In the midst of the pandemic, contagion increasing in the impoverished sectors condemned to hunger, misery and death by the capitalist system, the slave-owner bosses only protect their pockets, their businesses and profits at the expense of the working class. That is why on May 15 at night, the Moreno government, through its Legislative Assembly, approved the "Humanitarian Law", which is nothing more than an attack on the whole line against the working class, working youth and impoverished sectors.
This “Humanitarian Law” has a duration of 4 years. With the blackmail of "keeping the job" the employer can lower wages, and if this pressure makes most of the workers to cede he can impose it on the rest and those who do not accept will be surely laid off. For example, if invoking "force majeure reasons" the employer can cut the working day in half and reduce 45% of the salary and you do not agree, he fires you like a dog. In addition, the employers can arbitrarily decide the date for the workers to take their vacations. This attack is not only against workers across the line, but would also liquidate unions and collective bargaining.
This law is a copycat of the Pinochetista regime labor laws in Chile, in which the worker “negotiates” individually with the employer, thus liquidating collective bargaining. If this law is imposed in Ecuador, it will be an advantage step for the employers not only to fire workers, but it also gives them the power to destroy the unions. We cannot allow it! If this labor reform is imposed, the bourgeoisie will want to generalize it throughout Latin America!
While the government of Moreno, an IMF servant, condones Repsol, Movistar, Banco Pichincha, etc., more than 2000 million dollars in debts of the bourgeoisie, has just repaid last March 324 million dollars of the fraudulent foreign debt, proving that it only protects the profits of those above. And whenever the exploited rebel against hunger, in defense of health and education, the police come out to savagely repress us in the streets and take us prisoner like it happened to the 4 companions of the Guayas Social Organization (who were released the next day) or to the street vendors who were repressed by the police that also seized their merchandise, or sometimes they take us to prison for simply protesting on the internet. Enough of repression!
However, in these last two weeks, combative youth and teachers have taken to the streets against the cutting of 98 million dollars from the budget for higher education, and thanks to that fight the Moreno government had to temporarily withdraw this attack.
Today, against this cynically called "humanitarian law", the combative youth like the FESE (Federation of Secondary Students of Ecuador) are standing up again and together with the working class, through their organizations such as the FUT (Unitary Front of Workers), the UGTE (General Union of Workers of Ecuador) the FDTG (Democratic Federation of Guayas Workers), among others, have called for a sit-in at the national level on May 18, while the dismissed workers of INCASA and EDESA continue their fight for their reincorporation. We have to unify them in one single fist! Let's fight for student-worker unity on the streets!
Enough of fighting divided! Unity and coordination of the employed and unemployed working class, along with health workers, street vendors, combative students, teachers and poor peasants! This day of struggle is the beginning of the General Revolutionary Strike that the Moreno government, the slave-owner bosses, the IMF and the transnational companies deserve so much.
Let the FUT and CONAIE break with the bourgeoisie! Enough of collaborationist leaders in our workers and peasants' struggle organizations!
The cry of October must return: Down with Lenin Moreno! Out with the IMF!
No trust in the bourgeois parliament and judges!
Down with the IMF, transnational corporations and slave businessmen's "humanitarian" law! Opening of the accounting books of all industries to demonstrate the profits of the bloodsucking bosses! Any factory that closes, furloughs or lays off, must be expropriated without compensation and under workers control!
Reduction of the working day, without a wage reduction, and one more shift in all the factories of essential production, with all the hygiene precautions to be exposed the least time to the pandemic and for the unemployed to enter work!
Expropriation of their lands, mines, oil companies and banks without compensation and under workers' control! There we can find the money for free and quality education and health, plus hospitals and supplies to face the pandemic!
We must call on the soldiers who in October 2019 refused to repress the people and who are on the streets today, to set up the rank and file soldiers committees that would defend the workers and the poor people!
Neither moratoriums nor suspensions of the debt! No to the repayment of the fraudulent external debt!
For us to live, imperialism must be expelled from Ecuador and the entire Latin America! Out with the IMF, OAS and UN, from Ecuador and Latin America!