Dear comrades,
1. On behalf of COSPAR, I salute you all for being here so many and so many of the voices of La Reunion. In all ultramarine, for weeks, people took to the streets, clear, goes on strike and demands immediate action to upgrade low wages and lower prices. I would also like on behalf of COSPAR, on behalf of us all gathered here to pay tribute to our fellow trade unionist and member of the LKP, Jacques Bino assassinated on February 17.
And always on behalf of COSPAR, I offer a course hello to our fraternal brothers of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and other overseas territories!
2. In Reunion, the minority that holds the economic power feared the coming of the day the Réunion Reunion and get together, as can the day meetings, beyond their differences, bringing together all their forces to speak with one voice! This gathering is necessary because those who hold the levers of the economy do not want any change. Yes, a still powerful fraction of employers are afraid that the meetings did descend en masse into the streets to express their discontent.
3. Well, today, this day has come! What the dreaded MEDEF, is happening, yes, there are thousands here in Saint-Denis, thousands in the south to St. Pierre for the voice of Reunion! To hear the voices of those who are tired of living, those who are fed up of monopolies, those who are tired of low wages, fed up with unfulfilled promises! Those who now find themselves behind the slogans of social urgency that I ask you to take with me
POVERTY, ARET EK SA!
DEAR LIFE, HER EK ARET!
UNEMPLOYMENT SA ARET EK!
PRECARIOUSNESS, ARET EK SA!
LOW WAGES, NV ARET EK!
4. Today, my friends, Reunion fully fit in the historical movement which stirred for weeks while the overseas! It is indeed an unprecedented move by the simultaneity of its claims, unprecedented power of its popular support, and I think obviously in Guadeloupe where popular support is the strength of a movement that has lasted for 24 January!
Today you have been thousands to march behind the banner of COSPAR in Saint-Denis as at St. Peter.
5. While some wonder, what's the COSPAR? COSPAR is not Inter, not a conglomeration of corporatism is above all a true collective, a gathering of union forces and political associations, an unprecedented gathering in history The recent meeting. COSPAR is the Collective of trade unions and political associations of the Meeting. He was born in the Possession 5 February 2009 and he soon met the accession of the forces of La Reunion: A total of over 45 organizations came together to defend a set of immediate demands and to develop, in consensus, a platform of demands to leave the meeting of its economic dependence and end the social injustice that prevails there. You understood, COSPAR meetings and belongs to someone else!
6. COSPAR Why? The first expresses the collective refusal to suffer the crisis: meetings are no longer willing to poverty wages, they no longer want to impose their monopoly pricing, they do want more economic development that this only serves 'to enrich the few who has the upper hand over those territories. In short, COSPAR like other collections of other overseas territories, was born of a social malaise which has continued to grow for years in Reunion and other FOD. It is thus the most legitimate expression of popular aspirations for genuine social justice.
7. COSPAR wants? The Collective wants to end a situation unacceptable: first by requiring urgent action because the crisis is hitting more and the poorest hardest. COSPAR recalls that 30% of the population of minimum social, 52% live below the poverty line and unemployment hit 24% of workers Reunion. So there is definitely a social emergency. Aggravating fact, in 2008, unemployment in Reunion has increased by 18% against 11% in France! Yes, that's social emergency! Require immediate solutions to enable Reunion hit by the crisis to address, at least to be able to feed and shelter.
8. COSPAR but wants to go beyond these first steps. The Collective has been working on a platform of demands on the problem of income, purchasing power, prices, employment, housing, utilities. In its current state, this platform now contains 62 measures to be implemented. They constitute a first base protest. But COSPAR sees further: something is being born overseas in a vast movement of questioning situations annuities, a social and political movement that will not stop until the overseas territories have not take charge of their own destiny and put an end to the unfairness of a system that keeps them in economic dependence.
9. COSPAR fight against those who have an interest to perpetuate this dependence because it is that enriches and perpetuates their poverty a part of the population.
Who is responsible for this situation? We saw in Guadeloupe, MEDEF is the main obstacle to an agreement: the local business does not lose a crumb of his power. In Reunion, the employers, the employers but I say let's be clear my comrades, we are not talking of small employers craftsmen or very small businesses conditions are often precarious, we are talking about these large groups that monopolize entire sectors of the island's economy, MEDEF for not naming him, the bosses of The Economic Meeting, that the first charge! The employers
meetings, employers who refused for years to negotiate on wages, employers who did not apply the collective agreements in the companies, employers who feared a mass movement is the one who advised us recently not to go down the street who says, "between wages and employment, we must choose." It calls for "dialogue" that he refuses any dialogue since years! The employers Reunion claims to want to preserve social peace!
But what peace? What
social peace in a country where the majority of Reunion live below the poverty line? What
social peace when much of society is excluded Reunion labor is excluded from knowledge, is excluded from the complementary health care, is excluded from responsibilities? What
social peace Reunion Reunion if all can not work there? What if social peace
many meetings do not have access to decent housing? What
social peace when so many young Reunion have no future unemployment? 49% of Reunion youngsters 15 to 24 years are unemployed! 49%!
So yes, what peace?
Social peace, what does the business, is one of submission, the peace of resignation, that of contempt of employees. Well, this "social peace", my friends, we do not want!
How could there be social peace when there is no equitable distribution of wealth?
How could there be social peace while it is always the same people who benefit from government action?
NO PEACE IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE SOCIAL!
Because it has been over twenty years MEDEF indecent practice lobbying for still more aid from public funds, twenty years MEDEF stubbornly refuses any incipient dialogue that could lead to a fairer sharing of wealth!
What is the balance of tax exemption devices and Release which succeed for twenty years?
How many billions of euros paid by employees taxpayers have been spent to supposedly create jobs in the Overseas General and Reunion in particular?
How, my friends? You, you know? Between 2000 and 2005 in 5 years, therefore, employers overseas, in respect only of contribution holidays, received 5 billion 520 million euros! In 5 years, 5 billion 500 million exemption, thus ignoring other benefits, including tax exemption that allows the largest fortunes overseas to avoid paying tax!
In 2007, 200 wealthy taxpayers were able to avoid paying tax in the Martinique 200 richest did so in Guadeloupe and 500 also rich in Paris. And Reunion? In Reunion, comrade, the island all records, 800, yes, you understand, 800 rich have managed to pay no income tax!
10. And all that, all these exemptions and tax savings, with what result? How many jobs? What reduction in unemployment in the overseas? What reduction in inequality? You know what the reports say government officials on the effects of this policy in terms of jobs? These reports do not dare to give any figures, they just say that the relief devices have a "low impact", it means that the gift of one billion euros were each year to ultramarine bosses do not create jobs!
tax exemption devices that allow high earners to avoid tax, it is the famous "tax loopholes" for which the cream of the employers came to demonstrate outside the prefecture last October, because when it comes to defending their exorbitant privileges, the bosses do not hesitate to express! However, these measures only oriented companies and the wealthiest taxpayers dig social inequalities and promote profiteering of a minority that is actually the real beneficiary of these devices expensive.
They do not create jobs, they do not prevent job insecurity, or illiteracy, or the failure and exclusion from school, or the slums! And these patterns
stuffed with billions of euros will not hear talk of salary increases! These patterns that make money on everything that is imported, do not want to hear about a 20% drop on consumer goods!
11. That's why COSPAR deems necessary to develop a real platform. COSPAR rejects development plans that promote the MEDEF employers and forget Meetings.
Yes, increase the incomes of Reunion, salaries, minimum benefits, pensions, scholarships for students!
Yes, we must break down prices and margins for importers and distributors extravagant!
Yes, we must create sustainable jobs,
Yes, we need more social housing with affordable rent!
Yes, we need more public services!
Yes, an agriculture that can feed the territory!
Yes, change Reunion!
These are issues of a program developed collectively within the framework of COSPAR.
Finally, at a time when the government not hesitate to put 360 billion euros on the table to save the banks but finds it impossible to raise € 200 the lowest wages, COSPAR can not but point also the responsibility of the state.
Nationally, we have just seen, the successive political development for overseas despite their costs and questionable effectiveness on the job, have never been accurately assessed nor really challenged.
Locally, the state officials are not playing their role of arbitrator as was seen with the inevitable failure of the price observatory or with the fuel crisis in November. It took an early mobilization of COSPAR to react and that the Prefect informs us weeks ago that he would meet with leaders of major retailers and employers to keep them "he said speaking truth on prices and social dialogue.
My friends, if we're here today is first to require an answer to the social emergency.
I recall the immediate demands of COSPAR AND I WILL ASK YOU IF YOU AGREE TO
:
1) immediate rehabilitation of 200 € net for low wages, pensions, on minimum social benefits and student grants. Are you in favor of this measure?
2) Drop immediate 5 € on the gas cylinder: Are you in favor of this measure?
3) 20% reduction on consumer goods: are you in favor of this measure?
4) freeze rents in social housing by 2009: Are you in favor of this measure?
You have unanimously approved these emergency measures: a delegation of COSPAR going to hand deliver to the Prefect of Reunion with the platform containing the 62 measures.
We now expect the Prefect of Reunion to take responsibilities and organize as soon as possible, a roundtable discussion with various stakeholders, government representatives, employers and those responsible members of COSPAR to find an answer to the first steps required by the Collective.
Comrade! This Thursday, March 5 is the first step. COSPAR for the fight continues. We call the whole population of Reunion to continue and expand the mobilization of today. In every town, every neighborhood, every business or service throughout the island, workers who are employed as those who are private meetings that have difficulty curling for months, those who can not pay their rent, who do not even have a decent home, those who are denied public housing, those who are tired of high prices and the decline of their power purchase, all and all, we must continue to meet, think together and we always raise more. The platform of COSPAR is a tool of all is the basis for the fight of all meetings for a better future.
Is it too much to ask that the meeting could afford to put in place in their countries, through concerted action, a policy of fair prices, incomes and taxation, to implement development sustainable?
Alon mèt ansamn all forces, all the intelligence Reunion to win, because we know that the day today will not, by itself, sufficient, it is a work in progress but your number, our number in March 5, shows that the work we can do it! Well my friends, the work we do together! All together!
Shooting Malole dann Zié Reyona the po bous your Zié Sort fénoir dann!
The 45 trade unions, associations and political Thank you all. And now stand together on site to share this moment of conviviality, to exchange and continue to enrich the debate on the future of Reunion!
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