Stop the repression by the Guardia Nacional and the maneuvers of the
Minister of Labor

Friday morning, March 14, the workers suffered fierce repression by
the Guardia Nacional, with tear gas canisters, birdshot and lead
bullets, with a toll of approximately 100 workers in custody in a
court inside the enterprise, 12 others detained in a regional command
post, as well as eight wounded by birdshot and 2 from lead bullets,
while they were at Gate 3, protesting to win their demands. The
Guardia Nacional attacked violently, breaking the glass in the
workers’ cars, firing birdshot, with a brutality such as has not been
seen for some time. Faced with this repression, the workers, outraged,
were shouting, "Where is the government’s socialism?!"

The day before, Thursday, March 13, the Minister of Labor, José Ramón
Rivero, tried to arrange a new maneuver to remove the conflict,
seeking to call a referendum at the entrances of the enterprise,
behind the back of the union; this maneuver was quickly blocked by
the workers themselves. Faced with repression and the maneuvers by
Chávez’ government, through his Minister of Labor, the amazement is so
great that there is already talk of the willingness of other unions to
call a regional strike to repudiate this repressive action by the
government. Enough outrages! For an active regional strike against
repression and for the victory of the SIDOR workers!

After the failure of the March 12 meeting between the Ternium firm
SIDOR (owned by the Argentinean group Techint) and SUTISS (the
workers’ union), the workers at the plant decided to shut down the
whole factory, even before their own union formally suggested it. The
fury of the workers is so great that they did not wait for the
decision of the union leadership, which then proposed 80 hours as the
first action in a series of staggered strikes.

In the few months since the beginning of 2008, SUTISS has called 5
strikes that total 180 hours when the more than 13,500 workers (4,500
permanent and 9,000 temporary) of the steel mill and the firms of the
contractors, shut down production. Spontaneous mobilizations by workers were not lacking in this struggle, like the March 4 mobilization with street actions in the city of Puerto Ordaz that ended with repression by the Guardia Nacional. Nor was the strong push from below, by the workers, lacking; faced with suspension of negotiations, on March 6 they imposed the 24-hour strike on their own union, since the union was not responding. Cruz Hernández, a rank and file union delegate, arrested and wounded in the repression of March 14, said at the beginning of the strike, "the workers decided this action facing the intransigence of the company in refusing to pay attention to the demands raised."

After 13 months since discussion of the collective contract began, the
Ternium firm SIDOR is still determined in refusing to recognize
the rights of the workers, by postponing negotiation indefinitely. In
this way, it is repeating its refusal to recognize the demands mainly
concerning wages, by offering paltry raises, that in no way compensate
for the losses in earnings. The multinational corporation, after 10
years of a slave-driving regime, since the enterprise was privatized,
continues filling its pockets with multi-million dollar profits
generated by the workers themselves. SIDOR has only proposed a daily
wage raise of 42 BF for the life of the contract in the form of 22 BF
at signing, and two equal parts of 10 BF, during the life of the
contract, in January 2009 and January 2010; 1.5% for recognition, plus
a bonus of 13,000 BF to compensate for 22 months without receiving
economic benefits, among other offers. This proposal was rejected by
the union that is now demanding a raise of 53 BF a day, after having
proposed 80 BF. One must add that the government itself, through the
Minister of Labor, has been acting in favor of the enterprise, rather
than in favor of the workers, for instance, with the (failed) maneuver
of imposing the Arbitration Board, where the workers had everything to
lose, with the government even going so far as to propose an increase
of the bonus to 20,000 BF with state funds, a dirty trick, when the
funds have to come from the company that is robbing the workers.

As Cruz Hernández declared after the failure of the March 12 meeting,
"the company is the only one responsible for the fact that this strike
exploded." This is one of the most powerful transnational corporations
in our country, which has increased its profits five-fold on the backs
of the workers. This strike could become the first step towards the
unlimited strike if the company does not respond to the demands
raised. The workers’ pressure from below is very strong, which
prevents the union leadership itself from arriving at an agreement
easily. Twenty unions in the region (where most of the basic
industries of the country are to be found) have already declared that
they would strike in solidarity with the workers of SIDOR if those
workers began the strike. We must support this big struggle with
active solidarity; if the unlimited strike develops, it will revive
all the workers’ struggles of the country, for their delayed
demands.

For a regional strike in support of the struggle and to repudiate the
government’s repressive action!

For support committees in the factories and places of work and study!

Juventud de Izquierda Revolucionaria (JIR)

March 14, 2008

Translation by Yosef M.

Note: The following text refers to the bolívar fuerte (BF), the new
Venezuelan currency since the beginning of this year; one bolívar
fuerte is currently worth roughly 47 cents US.