Solidarity Message to BMP - from SENTRO

Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO)
LEARN Workers' House, 94 Scout Delgado St., Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
www.sentro.org

23 January 2015

Comrades in BMP,

Militante at maka-sosyalistang pagbati mula sa Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa para sa Kongreso ngayong Enero 24-25 ng Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino!

SENTRO warmly congratulates the members and leaders of the BMP for your Congress today, which signifies another milestone and advance for your organization and the broad labor and social movement inside and outside the country.

Since BMP's Founding Congress in 1993, your organization has shown its wavering commitment to defend and promote workers' and trade union rights, to press forward the welfare of the masses, to boost labor and multisectoral solidarity, to uphold non-parochial nationalist ideals, and to propagate and enrich a socialism that is not Stalinist and not reformist. These, in turn, have prompted the APL, and later SENTRO, to forge linkages with BMP - from the initial issue-based cooperation to relatively loose collaboration in the labor coalition NAGKAISA! and to a more cohesive BMP-SENTRO partnership in various labor and social advocacies and campaigns.

In this regard, SENTRO lauds and fully appreciates your Congress theme "Palawakin at Palalimin ang Sosyalistang Kilusan sa Hanay ng mga Manggagawa!" There is indeed a need to reassert and reinvigorate the historical, ideologial and even "symbiotic" relationship between socialist and trade union movements. Socialist trade unionists must strive to end the "separation" or the dilution of the close connection in the past between socialism and trade unionism due to relentless capitalist suppression and co-optation or divide-and-rule tactics. We should also intensify our struggle against the current global neoliberalism for it has further widened the divide between the great and noble socialist and trade union principles and aspirations.

Likewise, it is truly timely to revitalize socialism among the workers. After all, the capitalist system - in its rehashed neoliberal face - has never been exposed as it is now. But workers need a clearer alternative or understanding of socialism. Hence, the need for strenthening and developing socialist education, action and unity within the labor movement - without both the Stalinist and reformist errors of the past. BMP, SENTRO and many other workers' organizations could very well work together in this effort.

Mabuhay ang BMP!
Mabuhay ang NAGKAISA!
Mabuhay ang kilusang paggawa!
Mabuhay ang sosyalistang kaisipan!

This solidarity message was read during the second day of the 7th BMP Regular Congress at Skyrise Hotel in Baguio City, January 24-25, 2015.