Source: China Study Group

A newly-installed safety net between dormitory buildings to prevent employees from attempting suicide by jumping off the rooftop— can it really help save lives? (photo by SACOM)

Since the beginning of 2010, a startling ten Foxconn employees in Shenzhen tried to end their lives. Eight died, while two survived their injuries. All were between 18 and 25 years old—in the prime of their youth—and their loss should awaken wider society to reflect upon the costs of a development model that sacrifices dignity for economic growth.

On 18 May 2010, nine mainland Chinese and Hong Kong academics¹ issued an open statement calling on Foxconn and the government to do justice for the younger generation of migrant workers. The statement painfully reads:

From the moment they [the new generation of migrant workers] step beyond the doors of their houses, they never think of going back to farming like their parents. In this sense, they see no other options when they enter the city to work. The moment they see there is little possibility of building a home in the city through hard work, the very meaning of their work collapses. The path ahead is blocked, and the road to retreat is closed. Trapped in this situation, the new generation of migrant workers faces serious identity crisis and, in effect, this magnifies psychological and emotional problems. Digging into this deeper level of our societal and structural conditions, we come closer to understanding the ‘no way back’ mentality of these Foxconn employees.

China’s development strategy throughout these 30 years not only accomplished an economic miracle. It deepened regional inequalities, prolonged stagnation of wages, and deprived migrant workers’ citizenship and human rights. In the following, we first outline the pattern of internal labor migration under the widening gaps between rural and urban economies. Second, we review the recent cases of Foxconn suicides to probe into the working lives of those who struggle to live on. Finally, we appeal to the concerned public to nurture a sustainable community that respects workers’ rights. Read the rest of this entry »

—Written by Members of WPRM (Britain)

“ Only utopians can divorce themselves from the actual conditions confronting them.”
(Mao, On New Democracy)

On the eve of May Day, the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP) published an article entitled “On the Critical Crossroads in the Nepal Revolution, and the Urgent Need for a Real Rupture with Revisionism”  in its organ Revolution (www.revcom.us). This article aimed to refute a document published by the Central Committee of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), UCPN(M), found on (www.wprmbritain.org, please click here to jump to the document).

The RCP letter is subtitled, “Observations by a Supporter of that Revolution from a Communist Internationalist Perspective”. However, because Revolution has published it without any comment or criticism, it is fair to assume that it  represents the RCP’s position on the revolution in Nepal. The UCPN(M) Central Committee’s document is entitled “Present Situation and Historical Task of the Proletariat.” Its contents include:

1. A Short Evaluation of Present Situation [Internationally and in Nepal].
2. On the Party Line and Polarization of Revolutionary Communists.
3. From the Latest Peace Process to the Present: on Party’s Problems and Weaknesses.
4. A Rough Sketch of Immediate Plan.

In this article, we want to oppose the anti-revolutionary RCP line and show the importance of building support for the revolution in Nepal. We will look at the RCP’s thesis of ‘revolutionary movement under revisionist leadership’ as well as looking at the realities of the development of the revolution in Nepal. Read the rest of this entry »

Support Revolutionary Transformation in Nepal: Oppose Imperialist Intervention!

May 1^st in Nepal: rumblings of People’s Movement-3.

On International Workers’ Day, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [UCPN (M)] mobilised between 500,000 to a million supporters to demonstrate on the streets of Kathmandu and then enforce a general strike around the country. The peaceful strike was called off after 6 days because of irresponsible acts of the Nepalese puppet government, colluding to instigate violence on the peoples’ peaceful struggle, and the difficulties this was causing for working people. But the passion and enthusiasm of these hundreds of thousands of people for a New Nepal heralds the beginnings of the Third People’s Movement. Women, different ethnicities, dalits and the oppressed classes took to the streets in support of a federal, democratic, People’s Republic in Nepal.

The people were not only out in support of a New Nepal, but out of anger against the current government, the corrupt and undemocratic representatives of the feudal and comprador capitalist classes. They were on the streets out of anger against the continued influence of the old feudal army and royal family. They were on the streets out of anger against the continued meddling in Nepal by the Indian expansionists and their imperialist backers, the USA and Britain in particular.

The demonstration was organised and protected by the Young Communist League (YCL), the Maoist youth organisation which is proving itself to be the great hope for the future New Nepal. But with the constitution deadline of 28^th May fast approaching, both the opportunities and the dangers for the revolutionary movement are reaching ever higher levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

This article was initially appeared on Red Star, and WPRM (Britain) is very thankful to Democracy and Class Struggle for taking time to transcribe this important article from Red Star.

-by C. P. Gajurel ‘Gaurav’

Secretary of UCPN-Maoist

Communist Movement is an internationalist movement. Goal of all communists, provided they are truly communists, is communism. We should not be confused about vulgar distortions of communism whether it is ‘National communism’ or ‘Euro communism’. Internationalist nature of communists is characterized by the principle ‘either we all reach or none of us’. This is the basis of proletarian internationalism.

International situation is not same as proletarian internationalism.

Apart from the domestic situation, which is decisive, Communist movement is definitely influenced by international situation of the given time. Development of communist movement of a single country definitely depends upon the favourable or unfavourable international situation. Success or failure of revolution of individual country also largely depends on favourable or unfavourable international situation. In many cases, the question of ‘unfavourable international situation’ is being (mis)used by rightists or revisionists to justify their degeneration from a communist or revolutionary to a revisionist or a bourgeois politician. None of the revisionists of the world declare themselves as revisionists; rather they try to show that they are revolutionaries and are still communists. Capitalist class is an exploiter and oppressor class. So it is quite natural that the politicians openly representing the class interest of this class will not be able to garner support from the broad masses.

So in order to garner support of the broad masses, the revisionists, who represent the class interest of the bourgeoisie, disguise themselves as “communists”. They always distort the revolutionary line and situation in service of the bourgeoisie. They are the people who sabotage the revolution from within. Words like “Communism”, “revolution” are the masks of revisionists under which they cover their ugly bourgeois face. Revisionists of this era always prolong or delay or stop the revolution in the pretext of “unfavourable” international situation. They have regular and long time idea which states that no revolution can take place when there is “unfavourable international situation” and for them “unfavourable international situation” is permanent. Read the rest of this entry »

B&W- PDF  version of the leaflet is available to download here.

Neither elite politicians nor bankers; oppose the crumbling British imperialist state!

As the reactionary politicians squabble for votes and the British economy continues to teeter on the brink of a double-dip recession, the day of international working class solidarity May 1^st gives us the opportunity to voice our collective disgust at the corrupt politicians and immoral financial barons that rule this country.

Expenses Scandal: Corruption of Politicians out in the open

In 2009 a major corruption scandal erupted from the Houses of Parliament. Although the political class has done its best to sweep the issue under the carpet, the people do not forget so easily. A stopgap parliamentary response was ushered through with no substance at all, and only four MPs face criminal investigation. But the total cost of MPs expenses added up to hundreds of millions of pounds, and the second home allowance and even more corrupt practices have allowed some MPs to amass huge wealth. Read the rest of this entry »