The Abertzale union celebrated its 50th anniversary with an event at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao. According to coordinators Igor Arroyo and Garbiñe Aranburu, from now on they will “continue to pave the way for national liberation and social transformation.”
For the first time in half a century of history, the union has LABORATORY has crossed the threshold of 50,000 membersas reported by the factory during an event in her honor 50 years which was held on Monday at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao. “With good health and full strength,” the union has emphasized, it will “continue to pave the way for national liberation and social transformation”.
The celebration was attended by some 400 members of the union, as well as the former secretaries general of LAB, Rafa Díez and Ainhoa Etxaide and the current general coordinators Igor Arroyo and Garbiñe Aranburu.
As both have emphasized, the union is an ‘instrument’ and not an objective. For example, they have considered “promoting the national liberation and social transformation of Euskal Herria” as their goal and have indicated that the path taken in these fifty years has been “fruitful”. Because they have, in their words, deactivated “several strategies to make this people disappear”, and on the other hand “Euskal Herria was created and is being established as an autonomous area for the organizational and trade union struggle, in completely different coordinates of the unionism of the two states”.
The general coordinators of LAB have compared the creation and evolution of the union to the growth of a tree: “50 years ago, a group of national workers planted the seed of what is now LAB”, a seed that formed the basis of national and class consciousness just like him feminism. “The seed was fertilized and took root. Firmly supported by the roots, we now extend our branches, enrich and expand our project,” they noted.
According to Arroyo and Aranburu, many of the ideas that LAB has championed throughout its history have become “majority” in Basque trade unionism. They have cited, among other things, its socio-political nature, counter-power, independence, feminist unionism or anti-racist unionism.
In addition, they have emphasized that the constituent process of Euskal Herria is an opportunity and a path for social transformation. In this sense, they assured that in Euskal Herria there exists a social, trade union and political space that requires other forms of public policy, and that “a large majority” join the demands for social transformation and the right to decide this people.
According to LAB, “the neoliberal recipes applied so far and the institutional management tailored to the needs of employers are under question,” and they added that “working people want to say goodbye to this political cycle that is exhausted and want alternatives.” In this sense, they have assured that this alternative is ‘possible’. ‘Just like in Ipar Euskal Herria and Navarroa too In the Basque Autonomous Community, the opportunity for change is wide open“.
Source: EITB
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