London, February 15th (Hsinhua)—The Com-
mittee of African isations m London in
a statement today condemned the French Atomic
Test in Sahara as an outrageous criminal act
against the people of Africa. “It ig an act of war
against the continent of Africa to pollute her
soil with the foul leprosy of radiation. Africa will
never forget this hostile act by France,’' the com-
bs De Gaulle and his Government can
count on nothing from us Africans but impla-
cable hatred and contempt until we drive French
Imperialism from our coasts", the committee
BELGIUM Continued from page | lovers, of the supplementary benefits obtained thanks to this progress. The employers, not wanting to make new concessions, refused to take part; the trade unions’ action was to demand it, The Christan (CSC) and Socialist (PGT) trade notions have nearly reached an agreement of the actual demands and the pressure of the militants of the ranks in favour of united action of the trade unions was. very strong at the January congress of the CSC. The Christian trade unions, nevertheless, did not support the strike of zoth January and their leaders declared that it was a political strike, directed] against the Christian Social / Liheral coalition government. The FGT with its yoo,ooo members then decided upon a general strike for a guaranteed weekly wage, dowble pay for holidays, an increase of unemployment relief, a minimum hour's wage of 25 Belgian francs on one side and against the closing of workshops and for the creation af ton,oon johs on the ather hanel. Finally the strike was cirectect against a povernment plam which reduced the benefits of the health insurance. The strike was a success, clearly much greater than expected by its organisers, Some of them, the Right wing trade inion leaders, had planneil to organise only a one-hour atrike mainly in the Fletnish regions, but eventually they accepted the slagan of » 24-hour strike: Being complete in Liepe and in the industrial eentres of Hainaut, the strike affeebed 75 per cent, of the workers of Brussels and Antwerp and §6 per cent. in Ghent, where however the CSC dominates: The trains did not run in the provinces of Liege and Hainayt, and were irregular at other places. There were no street cars or buses in Liewe, and only a few in Brussels and Antwerp. DEMONSTRATIONS In these last two cities two big demonstrations took place, processions of strikers, led by the leaders of the FGT, the SP and the CP, These two demonstrations showed quite clearly the high level of class consciousness of thousands of workers, whose militancy was shown by the
+ a > = . | breaking of the windowpanes of big shops in Tirussells. There were serious fights with the police in Antwerp, of whom more than 10 were womtided If the sticeess of this general strike has already given certain employers something to think about (inerense of the lowest wages of the workers of FN. at Herstal-lex-Licee, in several important factories in the fond sector, ete.) the employers’ organisations have nevertheless not yet apreed to open general negotiations. Therefore on February 6th the trade nnionist Renard, speaking on the radie, clearly said that this strike was only a wanting and would be followed
| closed with the
by further actions if the employers continned to
refuse to meet the unions, There is no donbt
that the Right wing of the FGT themselves, sur-
ptised by the success of their movement, will
vse the same language and perhaps even pre-
pare new achor,
The problems of the Belgian economy: large
seale unemployment, insufficiently varied in-
dustrial production, enormous distribution
problems and the heavy burden of the petty-
bourgeoisie in this sector, are far from being
solved. They are, on the contrary, exacerbated
hy the entry into the Common Market. Under
the pressure of it Left wing the Socialist
workers’ movement (FGT and SP) has adopted
an economic programme which is putting the
correct solutions. The strike of agth January,
the aims of which were not principally structural
reforms but immediate demands of a social
character, will have contributed te the reinforce-
ment of the tendencies, which are most
decidedly in favour of a struggle for basic
economic reforms.
Above all, the spectacular success of this
general strike will have perceptahly increased
throughout the country, the consciousness which
the Belgian working class has of its strength and
its cohesion, The year 1960 has begun well for
it.
Puiarre Vas Dane.
BRAZIL