In February, the Hands off Venezuela website published a letter issued by the UNT referring to an attack by FEDECAMARAS, the employers’ association of Venezuela, which had presented a complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union freedoms and the right to strike. We urged our readers to send messages of support to the UNT and to add their signatures to their letter of complaint (see also Urgent: support needed for the Venezuelan UNT!) . Below you find some of the messages of support coming from students, trade unionsts and labour activists all over the world. 

---

From Britain:

Dear Comrades,

I wish to convey solidarity greetings from Brighton & Hove Unemployed Workers Centre to your union and wish you well in your struggles.

People in this country are well aware of the attacks on Venezuela by US Imperialism, aided by the FEDECAMARAS and CTV.

In Solidarity,

Tony Greenstein

 

“It has been drawn to my attention by the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign that the CTV and the Venezuelan employers’ organisation are demanding an ILO enquiry into so-called anti-union activity in Venezuela. This is an outrage and I wish to express my solidarity with the UNT and its appeal to the ILO’s Workers Group to reject this underhand attack.”

A través de la Campaña Manos Fuera de Venezuela, hemos tenido conocimiento de que la CTV y FEDECAMARAS están pidiendo a la OIT una investigación sobre las supuestas activitivades anti-sindicales en Venezuela. Esto es un escándalo y en consecuencia nos gustaría reafirmar nuestra solidaridad con la UNT y a su llamamiento al Grupo de Trabajadores de la OIT para que rechace este ataque injustificado.

Steve Jones

Treasurer, London Central branch National Union Of journalists.

Romford Labour Party

From Canada:

Dear Comrades of the UNT,

It is with great pride that I am able to pledge my support, as a youth representative of the New Democratic Party, for your appeal to the ILO in response to the disgraceful actions of FEDECAMARAS and the treachery of the CTV. I became aware of this effort through the Hands Off Venezuela campaign that continues to be at the forefront of Intentional solidarity work around the world. The work of the UNT to move the Bolivarian Revolution forward is crucial in the struggle for socialism, democracy and prosperity.

For a United Socialist Latin America!

In Solidarity and Strength,

Julian Benson

Youth Representative to Provincial Council
New Democratic Party Of Canada
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

 

To our Venezuelan comrades of the UNT,

I am writing to send my solidarity with you in your struggle against the FEDECAMARAS enemies of the Bolivarian revolution. I am in complete support of the UNT national coordinators’ Open Letter to the Workers’ Group of the ILO (pasted below). In Canada, we have been made aware of your struggle by the Hands off Venezuela campaign.

In Solidarity,

Mike Palecek

Executive member, Vancouver-Langara Constituency
New Democratic Party of British Columbia

 

To our Venezuelan comrades of the UNT,

We have learned of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and we are writing from Canada to express our solidarity in your struggle against the FEDECAMARAS enemies of the Bolivarian revolution. We are in complete support of the UNT national coordinators’ Open Letter to the Workers’ Group of the ILO (pasted below).

In Solidarity,

Miriam Martin

Member, BC Young New Democrats
Vancouver CANADA

From Denmark:

Dear comrades

I learned about your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela campaign, and want to express my warmest solidarity. The right to freely unionize is an essential right all over the world.

Yours in solidarity,

Marie Frederiksen,
Denmark, member of the social workers union, and public sector union (LFS and FOA)

From Italy:

Dear comrades

We have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and we would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT against the attacks by FEDECAMARAS and the bureaucratic and corrupt CTV. It is time to unmask these mafia leaders to all workers of the world. We will do our part of the job here in Italy and we add our signature at your appeal

Yours fraternally,

Claudio Bellotti, national executive committee, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista
Alessandro Giardiello and Simona Bolelli, national political committee, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista
Jacopo Renda,
Elisabetta Rossi,
Dario Salvetti, national coordinating committee, Young Communists – Partito della Rifondazione Comunista
Paolo Brini, central committee Fiom Cgil (metal workers union)
Orlando Maviglia, regional committee Fiom Cgil, Emilia Romagna
Davide Bacchelli, provincial committee Fiom Cgil, Bologna
Giampiero Montanari, metal shop steward Fiom Cgil
Ivan Serra, metal shop steward Fiom Cgil, Bologna
Domenico Minadeo, chemical shop steward, Filcea Cgil Imola
Fabrizio Parlagreco, metal shop steward Fiom Cgil Milano
Nunzio Vurchio, metal shop steward Fiom Cgil Milano
Massimo Cavallotti, services shop steward Filmcams Cgil Milano
Samira Giulitti, insurance shop steward Fisac Cigil Milano
Sara Cimarelli, insurance shop steward Fisac Cigil Milano
Laura Parozzi, transport shop steward Filt Cgil Milano
Antonio Forlano, transport shop steward Filt Cgil Milano
Pino Marazzi, transport shop steward Filt Cgil Milano
Laura Bassanetti, transport shop steward Filt Cgil Milano
Silvia Ruggieri call center shop steward Nidil Cgil Roma
Stefano Pol, national committee, Nidil Cgil
Paolo Grassi, provincial committee, Nidil Cgil, Milano

From Iran:

Dear comrades,

I have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and would like to express my complete solidarity with the UNT. I believe that the CTV is one of the most rotten and class-collaborationist union bureaucracies in the world. It is therefore not a big surprise to see them join forces with FEDECAMARAS to present a Complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated trade Union freedoms and the right to strike. These are the same people who took part in the April 2002 coup and the bosses’ lockout in December 2002-January 2003.

I know that by relying on the strength of the Venezuelan workers and the international solidarity of the working class you will be able to defeat this ‘democratic’ move that is aimed at limiting trade union rights.

Yours comradely

Amin Kazemi (member of Iranian Revolutionary Socialists’ League)

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – http://www.kargar.org – BM KARGAR, LONDON WC1N 3XX, United Kingdom.

 

We have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and we would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT

Roza Javaan

Iranian Youth Revolutionary League

Javan Socialist http://www.javaan.net

 

We have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and we would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT

Sara Ghazi

Iranian Women Socialists

 

I have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and I would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT

M. Razi

Iranian Revolutionary Socialist League

From Nigeria:

Dear Brothers And Sisters,

Through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign we discovered that this campaign is going on and we would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT. The intention and plot of the FEDECAMARAS is very clear and obvious. The case is the same all over the globe. The interests of the employer always run counter to the goal of the genuine working class. We produce the wealth and are marginalised in its consumption. We workers of Nigeria are in complete solidarity with you and we strongly believe that success is yours in this struggle, because it is the struggle between light and darkness.

Yours fraternally,

Ola Kazeem

for Campaign for Workers and Youth Alternative, Nigeria

From Pakistan:

We the Pakistan section of Youth for International Socialism (YFIS) respond to the appeal by the National Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT) and express solidarity with their rights. We condemn the conspiracies of imperialist powers against Chavez who is leading the masses and workers of Venezuela in the form of Bolivarian Revolution. We are against any oppression and tyranny of employers against the workers although they have bought a small section of trade union leadership.

We condemn the dirty politics of FEDECAMARAS and the confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) and appeal to ILO’s committee on Freedom of Association to reject their request.

We will do we could in supporting the cause of Workers of Venezuela.

In solidarity,

Youth for International Socialism (YFIS)

Pakistan Section

 

We the Trade Unionists of Pakistan respond to the appeal by the National Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT) and express solidarity with their rights. We condemn the conspiracies of imperialist powers against Chavez who is leading the masses and workers of Venezuela in the form of Bolivarian Revolution.

We are against any oppression and tyranny of employers against the workers although they have bought a small section of trade union leadership. We condemn the dirty politics of FEDECAMARAS and the confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) and appeal to ILO’s committee on Freedom of Association to reject their request.

We will do we could in supporting the cause of Workers of Venezuela.

In solidarity,

Signed by President of Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign (PTUDC)

Ch. Manzoor Ahmad

 

We the Members of National Assembly of Pakistan respond to the appeal by the National Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT) and express solidarity with their rights.

We condemn the conspiracies of imperialist powers against Chavez who is leading the masses and workers of Venezuela in the form of Bolivarian Revolution. We condemn the dirty politics of FEDECAMARAS and the confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) and appeal to ILO’s committee on Freedom of Association to reject their request.

We will support the cause of UNT in any possible way.

In solidarity,

Signed by following Members of National Assembly of Pakistan

NAMES CONSTITUENCIES

1. Ch. Manzoor Ahmed NA-139
2. Qamar Zaman Kaira NA-106
3. Zulfiqar Gondal NA-69
4. Fozia Wahab NA-311
5. Zamurd Khan NA-54
6. Anwar Bhutto NA-204
7. Rauf Mengal NA-269
8. Naheed Khan NA-292
9. Dr. Fehmida Mirza NA-225
10. Syed Nayyar Hussain NA-49
11. Sherry Rehman NA-309
12. Qurban Ali Shah NA-225

From Russia:

Fraternal greetings to the comrades of the UNT!

I have learnt through the Hands off Venezuela campaign about the joint complaint of Fedecamaras and the CTV alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union Freedoms and the Right to Strike. This is a monstrous lie on the part of the bosses and it is a scandal that they are being supported by the CTV, which claims to represent workers’ interests.

Through the Hands off Venezuela campaign workers in many countries know that Chavez is serious about democracy for the Venezuelan people, which he has demonstrated with the passing of the new Venzuelan constitution, and we know that Chavez in deeds as well as words supports workers in struggle, as the recent nationalisation of the Venepal factory shows. The workers campaigned for months for this victory and the government took their side against the bosses. It is for this reason that the bosses in Fedecamaras are so hostile to the government.

In building solidarity with the UNT in Venezuela the Hands off Venezuela campaign is rallying trade unionists internationally as well as in Venezuela.

Comradely,

Tom Rollings, Moscow.

From Sweden:

Through the Hands off Venezuela campaign site have I received this information.

I sign the Open Letter to the Workers’ Group of the ILO written by the leaders of UNT. I am a member of Left Party (in Sweden) and Young Left (the youth organisation). There I have campaigned for the support of the UNT and the Venezuelan revolution.

The following resolution was passed unanimously at the regional congress of the Young Left, Gothenburg and Bohuslän, on the 6th of february 2005:

“During the last years an intense struggle has been taking place in Venezuela for a more just and more democratic society. Through a struggle against the local bourgeoisie and imperialism great reforms have been won. This has resulted in more schools, more doctors, more jobs and more houses. A big land reform has been initiated. Recently an important step forward was taken when the paper mill Venepal was expropriated. But all this is threatened by the enemies of the revolution are prepared to use any methods what so ever to stop the movement; the coup d’etat in 2002 is an obvious example. The world labour movement has a duty to defend the Venezuelan revolution. The Young Left in Gothenburg and Bohuslän declare its support for the gains of the Venezuelan revolution and support the new trade union UNT”

Comradely

Martin Lööf

Left Party/Young Left (Sweden)

 

I strongly want to express my solidarity with the UNT of Venezuela. The UNT is the legitimate trade union confederation of Venezuela and has the support of the workers in the country. The old corrupt CTV-leaders have joined forces with the employers-oganiztions to oust the democratically elected government of Hugo Chavez to try and stop the positive development for the majority of the population that has started with the bolivarian revolution. They have been part of organizing a military coup among other things and no longer have the support of the working class. Now they have joined forces with the employers once again and has presented a Complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union freedoms and the right to strike. This complaint has no basis what so ever. The only ones violating trade-union rights is the right-wing paramilitary groups who harres and even kill worker’s and peasent leaders who support the bolivarian revolution. These groups are on the same side as the employers organizations and, regrettably, as the CTV in the hard conflict evolving in Venezuela.

Henrik Wolgast,

member of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers Party

Falun, Sweden.

From the United States:

Dear Members of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association,

I am a former union carpenter/cabinet maker from Toledo, Ohio. I am familiar with rifts between unions. Yet the instance cited above is perplexing, in that an employer group is concerned about workers’ rights. I have watched with hope over the last few years, the events which have taken shape in Venezuela. I have noted that the forces behind the coup attempt of this democratically elected government, were largely the work of the very wealthy.

It is clear in the United States, irrespective of our own government’s suppression, that the people of Venezuela turned the coup back. Even so, a second democratic election took place and again reaffirmed President Chavez as the leader elect. Please consider very carefully the source of the complaint filed by FEDECAMARAS and the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers.

I cannot think of any employer group in the United States that grieves for a workers trade union or their freedoms and the right to strike. The FEDECAMARAS/CVW complaint should be found without merit. Any reasonable observer could not be persuaded that the interests of the working people of Venezuela are being served by this partnership. I must ask the question why has CVW not made attempts to rectify the rift in the union split. The CVW now in partnership with the original antagonist, the employer, is I believe, a fatal flaw.

I urge you to allow the unions to find their own solution to the so called “complaint” and not add fire to the trouble that the US has already caused the people of Venezuela.

Respectfully,

Robert Masters II

Paralegal, Workers’ Compensation Specialist

 

I have learnt of your appeal through the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and we would like to express our complete solidarity with the UNT

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

We in Venezuela have been part of the effort by the working class to create a trade union federation that is built from the bottom up by the rank and file and that is rooted in the principles of class independence, trade union democracy and full autonomy in relation to the State and all political parties. This effort – which in April 2003 brought unionists from different sectors and trade union currents together to create the UNT – is part and parcel of the struggle of our people in defense of their national sovereignty.

Today, the UNT represents the majority of the organized workforce in Venezuela. Its creation in 2003 has given a huge impetus to the drive to organize trade unions across our country. The rate of trade union affiliation has increased from 11% in 2001 to 23% in 2004. The UNT also has been present in the last two International Labor Conferences of the ILO in June 2003 and June 2004.

But these recent years also have seen FEDECAMARAS, the employers’ association of Venezuela, join forces with the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) to present a Complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union Freedoms and the Right to Strike.

The joint Complaint by FEDECAMARAS and the CTV is highly unusual, as trade unions are generally the ones filing ILO Complaints against the employers and seeking support from the ILO Workers’ Group against all violations of trade union rights, including the right to strike. It is unprecedented, as well, on account of the convergence of interests between FEDECAMARAS and the CTV.

Such a Complaint can be understood only in the context of the unfolding political situation in Venezuela, in which FEDECAMARAS and the top leadership of the CTV participated directly in the attempted military coup of April 2002, together with the opposition political parties and with the encouragement of the U.S. Embassy. The coup – which established a government” headed by Pedro Carmona, then president of FEDECAMARAS – was foiled after just two days by the mass mobilizations of the Venezuelan workers and people.

Later, in December 2002 and January 2003, FEDECAMARAS – together with the same leaders of the CTV – organized an employer lockout/work stoppage that was political in nature and that sought to bring down the government through the sabotage of the country’s main source of income: the oil industry. In both the attempted coup and the bosses’ lockout/work stoppage, the CTV leadership took actions that were repudiated by the overwhelming majority of the workers of Venezuela.

At no time, in fact, were the workers consulted by the CTV leadership about the work stoppage in the oil industry. Quite the contrary, upon learning of this action by the CTV leadership, the workers mobilized massively to occupy the oil rigs and refineries to ensure the resumption of oil production.

These undeniable facts were reported in detail by 35 leaders of the UNT to the Contact Mission of the ILO that traveled to Venezuela in October 2004.

It is not new, nor is it unexpected, that employers should resort to lockouts against the workers to promote their interests. Many of you undoubtedly have witnessed such bosses’ lockouts in your countries. It is less frequent for the employers to resort to military coups, but, alas, such actions are not unprecedented. But isn’t it an insult to our intelligence to try to have us believe that employer lockouts and military coups can somehow be aimed at defending democracy and trade union rights? Do they think we’re fools who cannot see through their hypocrisy?

In June 2004, FEDECAMARAS – with the full support of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and representatives from bosses’ organizations in 22 countries, including the United States, all of them notorious for their anti-union activities – invoked Article 26 of the ILO Constitution and proposed that a Commission of Inquiry be established in relation to alleged violations of Trade Union Freedoms in Venezuela.

The March 8-24, 2005 meeting of the Governing Body of the ILO is scheduled to take a vote on this request by FEDECAMARAS. It is worth noting that while this baseless Complaint against the Venezuelan government moves through the ILO system, the government of Colombia has not been subjected to any sanctions or pressures by the ILO – even when the ILO itself registered at the beginning of 2004 that 186 trade unionists had been assassinated for their union activity in that country, a number that now surpasses the 200 mark.

Abdul-Rahim Borges

Workers International League, USA

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Workers International League in the United States sends its fraternal greetings of solidarity and denounces the transparent provocation of FEDECAMARAS and the CTV in their effort to strangle the UNT, the true trade union federation of the Venezuelan working class. The example of the UNT workers is an inspiration to the American trade union movement which currently finds itself in a situation similar to the one Venezuelan trade unionists were in just a few years ago.

Enough of class collaboration between the trade union “leaders” and their friends in big business!
For democratic trade unions run by and for working people!
No to foreign intervention in Venezuela!
Forward with the Bolivarian Revolution!

In solidarity,

John Peterson

National Secretary of the Workers International League

www.socialistappeal.org

In Spanish, from Mexico:

A LA COORDINACION NACIONAL DE UNT VENEZOLANA

AL MOVIMIENTO OBRERO Y JUVENIL MEXICANOS

Estimados compañeros

Enterados de la protesta de FEDECARAMAS ante la OIT

Sectores de trabajadores y estudiantes agrupados en el periídoco obrero MILITANTE www.militante.org :

- El Comité de Trabajadores en Defensa de los Sindicatos (COTDESI),
- El Comité Estudiantil en Defensa de la Educación Pública (CEDEP),
- Las Juventudes Socialistas del PRD (JSPRD) y,
- La expresión mexicana de MANOS FUERA DE VENEZUELA (que desarrolló un acto masivo el 15 de agosto de 2004 frente a la embajada estadounidense en defensa del régimen de Chávez frente a los ataques de la contrarrevolución),

nos manifestamos plenamente a favor de la postura expresada por la UNT.

¡Por la unidad internacional del movimiento obrero!

¡Viva el la revolución socialista en Venezuela!

Saludos revolucionarios

--

Jonathan López

Por el Comité Ejecutivo de MILITANTE México

www.marxist.com

www.militante.org

jota_o [at] militante.org

Read more ...

Workers of the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas (National Manufacturer of Valves) Los Teques, Miranda State, in Venezuela, have not received their salaries for two years and three months. After having come into conflict with Andrés Sosa Pietri (the owner of the factory), one of the industrialists that was involved in the April 2002 coup, the factory was closed. After the nationalisation of Venepal, these workers, who had already occupied the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas for several months a year ago, have occupied it again and are demanding that it also be nationalised.

A Support Committee for the workers of the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas has been set up in Los Teques and we are calling upon all unions nationally and internationally to send economic aid to the following account 0039-01-0100309746 Banco Industrial de Venezuela under the name of Jorge Paredes y Rosalio Castro for the Resistance Fund, and solidarity resolutions to their email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., to the President This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and the Ministry of Labour This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Model resolution

Given the situation faced by the workers of the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas (CNV) in Los Teques (Miranda State), who have not received their salaries for two years and three months after having confronted the coup-involved industrialist Andrés Sosa Pietri, and considering that they are now occupying the factory and demanding its reopening under workers’ control, we assert the following:

1. We entirely support the struggle of the workers of the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas and put ourselves at the disposal of the Action Committee to organize solidarity with their struggle in our workplaces, neighborhoods, etc

2. We call upon the Bolivarian Government to act on this as soon as possible and, as was done in the case of Venepal – which was also abandoned by its owner – to nationalise the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas.

3. We believe that the nationalisation under workers’ control of the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas will not only allow to defend jobs but will also generate more employment in the area and ensure the production of valves for the State Oil Company PDVSA, given that the Constructora Nacional de Valvulas is the only enterprise that manufactures such valves in Venezuela.

4. While this is in process, we ask the authorities of the Work Ministry of Labour and the Presidency to subsidise the workers. At the same time we call upon all unions belonging to the UNT (National Union of Workers) and all social organizations that support the Bolivarian revolutionary process to organize active financial solidarity with this struggle and collect funds to help the brave resistance of these workers.

Signed..........................

Read more ...

On 22 February 2005, this website published a letter issued by the UNT (see below) referring to an attack of FEDECAMARAS, the employers’ association of Venezuela that has joined forces with the opposition Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) to present a Complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union freedoms and the right to strike.

The UNT has asked for messages of support by adding your signature to their letter of complaint (find below the letter referred to). Please read this letter, as it is quite self-explanatory. As you will see, the meeting they refer to started yesterday, March 8, and will continue until March 24, so we all have to act quickly. Trade union activists and socialists the world over should give all the support they can to the UNT as the genuine expression of the organised Venezuelan labour movement. Remember that the CTV leaders actually backed the April 2002 coup against Chavez!

We invite all our supporters to take up this issue inside their trade unions and mass left parties, and try to get official backing from local, regional and national trade union bodies. We invite you to mention in your letters that you are responding to this appeal of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign.

Please send your solidarity letters by e-mail to the following addresses:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (UNT) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Stalin Perez)

with a copy to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Open Letter to the Workers’ Group of the ILO

 

By the national coordinators of the UNT
Tuesday, 22 February 2005

We, the undersigned leaders of the National Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT), issue this appeal to the trade unions around the world that are represented in the Workers’ Group of the International Labor Organization (ILO), as well as to all our sisters and brothers who are championing the trade union battles in defense of workers’ rights.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

We in Venezuela have been part of the effort by the working class to create a trade union federation that is built from the bottom up by the rank and file and that is rooted in the principles of class independence, trade union democracy and full autonomy in relation to the State and all political parties. This effort – which in April 2003 brought unionists from different sectors and trade union currents together to create the UNT – is part and parcel of the struggle of our people in defense of their national sovereignty.

Today, the UNT represents the majority of the organized workforce in Venezuela. Its creation in 2003 has given a huge impetus to the drive to organize trade unions across our country. The rate of trade union affiliation has increased from 11% in 2001 to 23% in 2004. The UNT also has been present in the last two International Labor Conferences of the ILO in June 2003 and June 2004.

But these recent years also have seen FEDECAMARAS, the employers’ association of Venezuela, join forces with the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) to present a Complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union Freedoms and the Right to Strike.

The joint Complaint by FEDECAMARAS and the CTV is highly unusual, as trade unions are generally the ones filing ILO Complaints against the employers and seeking support from the ILO Workers’ Group against all violations of trade union rights, including the right to strike. It is unprecedented, as well, on account of the convergence of interests between FEDECAMARAS and the CTV.

Such a Complaint can be understood only in the context of the unfolding political situation in Venezuela, in which FEDECAMARAS and the top leadership of the CTV participated directly in the attempted military coup of April 2002, together with the opposition political parties and with the encouragement of the U.S. Embassy. The coup – which established a government” headed by Pedro Carmona, then president of FEDECAMARAS – was foiled after just two days by the mass mobilizations of the Venezuelan workers and people.

Later, in December 2002 and January 2003, FEDECAMARAS – together with the same leaders of the CTV – organized an employer lockout/work stoppage that was political in nature and that sought to bring down the government through the sabotage of the country’s main source of income: the oil industry. In both the attempted coup and the bosses’ lockout/work stoppage, the CTV leadership took actions that were repudiated by the overwhelming majority of the workers of Venezuela.

At no time, in fact, were the workers consulted by the CTV leadership about the work stoppage in the oil industry. Quite the contrary, upon learning of this action by the CTV leadership, the workers mobilized massively to occupy the oil rigs and refineries to ensure the resumption of oil production.

These undeniable facts were reported in detail by 35 leaders of the UNT to the Contact Mission of the ILO that traveled to Venezuela in October 2004.

It is not new, nor is it unexpected, that employers should resort to lockouts against the workers to promote their interests. Many of you undoubtedly have witnessed such bosses’ lockouts in your countries. It is less frequent for the employers to resort to military coups, but, alas, such actions are not unprecedented. But isn’t it an insult to our intelligence to try to have us believe that employer lockouts and military coups can somehow be aimed at defending democracy and trade union rights? Do they think we’re fools who cannot see through their hypocrisy?

In June 2004, FEDECAMARAS – with the full support of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and representatives from bosses’ organizations in 22 countries, including the United States, all of them notorious for their anti-union activities – invoked Article 26 of the ILO Constitution and proposed that a Commission of Inquiry be established in relation to alleged violations of Trade Union Freedoms in Venezuela.

The March 8-24, 2005 meeting of the Governing Body of the ILO is scheduled to take a vote on this request by FEDECAMARAS. It is worth noting that while this baseless Complaint against the Venezuelan government moves through the ILO system, the government of Colombia has not been subjected to any sanctions or pressures by the ILO – even when the ILO itself registered at the beginning of 2004 that 186 trade unionists had been assassinated for their union activity in that country, a number that now surpasses the 200 mark.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

The Venezuelan government today has wide popular support to advance its Agrarian Reform program and, with the aim of guaranteeing jobs and wages, to take over factories abandoned or bankrupted by their employers. Yet at this very moment, incidents are being staged to create a diplomatic conflict between Venezuela and Colombia. More ominous still, U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have issued public warnings against the alleged “negative” and “destabilizing” role of Venezuela in the region.

Anyone familiar with the international policies implemented by the Bush administration in the recent period can understand full well that these are not simply words; they are a direct threat to Venezuela. Bush and Rice invoke the concept of “democracy” – but if one looks at what is going on in Iraq today, one can see what they mean by “democracy.”

Is it possible not to see a link between these political developments and the stance taken by FEDECAMARAS at the ILO?

Regardless of what one’s opinions may be about the Venezuelan government and its policies, it’s a fact that it’s a government that received the support of more than 60% of the people in the August 15, 2004 recall referendum, thereby dealing a blow to the effort by FEDECAMARAS and the top officials of the CTV to oust the Chávez government. The election results were ratified, in fact, by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center, two bodies that cannot be accused of harboring any sympathies for the Venezuelan government.

It is also an undeniable fact that the partisans of the current Venezuelan government obtained the overwhelming support of the people in the state and regional elections held in October 2004.

From our vantage point as the UNT, genuine democracy means respecting the sovereign will of people to determine their own fate. And we wish to reiterate this point: Venezuela’s right to self-determination must be respected and upheld independent of whatever one may think about the current government of Venezuela. It is not up to the U.S. government to decide in the place of the Venezuelan people what is “positive” or “negative” for Venezuela.

It is totally understandable that the representatives of the employers in the ILO should form a common front with FEDECAMARAS in support of this Complaint. Likewise, it is not surprising that governments, particularly that of Bush in the United States, should follow suit. But in no way can the representatives of the workers’ organizations in the ILO support this attack upon our sovereignty and our independent trade union organizations.

Is it not obvious that allowing the Commission of Inquiry to be approved – as FEDECAMARAS demands – would, in fact, be tantamount to trampling upon our trade union freedoms and the very sovereignty of our country? Only we, the workers of Venezuela, can and must decide what kind of trade union organizations we should build, in the framework of the principles of Trade Union Freedom.

We issue this urgent appeal to all trade union organizations the world over. We call upon one and all to reject the proposal by FEDECAMARAS and its cohorts to sanction Venezuela and to conduct an ILO Commission of Inquiry. Such an action is not called for, nor does it correspond to the real situation of trade union freedoms in Venezuela, which is a country that has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

For our part, as trade union officers who are committed to the rank and file, we have nothing to hide. That is why we are appending to this Open Letter a Memorandum that responds to the specific charges contained in the Complaint filed by FEDECAMARAS and the CTV.

We invite trade unions from all around the world to come to Venezuela to see for yourselves the reality of our country, where even the CTV – which participated directly in the attempted coup of April 2002 and the lockout/work stoppage of December 2002-January 2003, enjoys full trade union freedoms.

We also invite representatives of the international trade union movement to attend the upcoming National Congress of the UNT. This will permit you to learn firsthand from the workers about the real situation of the trade unions in Venezuela.

To conclude, we call upon all trade union organizations and officers to reject the provocation by FEDECAMARAS and its allies to establish an ILO Commission of Inquiry for Venezuela. We call upon you to add your names in support of this Open Letter to the ILO Workers’ Group.

- In defense of the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people!

- In defense of true Trade Union Freedoms!

In solidarity,

signed by following National Coordinators of the UNT:

Orlando Chirino, Marcela Máspero, Stalin Pérez Borges and Rubén Linares

Read more ...

We, the undersigned leaders of the National Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT), issue this appeal to the trade unions around the world that are represented in the Workers' Group of the International Labor Organization (ILO), as well as to all our sisters and brothers who are championing the trade union battles in defense of workers' rights.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

We in Venezuela have been part of the effort by the working class to create a trade union federation that is built from the bottom up by the rank and file and that is rooted in the principles of class independence, trade union democracy and full autonomy in relation to the State and all political parties. This effort – which in April 2003 brought unionists from different sectors and trade union currents together to create the UNT – is part and parcel of the struggle of our people in defense of their national sovereignty.

Today, the UNT represents the majority of the organized workforce in Venezuela. Its creation in 2003 has given a huge impetus to the drive to organize trade unions across our country. The rate of trade union affiliation has increased from 11% in 2001 to 23% in 2004. The UNT also has been present in the last two International Labor Conferences of the ILO in June 2003 and June 2004.

But these recent years also have seen FEDECAMARAS, the employers' association of Venezuela, join forces with the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) to present a Complaint to the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association alleging that the Venezuelan government has violated Trade Union Freedoms and the Right to Strike.

The joint Complaint by FEDECAMARAS and the CTV is highly unusual, as trade unions are generally the ones filing ILO Complaints against the employers and seeking support from the ILO Workers' Group against all violations of trade union rights, including the right to strike. It is unprecedented, as well, on account of the convergence of interests between FEDECAMARAS and the CTV.

Such a Complaint can be understood only in the context of the unfolding political situation in Venezuela, in which FEDECAMARAS and the top leadership of the CTV participated directly in the attempted military coup of April 2002, together with the opposition political parties and with the encouragement of the U.S. Embassy. The coup – which established a government" headed by Pedro Carmona, then president of FEDECAMARAS – was foiled after just two days by the mass mobilizations of the Venezuelan workers and people.

Later, in December 2002 and January 2003, FEDECAMARAS – together with the same leaders of the CTV – organized an employer lockout/work stoppage that was political in nature and that sought to bring down the government through the sabotage of the country's main source of income: the oil industry. In both the attempted coup and the bosses' lockout/work stoppage, the CTV leadership took actions that were repudiated by the overwhelming majority of the workers of Venezuela.

At no time, in fact, were the workers consulted by the CTV leadership about the work stoppage in the oil industry. Quite the contrary, upon learning of this action by the CTV leadership, the workers mobilized massively to occupy the oil rigs and refineries to ensure the resumption of oil production.

These undeniable facts were reported in detail by 35 leaders of the UNT to the Contact Mission of the ILO that traveled to Venezuela in October 2004.

It is not new, nor is it unexpected, that employers should resort to lockouts against the workers to promote their interests. Many of you undoubtedly have witnessed such bosses' lockouts in your countries. It is less frequent for the employers to resort to military coups, but, alas, such actions are not unprecedented. But isn't it an insult to our intelligence to try to have us believe that employer lockouts and military coups can somehow be aimed at defending democracy and trade union rights? Do they think we're fools who cannot see through their hypocrisy?

In June 2004, FEDECAMARAS – with the full support of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and representatives from bosses' organizations in 22 countries, including the United States, all of them notorious for their anti-union activities – invoked Article 26 of the ILO Constitution and proposed that a Commission of Inquiry be established in relation to alleged violations of Trade Union Freedoms in Venezuela.

The March 8-24, 2005 meeting of the Governing Body of the ILO is scheduled to take a vote on this request by FEDECAMARAS. It is worth noting that while this baseless Complaint against the Venezuelan government moves through the ILO system, the government of Colombia has not been subjected to any sanctions or pressures by the ILO – even when the ILO itself registered at the beginning of 2004 that 186 trade unionists had been assassinated for their union activity in that country, a number that now surpasses the 200 mark.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

The Venezuelan government today has wide popular support to advance its Agrarian Reform program and, with the aim of guaranteeing jobs and wages, to take over factories abandoned or bankrupted by their employers. Yet at this very moment, incidents are being staged to create a diplomatic conflict between Venezuela and Colombia. More ominous still, U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have issued public warnings against the alleged "negative" and "destabilizing" role of Venezuela in the region.

Anyone familiar with the international policies implemented by the Bush administration in the recent period can understand full well that these are not simply words; they are a direct threat to Venezuela. Bush and Rice invoke the concept of "democracy" – but if one looks at what is going on in Iraq today, one can see what they mean by "democracy."

Is it possible not to see a link between these political developments and the stance taken by FEDECAMARAS at the ILO?

Regardless of what one's opinions may be about the Venezuelan government and its policies, it's a fact that it's a government that received the support of more than 60% of the people in the August 15, 2004 recall referendum, thereby dealing a blow to the effort by FEDECAMARAS and the top officials of the CTV to oust the Chávez government. The election results were ratified, in fact, by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center, two bodies that cannot be accused of harboring any sympathies for the Venezuelan government.

It is also an undeniable fact that the partisans of the current Venezuelan government obtained the overwhelming support of the people in the state and regional elections held in October 2004.

From our vantage point as the UNT, genuine democracy means respecting the sovereign will of people to determine their own fate. And we wish to reiterate this point: Venezuela's right to self-determination must be respected and upheld independent of whatever one may think about the current government of Venezuela. It is not up to the U.S. government to decide in the place of the Venezuelan people what is "positive" or "negative" for Venezuela.

It is totally understandable that the representatives of the employers in the ILO should form a common front with FEDECAMARAS in support of this Complaint. Likewise, it is not surprising that governments, particularly that of Bush in the United States, should follow suit. But in no way can the representatives of the workers' organizations in the ILO support this attack upon our sovereignty and our independent trade union organizations.

Is it not obvious that allowing the Commission of Inquiry to be approved – as FEDECAMARAS demands – would, in fact, be tantamount to trampling upon our trade union freedoms and the very sovereignty of our country? Only we, the workers of Venezuela, can and must decide what kind of trade union organizations we should build, in the framework of the principles of Trade Union Freedom.

We issue this urgent appeal to all trade union organizations the world over. We call upon one and all to reject the proposal by FEDECAMARAS and its cohorts to sanction Venezuela and to conduct an ILO Commission of Inquiry. Such an action is not called for, nor does it correspond to the real situation of trade union freedoms in Venezuela, which is a country that has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

For our part, as trade union officers who are committed to the rank and file,we have nothing to hide. That is why we are appending to this Open Letter a Memorandum that responds to the specific charges contained in the Complaint filed by FEDECAMARAS and the CTV.

We invite trade unions from all around the world to come to Venezuela to see for yourselves the reality of our country, where even the CTV – which participated directly in the attempted coup of April 2002 and the lockout/work stoppage of December 2002-January 2003, enjoys full trade union freedoms.

We also invite representatives of the international trade union movement to attend the upcoming National Congress of the UNT. This will permit you to learn firsthand from the workers about the real situation of the trade unions in Venezuela.

To conclude, we call upon all trade union organizations and officers to reject the provocation by FEDECAMARAS and its allies to establish an ILO Commission of Inquiry for Venezuela. We call upon you to add your names in support of this Open Letter to the ILO Workers' Group.

- In defense of the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people!

- In defense of true Trade Union Freedoms!

In solidarity,

signed by following National Coordinators of the UNT:

Orlando Chirino, Marcela Máspero, Stalin Pérez Borges and Rubén Linares

Read more ...