has given up, as it continues to stand up and go out to struggle, but because the leaderships of the workers' movement fiercely support Lula-Alckmin and the imperialist plan to plunder Brazil.

A new "Social Deal" to subjugate the workers

The policy of supporting the Lula-Alckmin government from the trade union centers began to be drawn up during the election campaign and on 18 January it was reaffirmed when the trade union bureaucracies of all the centers were called upon by the Lula-Alckmin government and its ministers to set up a "Permanent Dialogue Board". That is to say, a new "Social Deal" that puts the trade union centers under the direct control of the government to secure the state-owned unions tied to the bourgeoisie and to leave out the absolute majority of the working class that is outside the unions, the more than 33 million unemployed and the millions of miserable people in the countryside and the city. The class-collaborationists are once again in the government.

This role has long since been played by the bureaucracy of the CUT, CTB, Força Sindical, etc. During the 13 years of the PT government with the bourgeoisie they supported it fiercely. During the Bolsonarist government, they were on their knees and guaranteed Bolsonaro to be able to impose the bosses' and imperialism's plan of flexibilization, and they butchered every strike and street fight against Bolsonaro. The Brazilian working class never surrendered, the bureaucracy surrendered it!

The PSOL and the PSTU, 100 days
into the Lula-Alckmin government

The PSOL, which campaigned for Lula-Alckmin's candidacy in 2022 and today is in the government and supports it from its parliamentary seats, no longer has any limits. They joined the "Board of Dialogue", after occupying the portfolio of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples with Sonia Guajajara (as another sign of their continental policy in which they support all the governments of class collaboration) and they also joined Sanders, the "socialist" of the US Democratic Party, to support Biden in the US.

In the unions they lead, they have dedicated themselves to blackmailing any attempt at struggle, as in the Vale da Paraíba industries, from the CSP-Conlutas and the Campinas metallurgical union, from the Intersindical, they are preparing to hand them over to the leadership of the CUT.

The last link in this chain of iron control of the government over the trade unions is the leadership of the PSTU that heads the CSP-Conlutas, with which they intend to put this militant central at the feet of the bourgeois state, the government and its ministers.

The CSP-Conlutas leaders, in the case of the Avibras arms factory, where the workers prevented the dismissal of 420 workers in 2022 by occupying the factory, have dedicated themselves to "demanding that Lula intervene and nationalize the factory". (See box on the controversy).

We must break with the bourgeoisie and its capitalist parties that subjugate and isolate the working class from its allies in the countryside and in the city. Open the way to workers', peasants' and people's unity! To fight for land, housing and work.

The CSP-Conlutas and the Intersindical must break with the policy of the "Social Deal" and call to organize the workers to confront the government of Lula-Alckmin and its plans of plunder and surrender to the service of Wall Street.

Enough of fighting divided! Down with the collaborationist bureaucracy of the CUT, CTB, FS, etc.!  From the CSP-Conlutas and all the sectors in struggle of all the trade union centers, of the landless and homeless workers, a National Committee of Struggle should be called, to unite the dispersed struggles and confront the class collaborationist policy of the bureaucracy. To prepare and organize the struggle against the attack of the capitalists and imperialism: let's vote delegates from all factories and establishments to set up workers' and popular rank and file committees and strike commands centralized by region, state and nationally.

Who supports Lula-Alckmin?

The pro-employer policy of the bureaucracy of the bickering bureaucracy of the majority trade union centers, CUT, CTB, FS, etc. is deepening. Not only do they support Lula and Alckmin, the FIESP(São Paulo bosses' Chamber) agent and member of Opus Dei, they are now calling for a May Day, international workers' day, not only with Lula and Alckmin, but they are also calling for such an act together with the governor of Sao Paulo, that is, together with the pro-Bolsonaro Tarcísio. The PSOL, as part of the government, will undoubtedly join this event.

For its part, the leadership of the PSTU has denounced, from the Metalworkers' Union of San José dos Campos and Region, the policy of the CUT, CTB, FS of calling for a May Day rally united with the Bolsonarista Tarcísio. However, before this announcement, it was already clear that it would take place together with Lula and Alckmin, i.e. together with the FIESP. On this point they did not say a single word.

On this May Day:
For a Continental Congress to confront imperialism from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego

The leaderships of the labor movement are embellishing the executioners of the working class and are preparing May Day with them, when dozens of sectors of the workers like the SP Metro workers have gone on strike and continue to organize themselves in order to win decent wages and to put an end to the precariousness of work. As well as the Metro workers of Belo Horizonte who continue to struggle against the privatization of the Metro and train, even calling on all state sectors such as CSN (national state steelworks), Petrobras, etc. to fight together against privatization. While the education workers are preparing to launch a national plan of struggle. No more a divided struggle! Down with the bureaucracy! No more subjugating the unions to the bourgeoisie and its state! Down with the Social Deal!

The CSP-Conlutas must follow the example of the Metroviarios, who have spoken out from FENAMETRO in favor of the struggle of the Peruvian workers and peasants and joined the international call of the National Committee of Struggle of the Regions of Peru. The Subway workers from all over Brazil are ready to fight internationally together with the workers of Peru against imperialism and the coup government of the murderous Dina Boluarte. That is the way for this May Day!

Thus, from the CSP-Conlutas and also from the International Trade Union Network of Solidarity and Struggles, this May Day we must put all the forces of the central to call for a Continental Congress of workers and peasants to strike as one single fist against imperialism from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. To fight together with the insurgent Peru that still fights against Boluarte and maintains its struggle for justice for the martyrs killed in Puno and all over Peru.

It is in a united struggle with the workers of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and the whole Americas that we would have the strength to unite the working class and the exploited of the continent beyond the borders to call for an international day of struggle and a Continental General Strike for them to be one more step in the struggle to expel imperialism from Latin America and stop the brutal repression by its governments and regimes. We must win class independence and workers' democracy in the trade unions! We must unite those who struggle! Down with the class-collaborationist bureaucracy! Open the way to the rank and file workers!

For work, housing and land:
For the renationalization without payment and under workers' control of Vale, Petrobras, Electrobras and all the wealth of Brazil! Expropriation of all the imperialist transnationals without compensation and under workers' control!

Out with the U.S. Fourth Fleet from Peru and the whole Americas! Out with the military bases of imperialism in Latin America! Out with the IMF!

For the working class and the exploited to live, imperialism must die!

Revolutionary Workers' and Youth Committee for Self-Organization, Brazil
Adherent to the FLTI-CI