Reports from Canada and the USA indicate that the crisis of capitalism is having an effect on the trade unions, with radical speeches being given, particularly in Canada. In the USA, in spite of May Day not being an official celebration, there was a massive turnout in Dallas, and rallies in many cities, where the immigrant workers were present in sizeable numbers, but also workers in general involved in ongoing disputes.

Canada may be some distance from Greece geographically, but the economic policies being adopted look strikingly similar, with public sector wage freezes, cuts in spending and increased costs of services. And for people in Britain who may be thinking of voting Liberal, take a look at what the Canadian Liberals are doing in Ontario.

Meanwhile in the French-speaking part of Canada, the Liberals are doing exactly the same thing as in English-speaking Canada, while the Parti Québécois and the Action démocratique du Québec, supposedly parties that are supposed to defend the French-speaking population of Quebec, have supported attacks on public sector workers and made clear they would pursue cuts of their own if they were in power.

In recent years, the mass mobilizations of immigrant workers for their rights has once again brought May Day to the forefront of many workers’ consciousness. Paradoxically, however, “International Workers’ Day” is not widely celebrated in the country where it was born. In fact, it comes as a surprise to many to learn that May Day was originally “Made in the USA.” Today, with millions being forced to work longer and harder for less pay, despite record levels of unemployment, it’s relevant to take a look at the history of this tradition of struggle and its lessons for 2010.

The huge earthquake that struck Chile back in February has revealed all the negative consequences of decades of deregulation and privatisation, as the people come to the terms with shoddy building methods and lack of services to deal with such a catastrophe. Privatisation literally kills!

At the forefront of the workers’ movement in the last few years have been undocumented immigrants, most of them from Latin America. In the Spring of 2006, they poured onto the streets by the millions, as decades of discrimination and exploitation boiled to the surface. The traditional non-profits, labor leaders, and “progressives” in general were unable to control the movement when it first erupted. Lacking confidence in or an understanding of how the working class moves, they were taken completely by surprise.

A record number of Americans are without health coverage of any kind, and yet, the five biggest health insurance companies officially marked their highest ever profits in 2009.

Alan Woods was interviewed by the Venezuelan daily Correo del Orinoco, where he comments on the importance of the Fifth International, but stresses the need for it to be under the control of the rank and file and warns against bureaucratism.

The Cuban revolution is once more being attacked by the imperialists. They raise a hue and cry about “democratic rights”, but what they are really concerned about is a country where private property of the means of production has been abolished, where the revolution has survived, in spite of many mistakes and difficulties, and which continues to be a point of reference for the downtrodden masses of Latin America. In this, the International Marxist Tendency stands firmly in support of the Cuban revolution against the attacks of imperialism.

Monday, April 19, marked the 200^th anniversary of Venezuela’s independence from Spain. The mass celebrations confirmed what was seen on the earlier April 13 rallies: the masses are prepared to defend the gains made so far by the Venezuelan revolution and this affects the ranks of the army who clearly sympathise with the working people.

On April 5, 29 miners were killed in an explosion at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. This is the worst mining accident in the United States since 1970. Graeme Anfinson in the United States points out that Massey Energy's prime objective was profit and nothing is allowed to get in the way of that, not even the lives of these hardworking miners who produce the profit in the first place.

With fully a third of the American population now living on less than $21,000 a year and the cost of living continuing to skyrocket, it should come as no surprise that basic necessities like nutritious food, decent housing, medical care, and winter heating are priced outside the means of so many.

We republish here an interview with Alan Woods by the Venezuelan daily newspaper, Ultimas Noticias, published in its Sunday edition, which has a print run of around 300,000. Alan insists that the revolution is in danger and what is required is to expropriate the oligarchy.

Alan Woods in Caracas describes the mood of the masses on the April 13 celebrations of the 8^th anniversary of the failed right-wing coup. This time, as well as the usual red shirts, there was a massive display of the people’s militia clad in camouflage green, and carrying Russian-made AK-47s, a clear warning to the reactionary oligarchy that the masses are prepared to fight any attempt to turn the clock back.

April 11-13 marks 8 years since the revolutionary movement of the masses swiftly defeated the counter-revolutionary coup in Venezuela. It is worth re-reading this article by Alan Woods and Ted Grant, which was widely circulated amongst working class activists in Venezuela at the time and laid basis for the formation of the Marxist tendency. The tasks outlined at the end of the article remain, mostly, unfulfilled. Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Venezuela