Latin America:
VENEZUELA
world social forum
2006
Translation of the CWI leaflet for the WSF in Caracas
WSF Caracas
The international struggle
against capitalism and for revolutionary socialism
Thousands of youth and
activists have come to Caracas to attend the World Social Forum to
discuss world events and the struggle against capitalism. The task
of this event is to discuss how to fight to change society and break
with a system that brings nothing but poverty and war. We believe
that it is important as well to discuss how to fight for socialism
which is the only viable alternative to imperialism and capitalism.
Global capitalism and
imperialism have increased poverty and exploitation to unprecedented
levels. According to the UN, the horrifying truth is that 222
million people - 43% of the population of Latin America - are poor,
with 96 million -- nearly one in five -- living on less than $ 1 a
day. While capitalist politicians hypocritically promise to end war
and hunger the main imperialist power, the United States of America,
spent more than $ 455 billion on armaments in 2004 while 37 million
of its own population are poor.
We live in an age of
unprecedented polarisation between rich and poor. Even in the most
industrialised capitalist nations workers are facing redundancies,
lower pensions, and cuts in wages while the super billionaires, who
really run society, have hoarded more money than ever before. The
wealth of Bill Gates, the US owner of Microsoft, increases by $ 50
million a day while almost half of the people of the world have to
survive on less than $ 2 a day.
The chaos, crisis and
disorder of global capitalism and imperialism increases and is more
evident as each day passes. As a result, all over the world, a mass
of people are coming out in opposition to neo-liberalism;
privatisation and capitalist policies in general. The masses in
Latin America are in revolt against neo-liberalism, the effects of
privatisation and the economic policies of capitalism. The
magnificent uprisings by the working class and poor in Bolivia
demanding nationalisation of gas and other resources; the strike of
oil-workers and the local community in Sucumbíos and Orellana, two
of the Amazonian provinces in Ecuador, in the last week of August;
and the mobilisation against the summit of the Americas in Mar del
Plata, Argentina, all show the mood developing amongst workers,
peasants and young people throughout the continent.
In Europe, capitalist
politicians and the establishment suffered a major setback by the
vote of the French and the Dutch working class to reject the
neo-liberal proposed new EU constitution. This was a vote by the
working class of these countries against the capitalist politicians
and neo-liberal policies which they defend. In Belgium two general
strikes took place against the proposed pension reform of the
government while in France youth rioted in the poor suburbs in
response to repression, racism and poverty. The riots went on for
three weeks and touched more than 300 cities before they where put
down by heavy repression and police intervention. A state of
emergency was declared for three months. Curfews were implemented in
30 districts. And all this in “democractic” France!
The capitalist classes of
Europe face a continuing crisis of political leadership. The new
grand coalition in Germany – headed by Angela Merkel of the CDU
together with the ex-social democratic party SPD – is a coalition of
losers. The SPD got its worst result in 40 years and the CDU
received its worst result since 1949. Both of them have now formed a
Grand coalition against the workers. The only winning party in the
elections was a new left, radical party, the Linkspartei, which got
8.7% of the vote, winning 54 seats in parliament. In Germany
capitalism faces its worst crisis since the Second World War.
Official unemployment now stands at nearly 12% of the workforce.
Hurricane Katrina exposed
the utter bankruptcy of US capitalism and the vile reality of
racism, oppression and the gulf between poor and rich in the most
powerful state on earth. The entire world could see that the world’s
sole superpower was not capable of protecting its own population
when faced with a predictable natural disaster.
George Bush has seen his
popularity in free fall as a result of his own twin towers, Katrina
and the catastrophe of the Iraq war. Bush’s ‘authority’ has
completely melted away with the death of 2,100 US military personnel
and upwards of 30,000 wounded. Sixty per cent of the US population
now considers it was ‘wrong’ and a ‘mistake’ to invade Iraq.
Every single day bears more
witness to the criminal intent of US imperialism in Iraq. The US
will stop funding ‘Iraqi reconstruction’ at the end of the year,
withdrawing $18bn from rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the US
invasion of the country. Bush, and his closest international ally,
the British PM Tony Blair, went to war on a lie, claiming the
existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction. They occupied the country
on a lie, namely “the rebuilding of Iraqi infrastructure and
democracy”. In the future they will seek to scale back their armed
presence in the country on a lie, the so-called “independence of
Iraq” from imperialism and an “Iraq for all the Iraqi people”. The
truth, of course, is that US and British imperialism went to war to
gain control over the world’s third largest oil producer and its
massive untapped reserves.
Capitalism throughout the
world is in turmoil. There is growing conflict between the various
imperialist powers over trade and spheres of political influence.
This is becoming increasingly sharp in Asia where China, Japan and
the USA are finding growing conflicts of interests between
themselves.
It is time that capitalism
and imperialism was overthrown and a new world built. The only
alternative to capitalism and imperialism is to fight for
international socialism. The CWI is a revolutionary socialist
international organisation which fights to build revolutionary
parties of workers’, youth and all those exploited by capitalism.
Our parties and organisations campaign for a revolutionary socialist
programme with the aim of building socialism internationally.
Latin America
in revolt
The uprisings in Ecuador and
Bolivia, and the subsequent election of Evo Morales in the latter
country, together with the revolutionary process taking place here
in Venezuela mark a turning point in the struggle of the masses
throughout the continent. Overwhelmingly, the mass of the Latin
American people have rejected neo-liberalism and are again looking
for an alternative to capitalism. The idea of socialism is again
beginning to emerge in Latin America, most prominently in Venezuela.
In Brazil the pro-capitalist policies of Lula have resulted in the
formation of a new party – P-SOL which support fighting for
socialism as an alternative to capitalism. This party has important
possibilities to develop in the coming months and years. It is an
initiative which has lessons which need to be applied in other
countries where the working class has no independent fighting
parties and organisations to represent it.
No trust
in capitalist representatives
The policies of
neo-liberalism, with the devastating consequences of privatisation
and other pro-capitalist policies, have been demanded by imperialism
and willingly carried out by the capitalist class of Latin America.
There is no progressive wing of the capitalist class that can defend
the interests of the mass of working people. Radical nationalists
like Kirchner in Argentina, while pushed by social movements to
adopt radical populist policies ultimately support capitalism as
shown by Kirchner’s measures against part of the piqueteros
movement. The working class and all those exploited by capitalism
can have no trust in any of these representatives of capitalism.
Brazil, Uruguay and other
countries have seen the election of ‘left’ governments. These
elections have reflected opposition to the neo-liberal policies of
the 1980’s and 1990’s. The old established capitalist political
parties have been thrown out of office. Lula in Brazil and more
recently Tabaré Vázques in Uruguay were elected to office in protest
at the neo-liberal pro-capitalist policies of the preceding
governments. Unfortunately, once in power both Lula and Vázques and
other such governments have embraced capitalism and proceeded to
implement pro-capitalist neo-liberal measures. This is a warning to
the working class in other Latin American countries. Leftist leaders
who refuse to break with capitalism will become very rapidly the new
lackeys of Imperialism and the establishment. The Lula government
has become embroiled in one of the biggest corruption scandals in
Brazil’s history proving that it has become like the other parties
of capitalism.
In Bolivia, the tremendous
movement of workers and peasants, with the indigenous Aymara peoples
playing the leading role, has brought down the second President in
two years and paved the way for the recent election of Evo Morales.
The struggle of the indigenous peoples throughout Latin America is
of crucial importance. Defence of the cultural, language and
national democratic rights of all the indigenous peoples is a
crucial part of the programme defended by the CWI.
Evo Morales, leader of the
MAS (Movement for Socialism), is Bolivia’s first indigenous
president and there are widespread hopes that he will take decisive
action to defend the oppressed in poverty-stricken Bolivia. The
nationalisation of the hydrocarbons is one of the key issues facing
the Morales presidency.
Last December’s election
took place as a result of the tremendous mobilisations of the
workers and peasants. Bolivia was paralysed for more than two weeks
in 2005 as the main cities were cut of by blockades of workers and
peasants. Following the resignation of Mesa the political elite were
so terrified of the mass protests that they had to convene the
Congress in Sucre rather than in La Paz. This movement assumed a
semi-insurrectional character. A situation arose which Marxists
would analyse as containing important elements of ‘dual power’. That
is to say, the established regime is paralysed and unable to act but
a new alternative power – led by the working class and poor peasants
– has not taken over the running of society. Such a situation cannot
continue indefinitely. Either the working people take over the
running of society or the capitalist rulers will reassert their
rule.
The threat of
civil war
The power of the movement
was such that the far right were planning to declare a state of
emergency and use the army to regain power. Such a step would have
been a massive provocation and if attempted could have driven the
country even closer to civil war. Fearing this development the
ruling class stepped back from the brink, appointed the former
President of the Supreme Court, Eduardo Rodriguez, and announced
elections. This was clearly an attempt to regain control of the
situation and disperse the mass movement. Morales at that time
dropped the demand for the nationalisation of the hydrocarbons in an
attempt to reach an agreement with the representatives of
capitalism. During the election campaign he was compelled to support
the demands of the working class for nationalisation.
Morales is now be under
massive pressure of the masses to nationalise the energy resources
of the country. The Bolivian trade union confederation, the COB, has
given the government an ultimatum: implement the election programme,
including the nationalisation of the energy resources, or mass
street protest will begin again in three months time.
The first signs of the
political course of the Morales government point to a zig-zagging
between the demands of the street and the demands of capitalism.
At the same time as
announcing a 50% pay cut for himself and his cabinet, Morales has
offered support for the international bids to be made on El Mútun
Iron mine, near the border with Brazil. During a visit to Santa Cruz
in the first week after the election Morales tried to accommodate
the local business leaders and was quoted by the London based
Financial Times (28 December 2005) “I do not want to harm anybody, I
do not want to expropriate or confiscate any assets, I want to learn
from the businessmen”.
This is a warning to the
masses. There can be no solution to the social crisis and mass
poverty on the basis of appeasing capitalism. If Morales opts for an
agreement with the elite and imperialism it is the majority of the
population – the poor workers, peasant and indigenous people – who
will pay with their blood for the enrichment of the local and
international elite. The desperate poverty is driving the masses
repeatedly to take to the road of struggle in protest against the
misery they are compelled to suffer under capitalism. This seemingly
relentless determination to struggle has emerged in Ecuador and
other Latin American countries. It is not excluded however that on
the basis of mass mobilisations the ruling elite in Bolivia could
agree to a nationalisation of the gas resources to stop more
revolutionary movements developing.
Revolutionary
socialist
programme needed
The dramatic events in
Bolivia illustrate the need for a revolutionary socialist programme.
Such a programme, together with a mass revolutionary socialist
party, will enable the masses to overthrow the capitalist class and
establish a workers’ and peasants’ government. There is also an
urgent necessity for the Venezuelan revolution to adopt this path.
A failure to break with
capitalism will mean a continuation of capitalist exploitation and
misery. At a certain stage it will also allow the capitalist class
in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries to prepare the
ground and strike back. This can take the form of a military coup,
like in Chile 1973, or a ‘creeping counter-revolution’. The absence
of a socialist revolution in Bolivia could even result in the
disintegration and possible break-up of the country. The rich
oligarchy which is concentrated in the oil and gas-rich south-east
of the country around Santa Cruz are already demanding greater
autonomy and could attempt to take the rich deposits and separate
from the rest of the country. Evo Morales agreed to the demand of
the Santa Cruz elite for a referendum on deepening autonomy to be
held in July 2006.
During the recent movement
the COB declared that it was establishing a ‘Peoples Revolutionary
Command’ to bring together all of the trade unions, popular
movements, political and student organisations around a “strategy of
power to the workers, peasants and impoverished middle class
layers”. This bold declaration however needed to be translated into
concrete actions and initiatives.
Local committees in each
work place, university, shanty town and other relevant areas need to
be elected. Mass assemblies need to take place to elect delegates to
such bodies. These need then to link up on a district, city wide,
regional and national basis. Delegates to these bodies must be
elected and subject to immediate recall and give regular reports to
mass meetings. At the centre of the struggle in Bolivia, in El Alto,
the Federación de Juntas Vencinales de El Alto, took important steps
towards establishing such a body on a citywide basis. Such steps
need to be strengthened and repeated throughout the country. One of
the tasks of such committees is to establish armed self defence
force of workers and peasants.
It is urgent that the
movement approach the rank and file soldiers to win their support
and urge them to elect rank and file soldiers committees which then
link up with the rest of the mass movement. Such steps could split
the capitalist state machine and win big layers of it to the side of
the revolutionary mass movement.
These bodies would need also
to take the necessary steps to establish an armed militia of
workers’ and peasants to defend the movement from the threat of
reaction and paramilitary thugs of the rich elite that are currently
used by the ruling class in Colombia.
Such a force could be
established to organise and unify the mass movement and also provide
the basis on which a new government of the working class, peasants
and indigenous peoples could be established.
A workers’ and peasants
government could then take the necessary steps to overthrow
capitalism and landlordism. This would include nationalisation of
gas and oil companies and all the major companies, banks and
financial institutions owned by foreign imperialist companies and
those owned by the Bolivian capitalist class. A programme of land
reform to assist the poorer peasants would also be a crucial element
of such a revolutionary socialist programme. Together with the
introduction of a system of democratic workers control and
management this would allow the introduction of an emergency
programme to plan the reconstruction of the country in the interests
of all those currently exploited by capitalism.
The
Venezuelan revolution
– overthrow capitalism
The mass movements which
have rocked Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries are against the
background of the developing revolution in Venezuela. These events
have begun to attract the attention of the international working
class and youth. The radical populist government of Hugo Chávez,
which was swept to power by the Venezuelan masses, has implemented
important social reforms, especially in health and education.
Over three million
additional people have been put through primary and secondary
education. 3,200 new schools have been opened. Over one million have
been lifted out of illiteracy. Through the Plan Barrios Adentro one
million people in Caracas alone now have access to health care –
helped by the deployment of 20.000 Cuban doctors.
These and other reforms are
no small achievements and are in marked distinction to the vicious
attacks on living standards and counter-reforms which all other
Latin American governments have introduced. The CWI welcomes and
supports these reforms.
The radical populist
government of Hugo Chávez has been a constant source of irritation
to US imperialism which has supported efforts to overthrow his
government on numerous occasions. These including the attempted coup
in April 2002, the lock out in 2002/3 and the referendum. All these
attempts at counter revolution, and others, have been defeated
spontaneous mobilisation of the masses. The workers, urban poor and
youth have shown tremendous determination and audacity.
The revolutionary
mobilisation of the mass movement in Venezuela has put further
pressure on the government. Hugo Chávez now has gone further and has
argued that the ‘third way’ he attempted was a ‘farce’ and that the
alternative to capitalism is socialism. The question of the need for
socialism as an alternative to capitalism is now emerging as a
crucial aspect of the debate regarding the development of the
revolution.
The demand for
nationalisation of the oil and gas resources in Bolivia and the
beginnings of the emergence of the idea of socialism in the
Venezuelan revolution represents an extremely significant
development in the political consciousness of the activists amongst
the working class and youth.
However, as in Bolivia, the
decisive question is how the revolution can be taken forward. To
defend the idea of socialism as an alternative to capitalism is
welcomed but it is not enough. The crucial question facing the mass
movement is – what programme will overthrow capitalism and allow the
working class to come to power and introduce socialist policies?
Unfortunately, Hugo Chavez has not proposed a revolutionary
socialist programme that will overthrow capitalism.
The working class, with the
urban poor, poor peasants and all those exploited by capitalism need
to be organised with their own independent organisations, party and
revolutionary socialist programme. A socialist revolution cannot be
carried through from above. It requires the conscious organisation
of the working class with its own programme to break with
capitalism.
There are undoubtedly
significant sections of the government apparatus and bureaucratic
layers amongst the mass movement in Venezuela who want to hold back
the revolution. They want to try and make their peace with
capitalism and imperialism.
Workers
control and
management
To defeat these elements and
take the revolution forward the working class, urban poor, youth and
peasantry need to take their own initiatives. Workers committees
need to be elected in all of the work places. Such committees need
to be elected and all members subject to the right of recall. These
committees need to establish a system of workers control for the day
to day running of each factory, office or work place. These
committees need to link up on a citywide, regional and national
basis.
While important elements of
this already exist in some work places, including in InVenepal the
attempts at sabotage by the managers and employers can only be
checked by workers committees taking over the day to day
organisation of work in the factories. Workers, through their
general assemblies and councils in the workplace, should have full
access to the books and all other ‘so-called’ secrets of the
factory, of entire industries and of the national economy as a
whole. Thus the workers can begin to discover the actual share of
the national economy appropriated by individual capitalists, trusts
and by the exploiters as a whole. The working out of the most
elementary plan of national production from the point of view of the
exploited is impossible without workers’ control, that is, without
revealing all the open and hidden methods of the capitalist economy.
In that sense workers’ control, even under the general conditions of
capitalism, can be a school for workers’ management and the
democratically planned economy. It is the basis on which workers can
take over the management of the nationalised industry. Only if this
is done can the masses ensure that the vast natural resources of the
county will be used to develop society in their benefit rather than
ending up in the bank accounts of the bureacrats and the national
and international elite.
The nationalisation of
InVenepal was an important step forward but more is needed to
overthrow capitalism. The threat of reaction will remain if
capitalism is not overthrown and a workers’ and poor peasants’
government established which then nationalises the major national
companies and multi-nationals which still control the economy.
Threat of
reaction
The defeat of reaction in
Venezuela has been due to initiatives and the audacity of the
masses. Yet, the threat of reaction still remains. The defeat of
previous attempts at reaction has undoubtedly disorientated and
demoralised the right-wing. A vast increase in oil revenue due to
the surge in the price of petrol has meant that the government now
has five times more oil revenue than when it first came to power and
has also helped stabilise the situation and helped Hugo Chávez
temporarily. To these factors, must also be added the fact that US
imperialism is facing ‘over stretch’ of its resources because of its
involvement in the Iraqi war.
However, the threat still
remains that reaction will make a come back. This could be done
through a military coup like in Chile in 1973. It is more likely
that it will develop over a more protracted period time and take a
‘democratic’ form. This happened in Nicaragua. The Sandinistas,
despite having nationalised large sections of the economy, failed to
break with capitalism. Capitalist and imperialist economic sabotage
and instability and a US backed ‘civil war’ eventually ground down
and exhausted the population. This took place over a period of ten
years but eventually allowed reaction to triumph ‘democratically’ in
elections.
This is a warning to the
threat that is still posed to the revolution in Venezuela if
capitalism is not overthrown. Although the Chavez coalition has
proved itself very popular and has won every electoral contest it
was challenged with the rising level of abstention in these
elections gives cause for concern. In the last elections for the
National Assembly Chavez’s MVR party won 68% of the vote giving it
114 out of 167 seats. This was an increase of 28 and means it has
the two-thirds majority needed to make changes to the constitution.
However, despite president Chávez’s call for a massive turnout, the
abstention level of 75% was the highest in the country’s history.
The rising level of abstention is a serious warning. It partly
reflects dissatisfaction about advancing bureaucratisation and
corruption around the government and state apparatus, and continuing
poverty.
There is an urgent need to
take the revolution forward, break with capitalism and introduce a
socialist plan to start ending the suffering of the working class
and poor. Nationalised companies such as Venepal and PDVSA need a
real system of workers control to organise production and running of
the workplaces on a day to day basis. They also need a system of
workers management to plan production nationally and integrate this
into a democratic socialist plan of the whole economy.
In the nationalised
industries a system of workers’ management can be introduced on the
basis of a system of electing the boards of companies such as PDVSA
to be comprised of one third elected from the workers in the
industry, one third from the rest of the working class and poor and
one third from a workers’ and peasants government so that each
industry can be managed as part of an integrated democratic plan of
the economy. On top of this, urgent measures need to be taken to
combat corruption and the growth of bureaucracy. No elected
representative should earn more than the average wage of those he or
she represents. All elected representatives should be subject to
recall and a system of rotation should be introduced to prevent
individuals from gaining too much power.
The need for international solidarity
and
socialism
During a recent visit to
Venezuela the newly elected president of Bolivia, Evo Morales,
declared how “Bolivia has taken up the anti-imperialist and anti-neoliberal
struggle of the Latin American people”. Chavez and Morales are
speaking about the launch of an anti-imperialist alliance between
Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela.
This will be welcomed by the
masses throughout Latin America and seen as a step in the right
direction. President Chavez answered journalists who accused Cuba,
Venezuela and Bolivia of forming an axis of evil “On the contrary,
ours is the axis of th egood, that of the peaceful development of
the people. The other, which threatens invasion and killings is the
axis of Washington and its allies, whihc in reality is a real axis
of evil”
It is crucial that an
anti-imperialist alliance establishes direct links between the
revolutionary workers’ movements throughout Latin America and to
mobilise support for overthrowing capitalism and establishing
workers’ and peasants governments. This anti-imperialist alliance
should be formed on a program of establishing a socialist federation
of Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela on the basis of workers’ democracy
and the establishment of a socialist planned economy under workers
control and management. This must also be linked to the perspective
of spreading the socialist revolution throughout the continent with
the aim of establishing a Democratic Socialist Federation of Latin
America and all the Americas.
The spread of the revolution
and the appeal to the working class of the rest of Latin America and
even the USA itself is the only way to withstand the threat of
reaction and to survive attempts by US imperialism and the Latin
American capitalist classes to isolate and overthrow the regimes in
Bolivia, Cuba or Venezuela.
Cuba
The Venezuelan government
has also established strong links with Cuba. In Cuba, capitalism was
overthrown during the revolution and a nationalised planned economy
was introduced. The Cuban revolution and overthrow of capitalism
resulted in big benefits for the Cuban people. Today this is still
seen in the health and education system which is vastly superior to
that which exists in any other Latin America country. The CWI
supports all of the gains of the Cuban revolution and is opposed to
any threat of counter revolution by US imperialism and capitalist
restoration.
The gains of the Cuban
revolution can best be defended by introducing a genuine system of
workers democracy. Unfortunately, this has not existed but the
nationalised planned economy and society has been ruled by a
bureaucratic caste. A genuine regime of workers democracy would
defend the nationalised planned economy but with a real system of
workers democracy based on the election of all officials subject to
the right of recall. No official should receive more than the
average wage of a skilled worker. Free trade unions need to be
allowed with the right to strike along. The Cuban masses need to be
allowed freedom of political expression and the right to organise.
Such a system of workers
democracy would offer the best defence of the revolution and also
strengthen the appeal of the idea of a socialist revolution through
out the rest of Latin America. A linking together of a Cuban,
Bolivian and Venezuelan workers democracy in a democratic voluntary
federation could begin the process of spreading the revolution
throughout the continent and challenge capitalism and imperialism.
This could be the first step towards building a socialist Latin
America and a bridge towards winning the support of the working
people of the whole of the Americas to socialism.
The CWI is fighting for
these ideas internationally and we appeal to all workers, youth and
those exploited by capitalism to join us and build an international
socialist organisation that will fight capitalism and imperialism.
Mass
demonstration in support of Chavez regime
Right-wing opposition
mobilizes only a few thousand
Andy Bentley,
Socialist Party (Britain), Caracas, Venezuela
‘Somos un rio crecido’ (we are a mighty
river) read one of the banners on the pro-Chavez march on Saturday
4th February in Venezuela. One and a half million poured out onto
the streets of Caracas in a massive show of strength which turned
from a river into a sea of red banners and flags that brought parts
of Caracas to a halt
Chavez supporters were packed like sardines
on the metro trains trying to get to the march. They also came from
miles around on motorbikes, buses, cars, on foot and even on
crutches! Wave after wave joined in on the way. More than100 buses
came from the Vargas region alone despite the recent collapse of the
main viaduct link road.
Unlike the previous week’s march, during
the world Social Forum, this march was predominantly made up of the
working class and other exploited layers of Venezuela. Workers
marched behind their trade union banners and from their barrios.
Campesinos (rural workers) came packed in open top trailers.
The opposition represented by the
capitalist bosses, latifundistas (large landowners), top layers of
the church all supported by US imperialism thought that after a
series of defeats the tide was beginning to turn in their direction
after the widespread abstention of Chavez supporters in the recent
National Assembly elections and opinion polls which showed a fall in
support for Chavez. But the turn out on this march compared to the
few thousands mobilized by the right wing opposition’s counter march
confirmed again the real balance forces.
The radical, populist leader Chavez used
the march, originally called to commemorate the 14th anniversary of
the failed military rebellion led by Chavez in 1992, as a launching
pad for the presidential elections later in the year by calling for
ten million votes to ensure his re-election. The previous day he had
gone onto the offensive by expelling a US naval officer for spying
and announcing a series of new reforms, including a 15% increase in
the minimum wage, which will benefit thousands of working class
people.
However, winning another term as President
will not be enough to solve the problems faced by the Venezuelan
working class, campesinos and poor. Despite the significant reforms
funded by the high price of oil, 70% of the population still live in
poverty whilst big business continue to make massive profits. The
Chavez reforms and partial nationalisations and co-gestion (worker’s
participation) have enraged the opposition without breaking
fundamentally their ownership of the main industries, banks, finance
companies and land.
The process of revolution and counter
revolution will continue to unfold in Venezuela but at some stage
will reach a decisive conclusion. Either the forces of the counter
revolution will predominate through a bloody military coup as in
Chile in 1973 or a more ‘democratic’ counter revolution as in
Nicaragua in the eighties and nineties. Or the working class
supported by the other exploited layers in Venezuela will build the
forces necessary to break fundamentally with capitalism by taking
into public ownership major industry, banks, finance houses and land
under democratic workers control. This would allow production to be
democratically planned based on the needs of the masses and not a
privileged few. But a successful conclusion like this will not be
automatic. The need for the working class and exploited to build
their own independent organizations armed with a socialist program
is now becoming increasingly urgent.
Women
occupy Caracas factory
For the past 6 weeks, a
group of around 40 women have led a struggle for jobs and pay at the
Selfex factory in the south east of Caracas.
Elizabeth O’Hara,
Socialist Party (Britain), Caracas, Venezuela
The company, which makes women’s underwear
under the brand name LONY, ceased production in August 2005 when the
owners claimed they could no longer afford to produce. They
attempted to send home the 250 strong workforce, telling them they
were on enforced annual leave. The workers, 80% of whom are women,
refused to accept this and insisted on their right to pay, meal
tickets (a type of luncheon voucher) and national insurance
contributions.
The workers were paid their wages up until
mid-December but then the owners claimed bankruptcy. On 12th
December they occupied the factory, placing a large padlock on the
outer entrance door and controlling all access to the building. The
women have worked out a rota of shifts to ensure that the factory is
occupied 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have seen nothing of
the owners since December. Many of the women have strong doubts as
to whether the owners are really as broke as they claim. They recall
the time of the bosses’ lockout in 2003 and remember how the owners
shut down the factory but the workforce insisted on coming to work.
This time, the workers are just as determined. They believe the
owners are waiting for them to tire and go home.
As Maria Teresa Bravo said, “This company
has been going for 70 years. There are sewing machines here, vans to
distribute the merchandise and above all there is a skilled
workforce who want to work. All we need to start up production is
cloth and cotton. We are all in our 30s, and 40s. We have families
to feed. We are determined to fight for our jobs.”
The women, all members of the UNT union,
are low paid and have now had no income since December. Rosa Sojo
explained:
We can’t afford to buy the swimsuits and
underwear we make. We are only paid the minimum wage.
The women are feel that the existence of
the Chavez regime has created an environment in which they feel more
confident of raising their demands. However, despite their faith in
the Chavez project, it still important that the workers are
organised independently and formulate concrete demands, such as a
demand that the company open its books so that the workers can see
where the profits are going. Workers could also explore ways of
restarting production and call for nationalisation under democratic
workers’ control.
|
Email:
anticapitalism@hotmail.co.uk
| Tel: (020) 8558 7947 | Postal address: ISR, PO Box 858, London, E11 1YG
