History of Myanmar's labour movement (42/505)

This post presents page 42 of The History of the Myanmar Labour Movement by Thakin Lwin (Bagan Books, 1968).

Vocabulary

သိသာ ။ evident, obvious
နစ်နာ ။ to suffer, feel aggrieved

Translation:

[In the aforementioned association] there were [people holding] many kinds of political ideologies gathered and participating, [such as those who held a purely economic ideology and a libertarian political ideology like the British unions; adherents of social ideology like the Swiss, adherents of cooperative] ownership ideology [like the Belgians], Mutual Aid ideologists like the French, Anarchists like Bakunin from Russia, and Marxists like the Germans.

It is evident that during 1864-66, the Association's united strength increased with workers' economic strikes and not only did new member country's like Spain and Portugal join but federations of labour unions in what seemed like every country were established and made contact. 27 American labour unions from the national federation of unions expressed desire for collective communication.

The headquarters of the International Workingmen's Association was opened in London and while holding the first congress in Geneva in 1866 decisions [were made] on 1) works related to the Association, 2) projects related to the work of youth and women workers, 3) the designation of the 8-hour workday, and 4) the establishment of an independent Poland and opposition to Russian (Tzarist) imperial rule. The third congress was held in Brussels in 1868 and decisions [were made] about public land. The fourth congress was called in Basile in 1869 and [decisions were made about] collective public ownership of industries and the formation of international labour unions of the same industry.

In 1870, along with ideological splits in the International Workingmen's Association, ideological conflicts between the Marxists and Anarchists started to emerge. Especially, Karl Mark [said that] while the Marxists supported the proletarian workers' taking over of the country and establishing the Paris Communes during the 1871 revolution in France, at present this Association is not the headquarters for entering the struggle on behalf of workers' fruitless grievances and rights, [but rather for the establishment] of new socialist infrastructure with working class' political power in the future...