The Communist Party of Malta expresses solidarity with the People of Paraguay

The Communist Party of Malta expresses its solidarity with the people of Paraguay and the ousted Leftist Paraguayan President, Fernando Lugo. “The Palace coup was an illegal move by the oligarchy, who wants Paraguay to return to the days of exploitation by the elite over the majority”, said the Communist Party.

“When Lugo was elected President in 2008, 2 percent of the population, the oligarchs controlled over 77 percent of the fertile land. While the small farmers that represent 40 percent of the population, owned merely 5 percent of all arable farmland. The reason behind this illegal coup was because President Lugo wanted to carry out a land reform programme in favour of the peasants” said the Communist Party.  

“This is the fifth attempt against leftist governments in Latin America in these last 15 years. Starting with the failed coup against the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002, the coup in Honduras against Manuel Zelaya in 2009, the attempted assassination of President Evo Morales of Bolivia, and the Ecuadorian President Correa, which all had the hidden hand of the CIA”, stated the Communist Party of Malta.

Appeal for protection of workers exposed to direct sun.

“The rise in temperature during the summer months should alarm the Health and Safety Authority, Trade Unions and the Malta Employers Association to take the necessary steps to protect workers from the excessive heat and exposure to the sun. “Workers working in the construction industry, roads construction, and beach workers, all should qualify for such protection”.  

   

The Communist Party of Malta believes that measures should be adopted on a national level to introduce the necessarily changes in the working regulations with regards working hours and practices, so that the amount of hours the worker is exposed directly in the sun is reduced.

Presently, a campaign is going on in the United States to protect workers in the agricultural sector. The majority of these workers are Mexican immigrants. Apart from the misery wage that they are paid, a number of these workers during these last years died of dehydration, after long hours working in direct sunlight. Although working conditions in Malta may not be so excessive, work obligation, for long hours in the sun should not be allowed, stated the Communist Party of Malta.

“The half day working hours concept being adopted in the public sector should be extended to the private sector”, concluded the Communist Party of Malta.     

The Communist Party appeals the Government to respect the vote in Parliament

The Communist Party of Malta deems the vote in “favour" for the parliamentary motion presented by the Labour Party against Richard Cachia Caruana, the Permanent Representative of Malta to the EU, as a clear signal for the Government to respect the rule of democracy.

 “The Government should respect the vote in parliament and withdraw Malta from "Partnership for Peace", stressed the Communist Party.

 "As a neutral country, Malta must keep away from military blocs. The PfP forms part of a NATO programme which works independently from the U.N Peace keeping operations. It is a fact that NATO uses PfP to safeguard its imperialistic strategy,” concluded the Communist Party of Malta.

Malta should withdraw from PfP”, Communist Party of Malta

Regardless of the final vote to be taken tomorrow in the parliamentary motion against Richard Cachia Caruana, the Communist Party of Malta said that whatever the outcome will be, Malta should withdraw its membership from PfP.  

The Party considers Malta’s membership in PfP as a flagrant violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Malta. "As a neutral country, Malta must keep away from military blocs".

“The PfP forms part of a NATO programme which works independently from the U.N Peace keeping operations. It is a fact that NATO uses PfP to safeguard its imperialistic strategy,” concluded the Communist Party of Malta.

Government’s figures on employment reveal big problems.

The Communist Party of Malta is highly concerned by the employment figures revealed in Parliament recently, these show that 36.6% (equivalent of 8,775) of the 20,000 jobs created over the past four years, were part-time jobs. These statements indicate that capitalism in the first world is failing in creating good quality jobs for the workers to sustain a decent standard of living.

“This figures confirm that precarious class is also on the rise in Malta”, stated the Communist Party. “In fact national statistics show that many of the jobs created over the last 2 years were mostly on a part-time basis. This situation is also similar across all Europe”.

“The rise in precarious employment, arise from the fact that capitalists want to maximise their profits by shifting investments to the emerging developing countries, where the price of labour is relatively cheap. The present economic system can’t sustain itself to create good quality jobs in the first world”, said the Communist Party.

“The dismantling of COLA and the welfare state, the reduction in regular employment, low wages, the increase in retiring age, reduction in collective bargaining are all symptoms of this neo liberal agenda.”   

The Communist Party of Malta views the present economic situation as problematic. The neo-liberal system has failed and will not find any solutions for enhancing the people standard of living.  “An alternative solution to neo liberalism must be found before the total collapse”, concluded the Communist Party.

The Communist Party of Malta condemns the use of military drones.

The Communist Party of Malta condemns US for introducing a military strategy which is criminal in nature and is resulting in higher deaths of innocent civilian. The Party insists that the use of drone for military attacks should be made illegal. Initially this was used for surveillance and spying. These planes are computer controlled.

“In fact reports by the antiwar movements show that in 2007 alone, US military forces killed around 700 innocent civilians in Pakistan, by its military drone attacks. Mostly the victims were families with children. Up to now in 2012, 165 children have already been killed by this military strategy in Pakistan ”.

“Other organisations like “The Bureau of Investigative Journalism” (TBIJ) stated in every militant killed, 10 to 15 innocent civilians were also killed during these drone attacks”.

The Communist Party is concerned that the use of this new military weapon will eventually be available to other US allies, thus this will result in greater civilian losses. The Party supports the campaign by the anti-war movements and other progressive peace organisations to ban completely the use of military drones.  

Monti -II Regulation undermines the right to strike in Europe

The Communist Party of Malta supports other European Communist and Workers Parties in their call to reject completely the so-called Monti-II Regulation. “The right to strike must be guaranteed without any limitations across Europe ”, stated the Communist Party of Malta.

“The aim of Monti-II Regulation is to dismantle this right, were courts from EU member states can be called upon to assess whether a strike would “restrict too much the economic freedom”, continued the Party.

“In fact, by this regulation, strikes action against wage and social dumping across the EU will be made more difficult, or to out rightly prohibit them”, said the Communist Party.

The Communist Party of Malta believes that the right to strike must not be under the control of the capitalist market. It is a right that belongs only to the workers and their trade unions, and only they should have the right to decide on strikes.

The Communist Party appeals upon the Government and Maltese MEPs to give their support to workers across Europe and oppose the proposed Monti-II Regulation.