A few months ago, Britain’s largest socialist group – the Socialist Workers Party – was wracked by conflict involving an allegation by a female comrade that she was raped by one of the male leaders of the group. There were considerable criticisms that this was covered up by the leadership. One result was that large numbers of SWP members left the group and many of them formed a new group called the International Socialist Network (ISN). Recently, WIN held a weekend conference and agreed to the following message of greetings from the Workers International Network to the ISN:

Solidarity Greetings to the meeting of the ISN this weekend from the Workers International Network!

Austerity in the global north and restructuring in the global south represent an onslaught on the gains and rights of working people and the poor of the earth. Wealth is transferred from poor to the very rich at a pace unprecedented in 60 years; all that we gained since World War 2 can be lost unless the strength and organisation of the workers’, peasants’ women’s and community movements can be built afresh, stronger, more democratic and more effective.

The new working classes of the emerging economies begin to show their strength as in the Indian general Strike in 2012 and the strike movements for higher wages in China and recently in Vietnam. The desperate need for effective organisation was shown tragically in the recent factory collapse in Bangladesh and fires in clothing factories in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In these terrible events more than 1,300 young workers, mainly women, died.

read more: WIN to ISN