WFTU-EUROF: No to European Rearmament, No to War; Yes to Resources for Wages, Pensions, Health, Work

The European Office of the WFTU condemns the dangerous and anti-grass roots decisions of the EU Commission Summit to finance 800 billion Euros for military armament under the project ReArm EUROPE and calls upon all WFTU affiliates to organize and support the struggle against the arms race and militarization.

The decision of the EU Commission to allocate 800 billion Euros for the rearmament of the EU is serious and unacceptable and prepares a future of war for the peoples of Europe. The non-formal break of the historic Atlantic bloc with the USA is accelerating the construction of the European imperialist pole which, in order to compete with the others, has to arm itself, hastily build its own army, equip itself with weapons suitable for a war in the 21st century and centralise decisions on foreign policy and defence.

There is no doubt who will be asked to pay the costs of rearmament: the workers, the common people through new taxes, cuts in welfare, wages and social spending. There is no doubt that national governments will also try to further reduce social and civil rights to prevent people from demonstrating, fighting and organising against war and military spending.

EUROF, which has always fought against budgetary restrictions and the Stability Pact, because they have been used to cut social spending and have prevented European countries from allocating funds to salaries, pensions, health and education, denounces the decision of the European Commission to authorize the lifting of budgetary restrictions and the breaking of the Stability Pact, solely in favor of increased funding for military spending. While the industrial crisis is devouring factories and destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs, the nature of production is being changed by converting it, especially in the car sector, into arms production, which will further enrich big capital, which is rapidly converting to invest in the military sector.

STOP THE ‘RE-ARMING OF EUROPE’
No Sacrifice for War! Peace and Prosperity for the Peoples!

With the militant trade unions in the front line for peace, strengthen our solidarity with the heroic people of Palestine

We organise initiatives in every country against the armament of war! The warmongering plans of Brussels and the governments of whatever colour can find obstacles to the mass, organised struggle of the peoples!