Workers' Liberty

It is fortunate for the Iranian regime that it has a loyal network of supporters outside its borders, prepared to defend it against the “terrorists” as the Iranian opposition are now known. Some of the most outspoken defenders are not, as one might expect, brother clerics but… people on the “liberal” and “socialist” left.

This article is from the Venezuelanalysis website:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4156

Two Workers Killed During Factory Occupation in Venezuela
by Tamara Pearson

This report is from Venezuelanalysis
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/newsbrief/4015

Another trade union leader, Simon Caldera, was assassinated Tuesday in the state of Aragua, in Venezuela.

Iran

In late November, Education International (international federation of teaching unions) received information from contacts inside Iran that Kurdish teacher activist Farzad Kamangar was being prepared for execution in the notorious Evin Prison. There was a flurry of activity, with many thousands of people around the world responding to the request to email Iranian president Ahmedinejad

Richard Gallardo, Luis Hernández and Carlos Requena, members of the Unidad Socialista de Izquierda (USI, United Socialist Left) and of the UNT trade union federation in Venezuela have been killed.

By Jack Yates

By Paul Hampton
Two reasons to cheer in Venezuela recently, as socialists restarted the task of building an independent workers’ party, separate from Chávez’s ruling bourgeois PSUV.

Two reasons to cheer in Venezuela recently, as socialists restarted the task of building an independent workers’ party, separate from Chavez’s ruling bourgeois PSUV.

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.

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 Gu

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.

The campaign to defend sacked Venezuelan trade union leader Orlando Chirino is gathering momentum within the country as well as internationally.

A call is on circulation in France to support Chirino's reinstatement in the oil public sector company PDVSA.

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.

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

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

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”.

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.

Greg Wilpert, Changing Venezuela By Taking Power: The Policies of the Chávez Presidency 1999-2006, Verso 2007

I had an interesting altercation with some rrr-revolutionary “anti-imperialists” Workers’ Power people at a post support group meeting yesterday.

Iranian sugar workers strike

There is a useful article on workers’ control in Venezuela, explaining in detail the recent struggles of workers at bathroom manufacturer Sanitarios Maracay, as well as the difficulties they face.

There are signs of a revival in worker organising in Venezuela, but it is not clear whether it will be independent of Chávez.

Last week a “unification commission” of the two major factions within the UNT union federation met to organise elections for the leadership, which are long overdue. Leaders of the pro-Chávez Colectivo de Trabajadores en Revolución (CTR) and the more independent Corriente Clasista Unitaria Revolucionaria y Autónoma (CCURA) said they want to organise elections later this year.

Venezuela

By Milton D Lein of the Juventud de Izquierda Revolucionaria group in Venezuela

There is a useful article in English by Venezuelan socialists fighting for class struggle trade unionism in Venezuela. Defend union independence by Milton D’León explains how Chávez has attacked the unions as part of his drive to form his new party, the PSUV.

Oaxaca

As we went to press, teachers in Oaxaca city were planning to take strike action in a further sign of the revival of the movement which rose to prominence last year.

After the attack on Sanitarios Maracay workers recently in Aragua state in Venezuela, more evidence of anti-union activity by the Chavistas.

According to Greg Wilpert on the Venezuelanalysis website: