The CWI in Belgium
| name | Linkse Socialistiche Partij(LSP)/ Parti Socialiste de Lutte (PSL) |
| address | LSP/PSL, PO Box 10, 1190 Vorst 3, Belgium |
| phone | ++ 32 2 345 6181 |
| info@socialisme.be | |
| web site | http://www.lsp-mas.be |
Linkse Socialistische Partij (LSP) / Parti Socialiste de Lutte (PSL) is the Belgian section of the CWI. We are organised in the Dutch-speaking north, Brussels and the French-speaking south. We publish two monthly papers, one in French and one in Dutch.
LSP/PSL is active amongst workers and youth, defending the need for united workers’ resistance against neo-liberalism and the attempts of the capitalists and their politicians to make the workers and their families pay for the crisis.
We stand for democratic and fighting trade unions of struggle. We have participated and/or played a leading role in many struggles and movements. LSP/PSL defends the need to unite workers from different unions (‘socialist’ and ‘christian’), language-groups (Dutch, French and German) etc. All that divides the working class (language, racism, sexism) makes us weaker.
We have been actively involved in all the main workers’ struggles of the past few years, including the struggle of workers in Forges de Clabecq (1996-98), the struggle against the attacks on pensions (2005), the struggle against the job cuts at Volkswagen in Vorst-Brussels (2006-2007), the movement for more purchasing power (2008) and many more. Our members have been involved in a lot of important industrial struggles and campaigns. Several of our members are union shop stewards.
We defend the need for a new workers party to fill the political vacuum. The lack of political representation of the working class has led to more political instability and the development of the far right in the Flemish-speaking region, with the rise of the Vlaams Belang. In the absence of a new workers’ party, we try to participate in joint electoral campaigns with other left forces. In the 2009 European elections, we ran on a joint list with the LCR in the French speaking area and for the regional elections with different left parties in Brussels. In the Flemish area, we participated under our own banner.
Amongst youth we play a crucial role in the anti-fascist Blokbuster (www.blokbuster.be) campaign we launched in 1991. Through Blokbuster and the YRE (Youth Against Racism in Europe) we organised a 40,000 strong European demo against racism in 1992. Amongst students and school students, we play a leading role in the Active Left-wing Students (www.actieflinks.be and www.gauche.be).