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:
- Communist Party of Albania
- Communist Party of Argentina
- Communist Party of Armenia
- Communist Party of Australia
- Party of Labour of Austria
- Communist Party of Azerbaidjan
- Communist Party of Bangladesh
- Communist Party of Belgium
- Brazilian Communist Party
- Communist Party of Britain
- New Communist Party of Britain
- Party of the Bulgarian Communists
- Communist Party of Canada
- Communist Party of Chile
- Socialist Workers Party of Croatia
- Communist Party of Cuba
- AKEL, Cyprus
- Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia
- Communist Party in Denmark
- Egyptian Communist Party
- Communist Party of El Salvador
- Communist Party of Finland
- Unified Communist Party of Georgia
- German Communist Party
- Communist Party of Greece
- Hungarian Workers Party
- Communist Party of India
- Communist Party of India (Marxist)
- Tudeh Party of Iran
- Workers Party of Ireland
- Communist Party of Ireland
- Communist Party of Israel
- Italian Communist Party
- Communist Party (Italy)
- Jordanian Communist Party
- Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
- Workers Party of Korea
- Socialist Party (Lithuania)
- Communist Party of Luxembourg
- Communist Party of Malta
- Communist Party of Mexico
- Popular Socialist Party - National Political Association, Mexico
- Nepal Communist Party
- Communist Party of Norway
- New Communist Party of the Netherlands
- Communist Party of Pakistan
- Palestinian People’s Party
- Palestinian Communist Party
- Paraguayan Communist Party
- Peruan Communist Party
- Communist Party of Poland
- Portuguese Communist Party
- Philippines Communist Party [PKP 1930]
- Romanian Socialist Party
- Communist Party of the Russian Federation
- Russian Communist Workers Party
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
- Communists of Serbia
- Communist Party of Slovakia
- South African Communist Party
- Communist Party of Spain
- Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
- Communists of Catalonia
- Communist Party of Swaziland
- Communist Party of Sri Lanka
- Communist Party of Sweden
- Sudanese Communist Party
- Syrian Communist Party
- Syrian Communist Party - Unified
- Communist Party of Turkey
- Communist Party of Ukraine
- Union of Communists of Ukraine
- Communist Party USA
- Communist Party of Venezuela
Other Parties
- Union of Communists in Bulgaria
- Communist Revolutionary Party of France
- Pole of Communist Revival in France
- Communist Party of Puerto Rico
- Galizan People's Union
- 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.