Support the European March for Jobs, converging on Amsterdam June 1997 1996 saw the biggest wave of struggies across Burope for more than 20 years. Strikes, demonplace against the convergence criteria of the Maastricht reaty and the cuts and austerity programmes they have generated.
It is far from the first time that challenged in this way. There were strikes and demonstrations against cuts in welfare and government aus. terity measures in Italy and Greece soon alter the Treaty was signed, In the Autumn of 1994 there were mass strikes in italy followed by demon. strations in France against cuts in December 1995 saw the huge confrontation in France which shook the Government to its foundations. Millions of workers struck and millions demonstrated across the country against the juppe plan It was by far biggest challenge mounted by the French working class in since 1908 The political climate in which it took nlace was of course very ditterent and the movement of the 90's the mobilisations were even bigger.
1996 saw major strikes in a number of Buropean countries as the governments continued their nego. closer.
Mass strikes
There were mass strikes in Italy, Portugal. Belgium, Greece and Spain while France maintained the highest level of class struple in Europe. In Germany the biggest workers' demonstration since the second world war forced the Kohl government to withdraw proposed cuts in welfare Recent months have seen the biggest European-wide waves of struggles for decades In October, 150,000 metal workers participated in strikes in Germany. At the end of November 3 million Greck workers took part in a one day general strike involving both public and private sector work80,000 French lorry drivers paralysed France with road blocks demanding more pay, carly retirement and tax concessions. It was the most powerful strike action by an individual section of workers in France for years, and at the heart of the private sector. if showed it any further illustration was needed, the massive potental or ac working class in Europe.
Fearing a more generalised social explosion, the French ruling class had to concede the drivers main demands. They won a masTheir struggle inspired truck drivers in Finland to mount blockades on the border with Russia and blockades were set up by Danish and Portuguese bus workers.
On December 11, two million workers struck in Spain against ausThere were demonstrations of 210,000 in MaInspired by the tactics of the small farmers declared "holy war" tis and his PASOK government's austenity poncyThey cut Greece in half by block. ing une roads with taeir tractors. demanding increased subsidies and tax concessions. The government replied saying that there would have to be further cuts in government spending it Greece was to have any chance of meeting the Maastricht convergence critena. and that this was their priority. were first introduced in the mid1980's has the government of the All over Europe working people are fighting back against Maastricht austerity and racist laws EU's poorest member faced such opposition. The revolt of the farmers was all the more painful in that it came from a sector that has traditionally supported PASOK.
On Wednesday December 17 most of Italy came to a halt when 1996 was a year of struggle across Europe. Let's make 1997 a year of International Solidarity millions struck in support of engineering workers demanding higher wages. At the same time there were more strikes in France involving workers, energy supply and theatre and demonstrations in Spain DEE LIS against cuts in public spending.
On December 18 Greck seafarers began a two day strike and tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Athens as part of a public sector strike involving teachers, local government workers, and health workers.
It was the second mass strike within wecks, and with much of the country still paralysed by the farmers' blockades, plunged Greece into further crisis.
Unemployed
The following day, December 19, a campaign by unemployed workers in France demanding increased unemployment benefit led by the two main unemployed organisations 10O SoonSO marches - Agir Ensemble Contre le Chomage (AC) and the Association de Defense et d'Entraide des Chomeurs (AD EC) - won an 11 % increase in unemployment benefit from the government.
This came after a month of direct Maastricht to Amsterdam • Liverpool dockers pledge support to Euro-March • French jobless fight for benefits action by unemployed workers. They had occupied unemployment benefit offices and offices of employers' organisations, and fought repeated battles with the police who These struggles have not yet been renlicated in Britain. The working class and the trade unions here have 17 years than anywhere else in Europe. During the French strikes at the end of 1985 the British media pointed out that such action would oc impossibic in Britain because of the anti-union laws.
Isolation
This is of course a simplification as action can be taken outside the law - but there is no doubt that the law together with the 'New realist' policies of the trade union leaders have worked together in isolating Britain from this European-wide tide of struggle.
If the pace of struggle continues months across the continent, it could well derail attempts to secure European monetary union.
Maximising the likely success and impact of these campaigns raises the need for more co-ordination and united action by the workers' movement European wide. national level and put forward demands aimed at national governments.
The attacks against the working class however are being organised at a European level and a Europe-wide response is needed.
The only initiative concretely addressing this need at the present time is the European march for jobs. It is this which makes the European marches, and the important mespropriate the present political