Venezuela

Chavistas try to split UNT

Chavistas try to split UNT

Pro-Chavez union leaders backed by the Labor Ministry have launched a new trade union centre in Venezuela – though it is not clear whether they will succeed.

Oswaldo Vera, the coordinator of the Bolivarian Socialist Workers Force (FSBT) and a National Assembly deputy...

Venezuelan steel workers fight repression

On 14 March, Venezuelan police — the “Bolivarian National Guard” — attacked a demonstration of striking steel workers from Latin America’s biggest steel works, the SIDOR factory in Ciudad Guayana, arresting more than fifty workers and injuring dozens. SIDOR’s 13,000 workers have been on strike repeatedly over the last year and a half, demanding a new collective contract including wage increases and better working conditions. SIDOR was privatised in 1998 and belongs 60% to the Argentinian consortium Techint; since privatisation conditions have deteriorated severely, with many workers dying on...

Reinstate Orlando Chirino!

Click here for background ; and here for campaign in France ; and here for wider international support . Please email news of any branches passing this motion to solidaritosconchirino@yahoo.com . This union notes: The sacking of Orlando Chirino, coordinator of the UNT union federation in Venezuela and an elected official in the oil industry union Sinutrapetrol, from his job in the state-owned oil company PDVSA. The widespread support for Chirino’s reinstatement from labour movement bodies in Venezuela, Latin America and across the globe. This union resolves: To write to Venezuelan president...

Reinstate Orlando Chirino!

The campaign to defend sacked Venezuelan trade union leader Orlando Chirino is gathering momentum within the country as well as internationally. Click here for model motion A national coordinator of the National Union of Workers (UNT) and an elected official in the oil industry union Sinutrapetrol, Chirino was sacked from his job in the state-owned oil company PDVSA at the end of last year. Chirino argues that this is an act of “discrimination and political persecution” and that the decision to sack him was based on his opposition to President Chavez’s proposed constitutional reforms at the...

Venezuela : support Orlando Chirino!

A call is on circulation in France to support Chirino's reinstatement in the oil public sector company PDVSA. Chirino is a trade-unionist who called for abstention at the referendum of 2 décember 2007 on the Chavez's project of constitution. Chirino and his comrades claim that his sack was due to this position. It's important to help the independent sector in trade-unions and all the labour movement who refuse to be submitted to Chavez's authority. "Socailism for XXI century" means nothing if workers and theirs organisations must take orders to military commanders. Pétition A M. Rafael Ramirez...

Steel Strike in Venezuela

More than 14,000 workers at Venezuela's largest steel plant, Ternium Sidor, were on strike last week in a dispute over their pay and conditions.

The United Steel Industry Workers Union (SUTISS) wants a decent pay increase plus retroactive payments, and more money for the pension fund. It took a...

Leading Venezuelan trade unionist victimised

Venezuelan trade union leader Orlando Chirino has been sacked from his job in the state-owned oil company PDVSA.

Chirino, a national coordinator of the National Union of Workers (UNT) and a member of the oil industry union Sinutrapetrol, argues that this is an act of “discrimination and political...

Hands Off Venezuela – repeating the mistakes of the past

The new Hands Off Venezuela film No Volverán (Never Again) is misnomer, because inspite of its title, it repeats the mistakes of earlier lefts.

The film follows a delegation to Venezuela at the time of the 2006 presidential election. The first part is largely a propaganda piece for the Venezuelan...

Venezuelan workers balk at Chávez’s plan

Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, lost his referendum on constitutional reform by a tiny margin, with 4.5m votes against (50.7%) and 4.4m (49.3%) in favour. Chávez has accepted the results, saying that the proposals had not been approved “for now”, but that he would continue to struggle for his version of “socialism”. The right-wing opposition are of course cock-a-hoop, although they have not in fact made much ground. Compared with the 2006 presidential elections, the opposition vote only increased by about 100,000 votes. However Chávez has been knocked back, losing 2.8 million votes...

Chavez loses the referendum in Venezuela

Hugo Chávez lost his referendum on constitutional reform by a tiny margin, with 4.5m votes against (50.7%) and 4.4m (49.3%) in favour. Chávez has accepted the results, saying that the proposals had not been approved “for now”, but that he would continue to struggle for his version of “socialism”....

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