Millions strike in India, France and Belgium

Some 40 million to 60 million workers held a one-day general strike in India Sept. 29. Five days later, 1.3 million workers in France spent a work day demonstrating. Three days later, on Oct. 7, workers in Belgium shut the country down, using militant tactics like setting up burning barricades on auto routes around Brussels.

Belgian workers block a road near port of Ghent.

While these strikes took place in different conditions, in countries with very different working-class traditions, they had some common themes. They all wanted an end to the attacks on pensions and medical care; they all wanted more decent jobs with decent pay; they all opposed the privatizations, generally called “reforms,” that the world bourgeoisie is pushing as a solution to the economic problems of capitalism.

Another common theme in all these strikes was that the governments in all three countries refused to consider the demands. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt gave the clearest refusal, saying he would carry out his reforms “with the unions if it is possible, without them if necessary.”

In France, all the main trade union confederations, plus the teachers’ confederations and left parties like the Greens, the Communist Party, the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) and even the Socialist Party supported the call for the Oct. 4 protest. This was basically the same coalition that defeated the European constitution on May 29, but with the addition of the Socialist Party. French newspaper and television reported that the actions had widespread public support.

The union representing Hewlett-Packard workers in France was given a prominent spot in some of the 150 marches that took place there because HP had threatened to lay off most of its French work force, even though it had a profit of $6 billion last year. Many more unions representing private employees marched than is usual in labor demonstrations in France, along with unions from the government-managed electric company, trains, subway, buses, banks and post office.

The British Daily Telegraph reported that HP had bowed to pressure from French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and was going to try to limit the layoffs of its French workers.

In Belgium, the General Federation of Labor (FGTB), a labor confederation close to the Social ist Party there, called the Oct. 7 strike. It lacked support from the other two main labor federations, one Christian and the other conservative. Whatever their affiliation, workers in general still followed the strike call, especially in distribution, public transportation and air traffic. FGTB barricades of burning tires on the auto routes around Brussels created massive traffic jams.

This was the first general strike in Bel gium in 13 years. While negotiations were still taking place between the government and the FGTB, the union thought it necessary to put pressure on to increase unemployment insurance payments and to maintain employment in the public sector.

The general strike by millions in India was called by a coalition of unions allied to communist parties that support the Congress Party government. The unions said 60 million people struck, while NDTV, a leading 24-hour news channel, put the figure at 40 million.

By any account, it was the largest trade union demonstration in India in years.

Some 5 million workers in coal, steel and mining took part in this protest.

Air service kept on functioning only because the government ordered air force personnel to replace striking workers in the fire brigade.

The main focus of the unions’ anger was the government’s plans to sell off profitable state-owned firms, to ease labor laws on hiring and firing, and to open sectors like retail and banking to foreign investment.