Leave the Confederation of Labor?

We often find ourselves face to face with so-called extremists who dare to challenge us—and we understand why—that Buozzi, D’Aragona, Modigliani, Treves, Turati, etc. cannot be compared to the social democrats of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Russian Mensheviks. At the meeting, we affirm that they are something more than these, and we will never tire – until we are completely satisfied – of pointing them out to the proletariat as traitors to their cause.

The alliance between social democracy and capitalism in our country to ruin the communists, the federal and confederal misdeeds inflicted on the communists in Turin, the dismissals of communists and sympathizers in all the factories where the federation and confederation reign supreme: all this is a sure sign of a major offensive against the Communist Party and the entire proletariat in its ranks. Urgent action is needed to stem and counterattack the confederal ‘toupet’, in order to thwart in time all the hidden and overt alliances that damage the proletariat by undermining its very existence.

Given these shady alliances, we would not be at all surprised to hear tomorrow that the Turin Chamber of Labor has been conquered by the Social Democrats—indeed, we are certain of it—after which the charming Buozzi, on his election tour, and his trusted lackeys, already announced this grandiose event with these exact words:

“You will see what will happen in Turin in a few days.”

You understand, proletarians!

Then they come here and say that the situation in Turin is solely due to communist tactics. And in all the other centers of Italy, whose fault is it? It is not communist methods; it is your plots that have produced and continue to produce such situations, and while you believe you are getting rid of the communists, you are harming the entire proletariat to satisfy your greed.

What gives our writing special importance is not only the denunciation of all the social democratic intrigues to the proletariat, but also the fact that it contains our request to the central organs, in agreement with the executive committee of the Third International, to review our party’s programmatic guidelines in relation to trade union tactics. It would be tormenting for us to continue to remain in the trade federations and in the general labor confederation without losing our best men who have risen in the proletarian camp.

It would also be extremely dangerous to want to fossilize ourselves in the theoretical and programmatic content of the Imola motion approved in Livorno, without seriously compromising the fate of our party.

Remaining in the labor confederation, waiting for the day when we can take control of it and remove all its members to replace them with our own – given the current confederal systems – means decreeing the death by misery or hunger of the entire communist proletariat organized within the party, it means further delaying the day of the working class’s revenge and complete emancipation; finally, it means doing a disservice to the Russian revolution, which is so dear to the Italian proletariat.

January 20 has passed, but since that day – much water has flowed under the bridge – there have been many changes, all to the detriment of the communist proletariat. The nefarious work of the social democrats has quadrupled. There are thousands of communist victims in all the cities of Italy, with the passive acquiescence of the “union bosses” who support capitalism. Layoffs are rampant, with the pretext of “lack of work” now becoming the watchword for all industries. That famous unemployment law – which the communists of Turin are so wrong not to recognize – is a real swindle for the proletariat. What can be done, then? Watch impassively as our good workers are exhausted! Allow, here and there, the slow agony to which they are condemned by the passive defense of the confederal body! It would be worthwhile to create a new confederal body that would attract the sympathies of all the revolutionary working classes that have so far been outside the confederation, in order to resolve the current historical period and deal with the political and trade union events that are unfolding! Waiting for victory is cowardice and moral and political suicide.

The events in Turin are such that we cannot afford any further delay if the Communist Party movement created in Italy is not to be overtaken. Not only is propaganda needed to break the back of the Social Democrats, but we must oppose dam with dam, institution with institution, organization with organization. To conquer them would be to conquer the bourgeois state with all its defects, with all its bureaucratic machinery. Contrary to the bourgeois state, it is necessary to create in order to destroy, to cut down that confederal tree that is full of yellowed and dry leaves. Unfortunately, we understand that social democracy will wield another weapon against us, accusing us of dividing the proletariat. Too late, it will have no effect because the proletariat – with its brothel-like actions – is already virtually divided.

Believe us, comrades of the executive committee, we do not use the pen for pleasure; writing costs us proletarians, who live in proletarian families, a lot of work. Therefore, we believe it is the duty of every good communist worker to gather and make public the thoughts and will of the workers, who are tired of the work done by the federations and the general labor confederation. A large number do not join, nor do they want to join, despite our constant exhortations. Those comrades are unyielding – and they are not entirely wrong – that they want a new organization, a young plant with tender green leaves that is capable of understanding the historical period in which we live and that knows how to guide them along the shortest and safest path leading to their definitive emancipation.

Comrades of the executive committee, present our critical situation to the Third International and accept this proposal as you see fit and in the exclusive interest of the communist proletariat. For us, the satisfaction of having done our duty is enough.

LUIGI CARRABBA

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We have published Luigi Carrabba’s article because it is important that the comrade’s thoughts on such vitally important issues as trade union tactics be made known. Carrabba’s article is undoubtedly justified by the relentless and tenacious struggle waged by the confederal poppies against the Communists in the trade unions and their shameful sabotage of the movements led by Communists. (The elections for the internal commissions in the Turin workshops are a case in point!).

However, we cannot fail to note that the proposal to leave the Confederation seems to us to be at least inappropriate, at a time when Communists are fighting strenuously for all organizations that are outside the highest Italian proletarian body to join it.