On the 21st, the president of the Kryvyi Rih Miners’ and Metallurgists’ Union, Yuri Samoilov, made a first presentation on workers’ solidarity with Ukraine in the city of Warsaw. They discussed the challenges of the Ukrainian working class that, without the necessary weapons, has to face the Russian invasion and, at the same time, face the labor reform and the privatizations of the Zelensky government whose objective is to favor the Ukrainian oligarchy and the multinationals. .
This first activity was organized by the Polish trade union center Iniciativa Obrera as part of a tour of eight European cities, organized by the International Trade Union Network for Solidarity and Struggles. See the activity report here: https://laboursolidarity.org/pt/n/2560/turne-com-mineiro-ukraniano-pela-europa-expoe-lutas-a-sombra-da-guerra
This activity took place on the same day that President Joe Biden attended a meeting with leaders of NATO countries in Warsaw. Despite many words of support, Biden failed to deliver the promised Patriots tanks and flak batteries in December. Despite protests outside his hotel demanding the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine, Biden refuses to discuss the matter.
In Moscow, Putin played the victim, saying he will continue the war to annex the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as Crimea annexed in 2014.
Given these facts, it is urgent and necessary to strengthen international worker solidarity.
The next activities will take place in Paris on February 23, Lyon on February 25, Madrid on March 28, Lisbon on March 4, Milan on March 6, Padua on March 9 and Katowice on March 13.
Without bosses or governments: Solidarity with the Ukrainian Workers’ Resistance grows stronger
The Workers’ Aid to Ukraine campaign was launched at the fourth meeting of the International Trade Union Network for Solidarity and Struggles in the French city of Dijon, in April 2022: https://litci.org/es/4-meeting-of- the-network-gathers-close-to-200-activists-and-celebrates-important-advance-of-the-entity/
In the same month, the first workers’ aid convoy was sent to Ukraine, where the “Dimensions of War” Conference was held on May 1 together with the Ukrainian Sotsyalnyi Ruh organization. The 800 kilos of food, first aid kits and generators were delivered to the Kryvyi Rih Miners and Metallurgists Union: https://litci.org/es/csp-conlutas-va-a-ukraine-with-convoy-worker- international-and-delivery-donations/
At the end of September, the Trade Union Network sent the second worker aid convoy with a ton of first aid kits and power generators to the town of Kryvyi Rih, where they met with local unionists and activists. See the photographic report: https://litci.org/es/sindicalistas-realizan-segundo-convoy-de-ayuda-obrera-a-ucrania/
On December 17, the International Conference of the Workers’ Aid Campaign for Ukraine was held, with the participation of more than 200 people from 23 countries. On this occasion, an international solidarity fund (crowdfunding) was launched to help workers during the winter. Watch the video about the activity here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu5XQpVZXVY
The IWL-FI unconditionally supports the Ukrainian workers’ resistance for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire Ukrainian territory, including the Donbass and Crimea. The IWL-FI denounces the imperialist hypocrisy that speaks in favor of Ukraine while sending outdated and insufficient weapons, and preparing “peace” negotiations to hand over part of the Ukrainian territory to Putin. The IWL-FI supports the Ukrainian working class in the fight against the labor reform and privatizations of the Zelensky government, whose objective is to favor the Ukrainian oligarchy. On this first anniversary of the Russian invasion, the IWL-FI published a manifesto pointing out the need for the working class to take the lead in the struggle for national liberation and for its social emancipation, and launched a Ukrainian-language website to spread the ideas of the international workers revolution: https://litci.org/en/lessons-of-a-year-of-war-in-ukraine-only-the-working-class-can-lead-to-triumph /
Translation: Natalia Estrada.