Arménio Carlos, the communist CGTP Trade Union leader
António Costa has attributed, a few days ago,
an upgrade to his "contraption"-government.
He led this upgrade of a "Tripple A", with a magician´s skill
convincing many skeptics, that two or three months ago,
wouldn´t have given him the benefit of the doubt,
but are currently so blinded by the Prime Minister of virtuosity
and almost already seeing in him as a worthy magician place
in the National Pantheon,
quickly forgetting the essential question
that still remains unanswered:
where does this all leads us to?
In the words of António Costa,
the contraption remains a contraption,
but deserves a "triple A"!
Everyone realizes what took PCP
to venture into the tricky terrain of "bourgeois democracy".
The Communists (PCP) imposed themselves
above the most tangible considerations.
The privatization of the transport system,
which was nearly consummated,
would have been a very serious blow to its Inter-trade Union.
It is true that the Civil Service union belongs to the communists,
but if we exclude the education system
and taking into account that health is more difficult to handle,
a strike by the Civil Service does not generally bother anyone
and nearly nobody notices it.
But a strike of the transportation system in Lisbon,
especially strikes of the metro,
which regularly disrupt the lives of millions of people.
Added to these any other privatizations,
whether in the process or already negotiated
could only weaken the power of the Inter,
and therefore the political capacity of the communists,
sustaining painful stabs in the doctrine,
whose commandments stands condoning nationalizations
as part of the offensive against the Capital Market
and against Private Enterprise,
the three pillars of the evil of capitalism.
The reversal of the most damaging privatizations
and the expansion of the state presence in the largest possible number of companies
are requirements of the communists,
aimed primarily to strengthen the Inter syndicates and, ideally,
convert it into an effective counter-power.
The so-called "strengthening of collective bargaining" serves the same purpose,
aiming to build the Central Union as the privileged interlocutor of the government.
Yes, the government, not the employers' confederations.
It turns out that the Inter Union has a tradition of revulsion
and contempt for employers and their associations.
From this point of view, the contraption, especially with a "triple A",
comes in very handy. What the trade unions can not obtain
through negotiation at the table of social dialogue,
is now possible at the high gate of the Parliament (and therefore the government),
inaugurating a new kind of parliamentary dictatorship
on the regulation of "contractural" relations between Labor and Capital.
António Costa, had already, during the notorious negotiations of "joint positions"
anticipated the fair aspirations of the communists,
proclaiming an "urbi et orbi",
that social dialogue would not served as a so-called "Second Chamber"
(or High or Senate Chamber)
with alleged legislative powers:
the employers' confederations would be heard,
but would have to show reasonable and judicious attitudes,
and resign themselves to a subordinate position,
under the penalty of being expeditiously overcome
by the lower house of the one chamber system.
For the Inter-trade union,
another role of greater political relevance is reserved.
In the front of the trade union is a true cold, calculist apparatchik,
like those to whom a Siberian labour camp could be entrusted.
Armenio Carlos speaks and behaves, as if he owned everything.
He is the right man, for the right place, for the right role, at the right time.
It is this indispensable Stalinist face of an old communist party
which is well-known.
Since the "contraption" became government,
he has hardened his stanch.
"This is not a leftist government
and we still have to work hard to get it to be of the center-left."
Arménio will not rest.
His essential basic function, is to reassure the most conservative bases
of the communists, about the ideological inflexibility
and the political courage of the "party";
preventing that the most devoted member could insinuate
with any doubt that the "party" is soiled by its "right-wing" partner - the socialists,
who have always been considered as a right-wing party
- or could be deceived and overcome by the radical Block skills,
already entertaining" preparing
the "day after" of the "contraption".
(according to the Public newspaper,
20/02/2016).
Methodically, Arménio, began to put the house in order.
Non-communist tendencies organized and tolerated within the Inter-Trade Union
(Catholics and socialists), should henceforth be submitted
to an even more rigorous "unitary" discipline.
Its representation in the executive bodies is and will remain modest.
The syndicate will have to speak with one voice.
Carlos Trindade, leader of the socialist tendency,
speaks of "closure", complaining that the monolithic tendency
which has been defended more vigorously recently.
The minority radical bloc, is aspiring to have a more active voice,
but they are confronted by the steel wall,
with which Arménio protects with overwhelming hegemony the syndicalist line.
The Block and especially the socialists, can hardly understand
how it is possible that Arménio despises the new polical framework
in the Parliament,
which they consider to justify the part played by the Inter-trade union,
of a more cooperative and dialoguing attitude
with a deferential power for the workers and more generous to the poor.
But Arménio sees no reason for contemplations
- unless the government works harder
and comes closer to the syndicate.
In the new political framework, ironically,
runs the risk of creating a harmful illusion,
that the government is now serving the workers.
Therefore, it is even more necessary that they "move and intervene"
to impose their "requirements".
Arménio explains: "We are ready for dialogue, but always ready to call
for the mobilization of the workers."
In other words - as is already happening - the Inter-Union is willing to negotiate,
but will always negotiate under the threat of calling strikes,
causing employers, and especially the government, to bend the knee, to capitulate.
"The space of the Assembly of the Republic has to be enhanced.
And then the bilateral negotiating space with the government
and employers' confederations and social dialogue."
None of this is risk-free:
"Over the next four years
there may be various outbreaks of confrontation".
(Public, 02/26/2016)
Confrontation against a government supported by the communists? Sure!
The Inter-trade-union is an independent and autonomous organization.
Only they can assess each political situation, how and when
and whether they should press the vindicating accelerator,
deciding whether or not,
to "ultimately, advance towards a situation of direct confrontation."
Those who have not read Lenin or the basic manual of communism
think that unions serve to fight for the improvement of working conditions
of the workers. It is a gross mistake.
The unions, in the Communist dictionary,
are training schools and policy management bodies,
using the masses of workers for political ends,
superiorly dictated by the party,
the vanguard of the working classes.
As Arménio confessed, between the lines,
during the governance of Passos Coelho,
the virulence of the industrial action was "to destroy" as much as possible.
(Público, 28/02/2016).
At this time of the "contraption" government,
the objective is to press and to force to get more from the left-wing coalition,
while it "serves as a counterweight to the more radical base of the communists"
(Carlos Trindade).
And while the party, as I read in the press,
consigned special commissioners for each ministry,
it has assumed that to obtain as many changes, as possible,
on the proposed state budget -
before the discussion and the final approval of the State Budget.
In Parliament, the communists plays a bourgeois comedy.
At Inter-trade-union, assaults and blackmails the government.
It has been written once, that the "party",
would squeeze António Costa to the bone.
There doesn´t seems to be any evidence that this assuption have been mistaken.
The communists have already put the restructuring of debt on the agenda,
a subject that could not be more inopportune nor embarrassing
for the socialists. The radical Block, of course,
considered the issue as a "priority,"
at a recent meeting of the "Unitary Platform",
and Catarina Martins confirmed that the radical Block´s program requires,
"a confrontation with Brussels!"
Hopefully, the conservative communist block
will not enter into competition of the disstabilization
of the "contraption" governance,
especially after the Prime Minister, António Costa,
gave his socialist-marxist government,
a glorious "Triple A" classification.
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