A call has been launched to participate in large scale strikes at the beginning of september to fight against the further destruction of social security by the current government. On September 4th dock workers in #Rotterdam, #Amsterdam and #Zeeland will lay down the work throughout the day. The following Wednesday, September 9th, the whole country will be shut down by a public transport and railway strike. The strikes are a response to the government plans to impose cuts on unemployment benefits (WW), disability benefits (WIA) and to raise the retirement age.
Strikes going on the offensive
These #strike actions are more conflictive than before in a number of ways. Previously actions only took place in a part of the day: public transport stopped only in the morning rush hours and the ports only during the night shift. Now the dock #workers won’t work all day and the public transport and rail strike lasts a full 24 hours. The entire rail sector and transportation services will stop at the same time. Buses in both cities and country side will not run, trams and subways will stop and all trains will be stationary. But also technicians and other logistical and infrastructural support staff from ProRail and DB-cargo will lay down their work. The entire rail service and infrastructure will be shut down.
Such a coordinated action has not occurred in the #Netherlands in a long time. What has not happened in the past decade is that the trade unions are calling for strike as a form of protest against government policy. Strikes are usually mainly about sector Collective Labour Agreements and not about political decisions. A choice has now been made to intervene in political decisions, something that has been put forward above all by the members of the unions themselves. It shows that people start to realise their class position and power and use it as a form of in it as counter-power.
Austerity politics is war
The austerity politics of the Jetten government is directly linked to the rising #military expenditures. Former Prime Minister Rutte, now #NATO Chief, announced without shame that #Europe should #finance the increased military budgets with money from people's pensions and by cutting into social security. The Netherlands obliged immediately. These cuts are a further attack on the working class and an offensive in a war waged against us from above.
The strikes on September 4th and 9th are a first active move to fight back. Not only are workers in ports and railways indirectly protesting the increase in military expenditures, they also directly – be it or not knowingly, wanting or explicitly - shut down the weakest link in the military logistics of the war machine in the Netherlands. What activist groups have been trying for years to achieve the workers can do in less than 36 hours. The quality of the actions themselves demonstrates the importance of mobilised workers and the ability of workers' organisation to counter-power and subversion.
Spread, support, agitate!
Let’s actively support the strikes of September 4th and 9th! By joining and spreading the strike itself to other sectors and services. By organising agitation and disturbances in the daily life that will do its best to keep going out like nothing's wrong. By actively supporting the strikers politically and morally. By attacking the institutions of the war machine and capital. By organising ourselves not only to defend our WW, WIA and AOW, but above all to reverse the war waged from above. Let us transform the #war of the bosses and politicians into war against bosses and politicians!
Against (austerity)politics – against the war machine!
Class war now!
https://acties.todon.nl/event/4-and-9-september-steun-de-staking-dolacz-do-strajku-grevi-destekle-support-the-strike
#GeneralStrikeNow #generalstrike #WorkersRights #ClassWar #AusterityIsClassWar #NoWarButCalssWar #eupol EU #austerityPolitics #neoliberalism #capitalism #EatTheRich #FuckTheMilitary #FuckWarmongers #warmongers #workingClass
