“The international struggle happens when there is a intense process of organization of the people”, affirms MAB´s national leadership

Analysis on the issue of energy in the scenario of international crisis, the recapture of profit taxes of the capital, the impacts of the crisis on workers and how the working class can accumulate with the social struggles. These and other issues are here discussed by Soniamara Maranho, of MAB’s national coordination, in interview with the MAB’s Communication Sector. The conjuncture which is here presented is also an analysis of MAB and which will be brought to the International Seminar held at the end of this month of October, during 29 until 31, in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spanish State.

Read here the interview with Soniamara Maranho

MAB’s Communication Sector: In summary, at this conjuncture how is capitalist system appropriating natural resources and the work of the labourers through the energy sector?

Soniamara Maranho: Our comprehension about the capital at world level is that there is four large processes which the capital is moving to recover from the crisis. One of these movements is by appropriating the basis of natural high productivity, this means, the best natural resources: river, petrol, land for agro-fuel, etc. This is happening through the direct private appropriation by the transnational companies through requirements, auctions, privatizations, concessions… In Brazil, for example hydro-power dams are in majority property of transnational companies, petrol is being appropriated by transnational companies, the best lands are being acquired by Shell and other companies, etc.

The second movement of the capital is to increase the exploitation of the workers, which can happen by two forms: reduction of their earnings, increase and intensification of the work journey, precarious conditions of work and dismissals. Also the capital is attacking and denying the rights of the affected populations by energy constructions. Associated to this, the capital recovers its taxes of profit through electricity bills, with the increase of the prices of the bills for the residents. In Brazil, we have 120 thousand electricity workers which have their working conditions attacked, there are 60 million residences which at each month has to pay overpriced bills. By this, at our evaluation, the resident electricity bills turned a strategy which sustains the profitability at all chain of the energetic industry.

The third movement is the capital appropriating of the structures and financial resources of the State as a appropriation of the general Budget of the Union, through loaning, appropriation of the resources of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development though advantageous financing, appropriation of the state profits and privatization.

This is why there is intense pressure on national states to impose such austerity, which is actually cut of social investments, to leave more money to pass on to the capitalists which seeks at the State their salvation of the crisis.

At last, the fourth movement of the capital is the appropriation of the best technologies as well as the creation of new technologies. In our comprehension, technology has the objective to produce more with less workers. In the case of energy, the large dispute is for the appropriation and control of the hydro-power dams which has larger incomes than other technologies of electricity generation.

What is the central role of energy at this international conjuncture?

MAB evaluates that energy has a strategic role, because is directly linked with the production of values produced by the industry workers. This means, energy increases the work productivity of the labour of the workers. This means that the capital profit taxes increases. In the case of hydro-energy, it is strategic because it permits that capital extracts extraordinary profit taxes. And the companies that dominates the energy technologies enables extraordinary profits, in periods of world crisis, they can better avoid bankruptcy.

Regarding to the contradictions that may accrue to the social struggles, the impacts of this crisis for the workers of the world?

With regard to the contradictions that may accrue to the social struggles, what are the impacts of this crisis for the workers of the world?

We understand that with the worsening of the living conditions of workers and the generation and concentration of wealth increasing, there is a limit being exceeded and is the origin of this crisis. On the other hand, the high fares and reduced quality of public services affects the whole population and this is a great contradiction, because the big companies want to make the people pay the bill.

The other issue is the deterioration of the environmental situation. Large corporations are responsible for the increasing destruction of our planet and now want the climate becomes more a commodity so they can privatize the forests, the rivers and all energy sources. The mechanisms that green capitalism is pointing as an alternative does not serve us, instead, are increasingly destroying the planet, and the proof is the dams, which come in this policy as a source of clean energy generation and sustainable and which is not, there is a lot of destruction with the dams. We, affected by dams, are real and concrete proof of this.

The struggle against privatizations and the recovering of what already has been privatized is another important strategy which we need to advance. The capital wants to appropriate all energy chain, wants to have total control and that is why, pressures for more privatization. And when there are more privatizations, more richness is transferred to large capitalists.

By this, we understand that our unity must be as large as necessary to stop the advance of private appropriations, as to public patrimony as to natural resources.

In the vision of MAB’s coordination, what is the main focus to accumulate forces and advance in the class struggle internationally?

To confront it is important to highlight that confronting the energy matrix is not a key point, this means that it is not central to be in favour of a matrix or other energy matrix. The key point is that the struggle is to change the model, this means to change who controls energy. Today the owners of energy in the worldwide are those same who does not want the life condition betters of those affected, nor of the energy workers. It is also very important to change the system of energy bills, this means that, the rich have to pay more for the energy consumed and the poor less, exactly the contrary what we live today, this is why we need to struggle to change.

The other issue is to organize a global strategy of resistance, which should be regulated in the strengthening of social organizations. We understand that the intentional struggle happens if there is an intense process of organizing people, otherwise struggles comes spontaneous and there is not enough forces to accumulate to advance. We need to strengthen processes of national and international struggles against our main enemies. That is, we need to advance together worldwide and united struggles against the same enemies. Finally, we consider it is necessary also to develop an intense process of education of our membership, to be highly prepared in knowledge.