Subject: The International Industrial Proletariat Takes the Stage!

            Dear friends, dear comrades,

Last week, important steps were taken in Germany towards a workers’ offensive! On Septem-ber 21 a total of 175,000 blue and white-collar workers from the automotive and supplier

industries protested in over 280 locations. The day of action of the Metalworkers' Union (IGMetall) turned into a militant, industry-wide day of struggle and strike action! This is somethingnew. Until now, the workforces of a single plant or corporation have often fought together, butthis time it was an entire industry! Colleagues from Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW,but also from major suppliers like Bosch and ZF, took to the streets.The day of struggle and strike was directed against the all-out offensive of the monopoliesand the government against the workers. This includes, on the one hand, the threatenedplant closures (four at Volkswagen alone), but also the government’s attacks. For example, infuture it will no longer be possible to retire without reductions in benefits after 45 years of work.Cuts are also being made in health care at the expense of the workers and the broad masses.

During the protests the decisive majority of the industrial proletariat took action anddemonstrated the power it possesses when it fights with determination. On that day theunion’s fighting power was unleashed to a far greater extent than usual. Independent initiatives were also taken.Building on this momentum, 175,000 people took to the streets again on September 26 in re-sponse to the call by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) to protest against thegovernment and its plans for drastic social cuts in Germany.

This week of militant struggle would not have taken place without pressure from the rank andfile in the unions and among the workforces, as well as from the MLPD workplace partygroups. In particular, they had been actively preparing for and promoting September 21 for weeks through their constructive work in the union, rather than settling for symbolic actions.People associated with the MLPD played a defining role in the struggles and, in some cases,took a leading role. It is noteworthy that, overall, there was a close relationship with the MLPD,unlike anything previously seen in major union actions. Anticommunism has clearly declined!MLPD representatives spoke to great acclaim over union microphones. The MLPD was theonly party present at the numerous locations throughout Germany. Rote Fahne News, theMLPD’s news portal, provided first-hand coverage throughout the day. In Düsseldorf, GabiFechtner, chairwoman of the MLPD, took part in the Mercedes workers’ rally and a militant workers’ demonstration and delivered a spirited and widely acclaimed speech over the micrphone of the IG Metall union. Decades of constructive work in the unions with persuasion workaimed at making the unions non-party fighting organizations of the working class paid off infull!

Economic and political issues were intertwined. IG Metall had already included the attacks on pensions and the 8-hour workday in its list of demands. The retirement age is set to beraised even further from 67 — to 70 or more. There was also extensive discussion of the threat of war, environmental issues, the future of young people, socialism, or the fight against fas-cism and the AfD. The government and monopolies are pushing for a shift towards arms pro-duction. There is widespread outrage over the government, Merz’s arrogant capitalist postur-ing, and bourgeois politics in general. We also sent two MLPD delegations to auto plants inPoland and the Czech Republic to organize international workers’ solidarity.

The German monopolies have thrown their support behind the CDU/SPD government under Chancellor Merz and are demanding that it carry out its attacks on social gains at all costs.

However, raising the retirement age and extending the workweek are deeply unpopular amonthe masses. This government is teetering on the brink of an open political crisis.

In these times the importance of trade unions is growing as fighting organizations of the work-ing class with a non-party character that increasingly oppose the policies of those in power.The fascist threat in Germany is also acute, and the working class is challenged to assume it leading role in the struggle against fascism. The fascist AfD is extremely anti-worker and should be banned! It fully supports the new anti-worker program of the big German monopoly

association BDI (Federation of German Industries).

Many thanks to everyone who sent messages of solidarity on that day and/or helped spread the word about the actions beforehand! This plays an important role in raising pro-letarian-internationalist consciousness among the working class!

These were important steps towards a working-class offensive. In the context of the worldwide pre-revolutionary process of fermentation, this is a very significant development in an imperial-ist heartland like Germany. We have learned a great deal and will build on this!

Please let us know what discussions are taking place in your countries regarding these devel-opments, and what suggestions and thoughts you have. In future struggles, we should empha-size and organize the role of international workers’ solidarity even more clearly. So please keep us informed about developments in your countries!

Forward to the working-class offensive!

Long live international solidarity!

Militant greetings of solidarity,

Reinhard Funk

Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD)