20. There is room for a significant strengthening of the ideological, political, and organizational work of the Party, by giving further impetus to improve the level of the political guidance and operation of the Regional Committees, and mainly by strengthening the political guidance of the Regional Bureaus and the Sectoral Committees. The leading organs, struggling quickly to tackle complex issues within evolving economic, political, and social developments, were put to the test in ideologically and politically demanding battles as regards their conduct, the organization and implementation of political activity. The experience gained from the effort to rally forces around the Party has been better elaborated.

Factors that contributed to the improvement in our political guidance work were the discussion around the Resolutions of the CC and other important elaborations; the completion of the celebrations on the centenary of the Party; more frequent thematic discussions on the fronts of struggle; the elaboration of experience from a series of nationwide or local battles, interventions in the workplace and elections in mass organizations, which is particularly helpful when systematized with regular monitoring at an interval of 3 and 6 months. The discussion on topics concerning the ideological and political front of our intervention in the working class was strengthened, with differences from one organization to another. However, the basic problem is that the level and depth of concern over the course of the class struggle does not always correspond to what we are facing. We can significantly improve how we work with our positions in an apt and systematic manner, how successfully we wage the ideological and political struggle, how we elaborate the argumentation, framework, goals, and forms of struggle. The need is highlighted for more consistent and collective elaboration, exchange of experience on main issues concerning our activity in the movement and Party building, so that the ideological–political intervention is a major aspect of daily activity. There is further room for strengthening the responsibility and initiative of each Party organization as regards the planning of activity for an upsurge of class political consciousness and struggle.  

21. The Regional Committees make an effort to monitor bourgeois plans, bourgeois state interventions and more particular issues concerning developments in specific economic sectors, per workplace and region. This work helps to make our ideological–political confrontation more apt and evidential, promote and popularize our Programme, specialize the ideological–political struggle and elaborate frameworks of struggle for the mass movement organizations. We must persist in acquiring a more comprehensive knowledge of the class structure per region and nationwide, as well as the developments in business groups, sectors, and large enterprises, so that Party intervention at all levels is made by the leading organs and key Party Groups in a systematically planned manner, not a fragmentary one. Positive results have been achieved where planned interventions were made to form positions, a framework of demands and goals on serious issues concerning the quality of life of the working class and the allied forces.

Overall, these steps do not meet the requirements for a comprehensive discussion about our positions on all the fronts of struggle, as well as the consequences of the capitalist mode of production for all aspects of the life of the working class per category, sex, age, etc., both from a theoretical–ideological perspective and that of the alliance. The efforts made so far do not constitute an overall shift of the leading organs, especially at the level of the Sectoral Committees. The slightly improved orientation in some Sectoral Committees remains fragmentary and does not reach the PBOs in order to contribute better to the assimilation of our decisions, directions, and positions.

This problem is not narrowly organizational but a matter of better targeted, consistent planning and good preparation of meetings; early detection and study of factors related to the course of the class struggle; substantial operation of the leading organs, elaborating the central directions within their area of responsibility. There are only a few Sectoral Committees that elaborate the PBO’s agenda of discussion on Party positions, theoretical and historical issues, the fronts of struggle, the youth in their area of responsibility, or on conclusions from interventions and battles. Most of the PBOs do not evaluate their work continuously from one meeting to another, while thematic discussions mainly take place within the framework of centrally programmed ideological courses.

We have gained positive experience in cases where the Secretary of the organ persisted in the substantial and not perfunctory allocation of work within the organ, the strengthening of collectivity, the planning and work of each comrade in their area of responsibility. The need is stressed for the Secretaries to show continuous interest in discussing areas of work, all movements and groupings, the fronts of struggle; not as a task to organize an event, but as an effort to intervene in forces outside the Party, to elaborate a framework of struggle, the ideological–political struggle in the movement, and tactics in mass organizations  —especially where there is a negative correlation of forces— in combination with an independent ideological–political Party intervention.

The topics of discussion should be as collectively prepared as possible by a meeting of cadres or auxiliary committees. The education, preparation, and utilization of comrades having less experience and a weaker ideological base is a matter of orientation to create preconditions for tackling the issue of comrades that are overburdened with multiple tasks.

In practice, the political guidance of main areas of work with the use of auxiliary groups or committees has not been adopted by all Regional and Sectoral Committees. Where we have managed to do so, new paths that enrich political guidance work have been opened up, but there is great unevenness from one organization to another. We must persist in forming such groups or committees in all leading organs and areas of work, headed by a suitable cadre that is a member of the corresponding organ. Once formed, the most important thing is to be guided steadily with a plan by the responsible member of the organ. This necessitates the specification of their role; the allocation of work; the planning to study issues and ensure the preconditions to achieve results; a collective improvement; the monitoring and assistance from the leading organ that is responsible for strengthening, encouraging, and developing a spirit of initiative.

22. As regards the operation of Party organizations, not everything can be resolved from one meeting to another. Under the particular pandemic conditions, apart from the difficulties in the operation and collective procedures of the organizations, as well as the objectively limited mass events and activities of the Party and the movement, some qualitative elements emerged in the organization of political guidance work. These elements —which are underestimated, as experience has demonstrated— must be established also under conditions without prohibitions. Such elements are individual discussions at all levels and especially with PBO members; the operation of the PBOs and the PBO Sections[1]; being informed about positions and activities from Rizospastis; articles by cadres; initiative-taking for communication with the Party’s circle of influence and the utilization of all means of communication for propaganda work; the planning and improvement in self-education; raising the level of ideological–political discussion; the support provided to the activity planning of  PBO Bureaus in order to overcome sloppiness in tasks,  as well as to assume responsibilities for organizing events, speeches, and interventions; the coordination of sectoral and area-based Party forces to make mass movement and Party interventions.

We must focus on ensuring that all Party elaborations reach the leading staff as well as the PBOs through substantial discussions, by strengthening the ideological element and utilizing the experience of each organization. Our goal is to achieve a systematic improvement and not only isolated positive examples. This is not an easy task and we will not succeed unless we enrich inner-party operation, utilizing forms and means that do not stop at Party meetings, which in any case need to be upgraded in all Party organizations.

Political guidance work can be supported in a more organized and coordinated manner, with regular meetings attended by the responsible cadres for areas of work, PBO Secretaries or PBO Bureau members, heads of Party Groups, and other cadres that can generalize experience, unify directions, support the assignment of cadres through the exchange of experience and the utilization of examples and conclusions, making use of Party documents and decisions, articles in Rizospastis and KOMEP, and our theory overall.

23. Constant vigilance is required as regards the observation of the principles of operation and activity of the Party and KNE. Particular attention is needed to not confuse comradely relations, which develop within Party life and through the hard struggle we are waging, with a spirit of friendship that could lead to the downgrading of criticism, subjectivity, and the creation of a personal circle of influence. The Party has achieved the greatest ideological–political unity so far; however, we must not become complacent.

We should not forget that we have made the same assessment in the past and at various stages; however, it is confirmed that we must not drop our guard. We need to consistently and specifically address any negative phenomena based on our Statutes and always observing all collective Party procedures, a fact that is extremely important for the effective and smooth operation of the organs and PBOs.