Thursday, March 26, 2020

Covid-19: Joint Statement by Communist and Workers' Parties demand immediate measures to protect the health and rights of the people

In their Joint Statement, 81 Communist and Workers' Parties from all over the world take a position on the global situation created by the pandemic of the novel coronavirus

In the Joint Statement, initiated by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the CPs express their support to both doctors and nurses as well as those suffering from the disease and denounce the huge shortages in the public health sector which result from the anti-popular policy followed by the governments in the service of the capital, commercializing and privatizing health to support the profitability of the monopoly groups. 

They emphasize that this particular situation shows the anti-social nature of capitalism as well as the necessity and advantages of the socialist society. 

The Communist and Workers parties demand that all necessary measures be taken immediately to address the epidemic, with the support and strengthening of the Public Health Systems.

The full text of the Joint Statement, as well as the signatures, reads as follows:

Immediate measures to protect the health and rights of the peoples

The Communist and Workers' Parties are positioned with responsibility before our peoples. We are here! We are present at the forefront of the struggle to immediately take all necessary measures to protect the health and safeguard the rights of the working class and the popular strata everywhere!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, the hospital and health units personnel that are fighting this battle facing great difficulties.

We express our solidarity with those affected by the CoVID-19 pandemic and wish them speedy recovery from the disease.

We salute the countries that develep solidarity actions with the most affected countries, such as the sending of protective materials and health professionals from countries such as China, Cuba and Russia, actions that are in stark contast to the absence of the European Union.

The CoVID-19 pandemic tragically proves the huge shortages of health systems in all capitalist countries that were known before the outbreak of the coronavirus. These shortages did not occur accidentally, they are the result of the anti-people's policy pursued by governments in the service of the big capital to commercialize and privatize health, to support the profitability of monopoly groups. This policy undermines the great scientific and technological capabilities available today to meet all prevention and healthcare needs of the people.

Today's experience reveals the anti-social and parasitic nature of capitalism and highlights the superiority and timeliness of socialism and central scientific planning based on popular needs, which can secure primary healthcare and prevention, hospitals, medical and nursing staff, medicine, laboratories, medical exams and everything else needed to meet the constant as well as any emergency health needs of the people.

The pre-existing slowdown in world economy is now being furtherly reinforced by the spread of the coronavirus and increasing the risk of a new crisis in the coming period. In spite of the propaganda about "unity", governments in the service of the big capital  focus their financial measures on the support of monopoly groups and will once again seek to throw the burden of the crisis on the workers and the other popular strata. The workers and the peoples cannot and must not pay again!

"Individual responsibility" cannot be used as a pretext to cover state and government responsibility. Today, taking the necessary measures also requires the struggle of the peoples against the policy of supporting the monopoly groups, which sacrifices the satisfaction of the needs and the health of the peoples at the altar of capitalist profitability.

The Communist and Workers' parties demand that all necessary measures be taken immediately to address the epidemic, including the following:

Immediate strengthening of public health systems by state funding, recruitment of full-time medical and nursing staff with full labor rights. Meeting all the needs of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the infrastructure needed for the full functioning of public healthcare and research services.

Immediate provision of all necessary means of protection (masks, gloves, antiseptics, etc.) by the state to the people free of charge and fight against profiteering. Provision of all protection measures to all healthcare personnel  giving this battle at the hospitals with sacrifices and at their own cost.

Protection of the income and rights of the working-popular strata. To put a brake on the unaccountability of the capital that under the guise of the CoVID-19 epidemic proceeds to massive redundancies and tries to furtherly trample over wage rights, working time, leave from work, and other labor rights. Immediate action to protect workers in the workplace.

No to any curtailment of the democratic rights of the peoples under the pretext of the coronavirus.

End all sanctions and measures of economic exclusion, which in this situation are even more unjust and criminal and make the life of the peoples in the countries they turn against to even more dificult. To take all necessary measures to protect the health and life of the peoples.

We say no to imperialist interventions and military exercises, such as those of NATO, and demand that public resources be redirected to support the needs of the peoples, such as the financing of public health and social security systems.

Parties signing:
  1. Communist Party of Albania
  2. Communist Party of Argentina
  3. Communist Party of Armenia
  4. Communist Party of Australia
  5. Party of Labour of Austria
  6. Communist Party of Azerbaidjan
  7. Communist Party  of Bangladesh
  8. Communist Party of Belgium
  9. Brazilian Communist Party
  10. Communist Party of Britain
  11. New Communist Party of Britain
  12. Party of the Bulgarian Communists  
  13. Communist Party of Canada
  14. Communist Party of Chile
  15. Socialist Workers Party of Croatia
  16. Communist Party of Cuba
  17. AKEL, Cyprus
  18. Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia
  19. Communist Party  in Denmark
  20. Egyptian Communist Party
  21. Communist Party of El Salvador
  22. Communist Party of Finland
  23. Unified Communist Party of Georgia
  24. German Communist Party
  25. Communist Party of Greece
  26. Hungarian Workers Party
  27. Communist Party of India
  28. Communist Party of India (Marxist)
  29. Tudeh Party of Iran
  30. Workers Party of Ireland
  31. Communist Party of Ireland
  32. Communist Party of Israel
  33. Italian Communist Party
  34. Communist Party (Italy)
  35. Jordanian Communist Party
  36. Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
  37. Workers Party of Korea
  38. Socialist Party (Lithuania)
  39. Communist Party of Luxembourg
  40. Communist Party of Malta
  41. Communist Party of Mexico
  42. Popular Socialist Party - National Political Association, Mexico
  43. Nepal Communist Party
  44. Communist Party of Norway
  45. New Communist Party of the Netherlands
  46. Communist Party of Pakistan
  47. Palestinian People’s Party
  48. Palestinian Communist Party
  49. Paraguayan Communist Party
  50. Peruan Communist Party
  51. Communist Party of Poland
  52. Portuguese Communist Party
  53. Philippines Communist Party [PKP 1930]
  54. Romanian Socialist Party
  55. Communist Party of the Russian Federation
  56. Russian Communist Workers Party
  57. Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  58. New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
  59. Communists of Serbia
  60. Communist Party of Slovakia
  61. South African Communist Party
  62. Communist Party of Spain
  63. Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
  64. Communists of Catalonia
  65. Communist Party of Swaziland
  66. Communist Party of Sri Lanka
  67. Communist Party of Sweden
  68. Sudanese Communist Party
  69. Syrian Communist Party
  70. Syrian Communist Party - Unified
  71. Communist Party of Turkey
  72. Communist Party of Ukraine
  73. Union of Communists of Ukraine
  74. Communist Party USA
  75. Communist Party of Venezuela
Other Parties
  1.  Union of Communists in Bulgaria
  2. Communist Revolutionary Party of France
  3. Pole of Communist Revival in France
  4. Communist Party of Puerto Rico
  5. Galizan People's Union
  6. Communist Party, Switzerland
The statement is open for further endorsments.


Partidos Comunistas y Obreros

Medidas inmediatas para proteger la salud y los derechos de los pueblos

Los partidos comunistas y obreros nos posicionamos con responsabilidad ante nuestros pueblos. ¡Estamos aquí! ¡Presentes a la vanguardia de la lucha para tomar medidas inmediatas para proteger la salud y salvaguardar los derechos de la clase obrera y las capas populares, en todas partes!

Enviamos nuestro más sincero agradecimiento a los médicos y enfermeros, al personal de los hospitales, de las unidades de salud que están luchando enfrentando grandes dificultades.

Expresamos nuestra solidaridad a todos los afectados por la pandemia del CoVID-19 y les deseamos una recuperación pronta de la enfermedad.

Saludamos a los países que están llevando a cabo acciones de solidaridad con los países más afectados, como por ejemplo con el envío de materiales de protección, ventiladores y profesionales de salud por países como China, Cuba y Rusia, acciones que se encuentran en contradicción con la inexistencia de la Unión Europea.

El peligro de la pandemia del CoVID-19 demuestra trágicamente las profundas deficiencias de los sistemas de salud pública en todos los países capitalistas que se conocían antes de la aparición del coronavirus. Estas deficiencias no se han producido por accidente, son el resultado de las políticas antipopulares aplicadas por los gobiernos al servicio del grande capital para comercializar y privatizar la salud, para respaldar la rentabilidad de los grupos monopolistas. Esta política socava las grandes capacidades científicas y tecnológicas disponibles hoy para satisfacer todas las necesidades de prevención y atención al pueblo.

La experiencia actual pone en evidencia la naturaleza antisocial y parasitaria del capitalismo y destaca la superioridad y la actualidad del socialismo, como también de  la planificación central científica teniendo como criterio las necesidades populares, que puede proporcionar atención primaria y prevención, hospitales, médicos y enfermeros, medicina, laboratorios, exámenes médicos y todo lo que se necesita para satisfacer las necesidades de salud constantes y urgentes del pueblo.

La desaceleración de la economía global preexistente ahora se ve reforzada por la propagación del coronavirus y aumenta el riesgo de una nueva crisis en el periodo que viene. A pesar de la propaganda del “acuerdo nacional”, los gobiernos que sirven al gran capital centran las medidas económicas en el apoyo de los grupos monopolistas y una vez más intentan cargar el costo de la crisis sobre los trabajadores y las demás capas populares. ¡Los trabajadores y los pueblos no pueden ni deben pagar de nuevo!

La "responsabilidad individual" no puede ser utilizada como pretexto para cubrir la responsabilidad estatal y gubernamental. Hoy, tomar las medidas necesarias requiere la lucha de los pueblos contra la política de apoyar los grupos monopolistas, que sacrifica la satisfacción de las necesidades y la salud de los pueblos en aras de la rentabilidad capitalista.

Los Partidos Comunistas y Obreros exigimos que se tomen todas las medidas necesarias para enfrentar la pandemia, que incluyen las siguientes:

Fortalecimiento inmediato de los sistemas de salud pública con fondos estatales, contratación de médicos y enfermeros con derechos plenos. Cubrir todas las necesidades en Unidades de Cuidado Intensivo (UCI) y la infraestructura requerida para el pleno funcionamiento de los servicios de salud pública y de investigación científica.

Provisión inmediata al pueblo, sin cargo, por el estado, de todos los medios de protección necesarios (máscaras, guantes, antisépticos, etc.) y detención de la especulación. Aquí y ahora, dar todas las medidas de protección a los médicos y enfermeras que luchan en los hospitales con sacrificio y costo personal.
Protección de los ingresos y los derechos obreros y populares. Frenar la inmunidad del capital que, con el pretexto de la pandemia del CoVID-19, está llevando a cabo amplios despidos e intenta aplastar más los derechos salariales, la jornada laboral, los permisos y otros derechos laborales. Tomar medidas inmediatas para proteger la salud de los trabajadores en los lugares de trabajo.

Ninguna disminución de los derechos democráticos de los pueblos bajo el pretexto del coronavirus.

Poner fin a todas las sanciones e medidas de bloqueo económico que en esta situación son aún más injustas y criminales, y dificultan a la vida de los países afectados. En este sentido exigimos tomar todas las medidas necesarias para proteger la salud y la vida de los pueblos.

Decimos no a las intervenciones imperialistas y a los ejercicios militares, como los de la OTAN, y demandamos la redirección de los recursos públicos para apoyar las necesidades de los pueblos, como por ejemplo la financiación de los sistemas públicos de salud e seguridad social.