Forward to 1st of May 2023 – Struggle against price increases and warmongering! Come to ADRV!
Enormous price increases, corruption, armament and warmongering… many ask themselves how they are supposed to go on, how they can live their lives and how can one defend themselves against this. May Day, the international day of struggle of the working class sets itself since its founding against the exploitation and oppression of the people – for another, new world. And this is what is needed!
According to the official numbers the inflation rate is since March again under ten per cent – but in products of every day use, in restaurants, in rent and energy prices this cannot be seen. In the opposite, the price increases in food are on-going and are currently around 30 per cent, higher energy contracts are widely made and the rents will be raised again. The price increases mean a constant loss of wages, an indirect cutting of wages and therefore a deepened exploitation. The union leadership is not on the side of the workers, because it appears satisfied with the cutting of the wages and has taken the theme off the list after the KV-negotiations [KV – negotiation system of the Austrian trade unions]. But not only the workers and other employees, also the one-person-enterprises and small businesses are suffering ever more of the high costs: local suppliers are going bankrupt, small businesses and also pubs have to close, and many stop existing. While more and more people do not know anymore how they should handle the costs, there is enormous increases in profit of many monopolies (for example in energy and banking sectors) and the State treasury is clinking with high tax incomes. In 2022 around 10 billion euros more as taxes flowed into the State treasury than in the year before, mainly as mass taxes. Neither the opposition parties or the union leaders care about the conditions of the population in the tax question. What is needed in this tax load is not a temporary reducing or releasing of the surplus taxes, but in any case the ending of all indirect taxes. And the introduction of progressive strongly rising income tax with the increase of the limit of what you can earn without taxes. The 1st of May is the day of struggle of the workers, other employees and the small self-employed!
The inflation, that did not start with the war in Ukraine, was also aggravated massively through the sanction politics of the EU and the growing war economy. The costs for the plunderous war plans of the rulers are forced on the workers and the people. Increasing warmongering goes hand in hand with the armament and support for the NATO. This is how Austria finances tanks for Ukraine through the “European Peace Facility” and lets around 3,600 military transports annually through Austrian Federal area. Neutrality is clearly history for the ruling class and needs to be demanded and enforced by the people. However, we shall not be fooled by the demagogic speeches of the ”critics” like the FPÖ, because they have during their time in the government contributed strongly, that Austria has subjected to the military plans of NATO. While for example the all-out coverage of healthcare of the population is no more guaranteed, the Federation wants to invest 16 billion euros in the military in the next four years. The sanction politics, the armament and the warmongering serve only the political and hegemonic interests of the USA and EU-imperialists and are against the interests of the peoples. It is also not the seemingly peace-oriented diplomatic ”solutions” which bring the freedom to the peoples, because they are negotiated by the rulers in their own interests. It is the independent and revolutionary struggle of the workers and oppressed nations which can go against the imperialist war interests. The 1st of May is the day of struggle against imperialist war, for the friendship of the peoples and revolution!
The worker and people’s movement has gotten multiple experiences in the last years from which important lessons can be learned. The movement against the corona measures has shown that in the struggle a lot can be achieved already today: no part of the ruling class dares to speak about ”lockdowns” and seeking to win back voters, they must admit the ”mistake”. The decrease of the movement has also shown that there is a difference between a spontaneous protest and organized one. This is also a lesson from the struggle of the workers of MAN Steyr, where the workers were betrayed by the union leadership and their interests were sold. So that the protest can be carried on, organization and consciousness are needed, an self-reliant perspective for the people. A principless alliance however weakens the outcome and the struggle from democratic and social rights of the people. The ”Action for the democratic rights of the people” (ADRV) has shown that it promotes exactly this self-reliant unity and struggle. Differently from for example the KPÖ [Communist Party of Austria; a revisionist party] which avoids all important questions and becomes all the more useless and nonsensical and so deepens its own crisis. Whether it be in the question of the corona measures or the question of tax and price increase or the warmongering of USA and EU, it has constantly trampled the rights of the people. In the hopes of ”governing once as well” it offers the rulers ”tolerable” positions. So we cannot struggle successfully, so we cannot advance! The crisis of social democracy is also a part of the crisis of the political crisis of the ruling class, as it loses more and more of its influence, because it is a system party, a party of capital. The 1st of May is the day of struggle for organization and consciousness of the worker and the people.
While the rulers of the world are in a deep crisis, large parts of the peoples rise up against exploitation and oppression. To highlight is the foundation of a new revolutionary international organization, the ”International Communist League”, which has set as its goal the common struggle of the peoples, to guide and give perspective to the struggles of the working class – for another, a new world! As the ADRV we call to take part in demonstrations on the 1st of May: against price increases and warmongering. Side by side with the millions of the world we defend the interests of the workers and the people!
– Against the price increases: raise the wages!
– End all indirect taxes! Introduce a progressively strongly rising income tax!
– Re-establishment of the neutrality! No to NATO and EU-military!
– Down with the imperialist war, for friendship of the peoples and international solidarity!
– Let us defend our democratic and social rights!
– Up the 1st of May!
WIEN: 11:00 / OPER
LINZ: 11:00 / SCHILLERPARK
