Chile's new military junta - they came to power over the bodies of 25,000 socialist militants Had you expected this coup d'etat? What are the first lessons that you would draw from it?
The coup d'etat which took place on 11 September was politically on the cards. We were prepared for it both politically and organisationally.
And we prepared the sections of the working •class and the peasantry whom we directly influence.
We continuously exposed the illusions of the reformist strategy, Blusions which could only disarm-in the full meaning of the word-the Chilean masses. In this sense, the coup of 11 September only confirmed in the most tragic fashion our perspectives and analyses. It was clearly on the cards, in the short term, after the abortive coup on 29 June. On that occasion it became cicar that a section of the army was propared to do anything to halt the growing popular mobilisation.
From that time onwards, the main concern of the military chiets and of those installed in the government was to maintain the discipline and cohesion of this last bulwark of the bourgeois and imperialist order. Most of the officers were in favour of a coup.
Al the same time, there was in these last months a mobilisation and growing political consciousness among the Chilean workers which was completely new, which was qualitatively different from that which had previously been seen. in practice, in their concerns and in their enthusiasmi, whole sections of the Chilean working class began to break with the orientation laid down by the reformist leaderships. This mobilisation not only made the coup inevitable: it made a confrontation inevitable It is important to stress this: a widespread and mussive confrontation, Were there any important splits or examples of resistance in the army at the time of the coup? There have bean continual rumours of this silice 11 Seplember. Indeed, even if thore was not a decisive split in the ranks of the armed forces as a whole, one would have to he blind not to notic the differences berween the services, in the junta which has seized power, there is no doubt that the representatives of the Navy and the Air Force represent the extremest elements.
But a more important illustration of the situation in the ranks of the armed forces is the face that certain regiments have not played any real part in the daily repressive operations. That is not to say that they have mutinied. But it is, shall we say, a tactical precaution on the part of the junta to prevent any aggravation of the potential divisions. To reply to your exact question, I would say that the scattered bits of information we have on the situation in the army suggest that at the start there was a not unimportant refusal to obey orders by certain soldiers and NCOs. All vast majority of workers will find themselves falling further and further behind as inflation spirals upwards, despite Phase 3'a threshold "protection".
Some of the low-paid for whom it is claimed the 40p will be a veritable windfall-may end up even worse off, after they pay tax, extra National Insurance contributions, and take into account the loss of various social security benefits.
PRODUCTIVITY DEALS Provisions are made for wage rises to be made in exchange for increased productivity. But no one should think that this will be an casy loophole through the pay regulstions. The ground Tules are very strict. Any proposed scheme must be cleared with the Pay Board and tried out for three months before any payments can be made The extra production achieved under the scheme must be sufficient to covar all costs of setting it up (including purchase of new machinery), the cost of all extra wage pay ments as a result of the scheme, and still reduce production costs.
Even then, extra wage rises made on this basis cannot amount to more than 505 of the smount of wage rises granted under the main body of Phase 3 rules: so even if a group of workers do sell their souls for a productivity deal, they cannot get more than anotber 34-4% of their regular weekly wage (excluding overtime).
HOLIDAYS AND HOURS Extra money can be made available to reduc hours and lengtben holidays bur only to the point of a 40-hour weck and tlee weeks holiday. So, a century aller the working class movement launched the struggle for the 40 hour weck, the Tory Govrument has given it the green light Asfor workers like the engineers and the miners who are a bit more up-to-date in their claime for a 35 hour week and 4 weeks holiday, It's no go, These benefits can only be received instend of pay rises under Phase 3 If a group of workers agreed to be nice to management (to get their 15 Texibility" allowacice), entered into a productivicy deal.