The worst debtors never escape — because interest charges add faster than repayments.
The World Bank reports Argentina as the world's second largest borrower with a debt of $12 bn in DO MEN BENEFIT FROM WOMEN'S OPPRESSION!
Just 60p a copy. Subscribe for £4.50 a year (Britain and Ireland). Send cheques to International, PO Box 50, London NI 2XP. 'A STEVEDORE'S LIFE begins at four in the morning, says the Forum on Human Rights which met 1973. 'The majority live in the "villas miserias"
Shant around the city. It takes up to two hours to reach the port.
Ihrough the stevedores' hands passes half Argentina's trade: your corned beef; the machines vour bosses send to put the beef in tins; and the baggage of the fine ladies and gentlemen who come to tour the sights of 'modern' Buenos Aires. begins; 6hs 6.15 the drama report goes on. 'The foremen are protected bv a high tence as it in a concentration camp, trom where ther choose their workers. The chosen ones are the 'privileged who the worker worker called in the first shift he will have to wait for the 10.15 and 15.15 call, or the last call at 16.15: by then out of thousands who turn up, four thousand will in workless after waiting 10 hours.
"The stevedore is legally under a daily contract If he falls ill, he is not paid Accidents event. The loss of a finger, hand or foot are frequent. Each month two to stevedores will lose thel lives. When someone dies, a bag is drawn over him and his comrades must carry on working because "cessation of labour' is defined as sabotage. If the accident is not fatal, the stevedore must wait hours an ambulance found.' These are the kind of conditions in 'modern' Argentina which deal. tracting foreign investors by the score. It reeks of superexploitation Victorian conditions Bare aggregate figures — a per capital national income of over $2000 -hide the truth workers' is around 30p an hour when work can be found. But what counts as a 'worker' is very different from here. Union leader José Rucci For example, seventy-five Pive in towns cent of Argentinians but over halt are concentrated in Buenos Aires alone, because there is work but because 'agribusiness' has forced them off the land.
Millions live in shanty SuD to IZ 'house': the housing shortage estimated at 2,400,000.
Education is a legal right, but over half never even finish primary school. Amongst workers. two thirds. Infant mortality, at 63 per 1000 is five times that of the USA: but this is an average figure including the rich middle classes whọ can pay for expensive private health. In the rural province of Jujay one in every eight babies dies bee retire at these third OliC without seeing a doctor.
'Drink half a litre of perialists milk a day' says the Argentine ministry of health. Rural consumption figure, and fating, thie figure, and falling. national authorities in study in 1972 to see hor DUCILOS A s conducted a much of his or her wage a worker would have to pay to obtain a 'normal' diet They concluded it was 104 These co devons ne misery ICVUlL. Argentinian working class is angry - and immensely strong In 1946 Argentina's General Peron broke with past military tradition and, exploiting the temporary weakness of the imperialist powers, embarked on a course of 'national development' during built the strongest unions in the Third World. The experiment was doomed failure and in 1955 he wa these deposed by the military invited the imin. But the main. They combine in? things: willingness fight literally to the death against their exploiters:
that behind the puppets that rule them, the source of their misery, stand ite governments, bankers ard business people of Britair Europe and Amenca, Japan.
Socialist Challenge 22 April 1982
- No hiving off in Wandsworth NOT content with Tory councils are attempting to dismantle local services and hand them over to local firms. Wandsworth is one such council and the issue of privatisation promises to be a crucial one in the forthcoming elections on 6 May.
As local parties are workers will be taking industrial action to save services and jobs.
Since 1978 Wandsworth council has destroyca zoo joos ana is now in the process of putting counci servicews contract. Street cleaning nas arredov been aced over Pritchards Industrial Services for a mere £700,000.
This multinational firm was able to bid below cost because it regarded contract 'loss leader' allowing the company to get for te door potentially By D Benlow, branch secretary Wandsworth District NUPE making swingeing cuts, completely canvassing, council lucrative business. Pritchards now want to empty the bins for f2m compared to the present cost of f3m.
Private firms undercut councils simply by paving their emplovee. the most appalling wages and by careless and agreements and conditions that the unions have fought for over the Pritchards began cleaning the streets Wandsworth WILl workers. After 3 years, 58 were sacked. The workforce has been forced to accept compulsory weekend working without additional pay. Anyone who complains gets the sack. In the meantime the council's Suree Cicalisile WOlKCIS have not been redeployed and their jobs al c jeopare Tories now want The to put another S services out to tender. There has oeen uproar in une park: department the parks manager himself has put in a bid.
him and demanding his dismissal.
But more importantl the unions have decided to take industrial action from Monday 19 April against the privatisation of refuse collection in the borough. Last year the council forced the refuse collectors to shed 40 jobs and to completely reorganising under threat of privitisation.
union members have decided enough enough as they see that trying lo ao a deal with ine council works only in the interests of the Tories and their friends.
Taking action HOW right in the middle of an callyalei will highlight the anti-working class schemes of the Tories. Such action can only help the council workers and put this issue in front of the electorate There are some in the labour movement who think that such action will harm chances. Labour. tact will gain more votes, both by openly supporting the council employees' actions and by coming out four square against privausation Wandsworth Labour group icauel, Tony Belton, has been heard to say that a future Labour council would have to seriously consider private tenders. Other Labou candidates have opposed this position Wandsworth council workers are united on this issue: a liaison committee has been established comprising of the manual unions, those the white collar unions and the building workers' unions. It was a joint mass meeting organised committee that the decision was made to take in. dustrial action.
Now all the labour movement, and especiall.
has t the local Labour council electea or such a fight can only be strengthened Lake on the attacks from the Tory