Miners’ Strike in Romania

More than 100 miners from the Vulcan, Lupeni, and Livezeni mines in the Jiu Valley went on strike Wednesday morning, refusing to work underground and demanding guarantees regarding the payment of the Easter bonuses to which they are entitled,  but  the representatives of the management of the Valea Jiului Energy Complex (CEVJ) cite alleged financial and regulatory constraints. The president of the board of directors stated that the company’s financial situation, combined with rigid regulations on state aid, makes it impossible to grant such benefits: “We cannot grant benefits that will later have to be reversed or recovered. There are precise rules for companies in this situation.” The bourgeoisie and its greed don’t know any bounds, and for this reason the proletariat must suffer the consequences.

CEVJ employs 2,000 people at the mines in Lonea, Lupeni, Livezeni, and Vulcan, as well as at the Paroșeni thermal power plant, which uses coal extracted from these mines. The mines in Lonea and Lupeni are expected to close by the end of the year.

Many workers are at risk of losing their jobs, which means they will be unable to feed themselves or their families, pay their bills, etc. Inflation in Romania stands at 9.6%, the prices continue to rise, and many people are desperate. The annual inflation rate is expected to exceed previous estimates due to rising fuel prices, caused by a significant increase in oil and natural gas prices due to the war in Iran.

These are hard times for the Romanian proletariat—but not only for them; the same is true for the international proletariat. The militarization of “peaceful Europe,” the inter-imperialist war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and rising prices for essential services are pushing the international proletariat to the breaking point, while the bourgeoisie couldn’t care less and continues to live its lavish lifestyle, built on the sweat and blood of the working class.

After a few hours, the protest came to an end. Tensions eased when management and the union reached an agreement to extend the employees’ fixed-term contracts for another four months. This is the limit of spontaneity alone. Without the leadership of the vanguard party—composed of the most conscious and disciplined workers, forged and educated by revolutionary theory and practice—the working class cannot emancipate itself. The task of communists now is to build ties with the unions and to inspire workers toward communism in order to rebuild the movement. This is the only path by which the proletariat can achieve a lasting victory. The only party that can achieve this goal is the International Communist Party, through the work of restoring revolutionary doctrine and the party organ, in contact with the working class, outside the sphere of personal politics and electoral maneuvering.