"The Revolution Against Portuguese ColonialPopular Unity is beginning to pay the price of its attempts to demobilien the Chilean working diass in the face of the counter-revolutionary offensive. Since the March Congressional actions, which strengthened Allende's hand against the right-wing parliamentary majority of Christian Democrats and the National Party, these parties, together with the fesciss groups, have been openly threatening to sabotage and over throw the government coalition. While the workens and peasants have beun ready to act egains the counter-revolutionaries - responding in masse numbers to strikes and demonstrations called by the trade union federation, the CUT - Allende and the Communist Party leadars have called upon them to "exercise restraint' and "not to provoke the enemy'. The fruits of such leadarship have ripened in the present copper strike, At El Tenient, Chile 3 richest mine, technicians and workers have been on strike a most two montl's for fulfiment of the slidiro sce t of wages agreement they had previously won from the Americen owners. Under the Allende administra. man wages have beer kept below the rate of intation From the outset the government has represented the strike as a direct attempt at sebotege, stressing the lass al tore go exchonge - some a 50 million to date -and imposing an emergency regime in the mining pro vince of 'Higgins, as a result of which over 30 workwould be regular planning meetings at a national and local level, to which representatives of all groups active on the issue would be invited There will alsu be a more regular new serter. and a separate caucus has been sel up to deve lop agitation in the trade union field, It was emphasised that the material aid which a solidarity movement can provide is relatively small compared with its potentia. potion anpact, and that efforts should be concentrated in this area.
The discussion at this conferenos, particularly in the workshops, was a useful beginning in helping to establish more precisely the political basis for such a movement and the inle it could play in developing support in this country for the liberation strugeles in the Portuguese colonies picker lines.
The Christian Democrats have been using the strike 10 divide the working class. This was drametically manifested when 5,000 miners came to the capital, Saatago, in pursuit of thair demands Christan Democats and right-wing students joined their demonstra tian and fought a running street battle on 15 June aigsinst both palice and Popular Unity supporturs. Meanwhile the Senate was impeaching the ministers of Labour and of Mining, and the National Party paper El Mercurio issuing threats of such virulence age inst Populer Unity that the government has now taken the unprecedented step of bringing the low suainst it The Popular Unity parties last week allowad the CUT to cell a messive demonstration to sweep the fascists aff the streets". Allende made a big speech appealing for 'unity: But not unity in action, no genrel strike, no arming of the workers. "Stabilise" the capitalist economy by producing more, 'exercise restraint" in the face of counter-revolutionary mobilisations, It is this kind of leadership which has led to the present crisis and divisions in the workers* movernent. Aliende prefer to lay the blame at the door of the working class.
Marcelino dos Santos, Woe-president of FRELIMO Red Weekly 29 June 1973 Page