Struggle for workers control continues at Sidor - Marxist
Monday, 29 Jun 2009
It is reported that, since one year after Sidor plant was nationalized, there has been ongoing battle between the workers who want to implement genuine workers' control and those elements that are doing everything possible to make the attempts to build a socialist enterprise fail. This is part of the general struggle between revolution and reformism within the Venezuelan labor movement.
As per report, the workers of Sidor conducted a long and hard struggle against the Argentinean multinational Techint. The workers of Sidor conducted a long and hard struggle against the Argentinean multinational Techint.
Privatization had the most terrible consequences for the workforce. Once the Argentinean multinational Techint got hold of the enterprise they began an all out onslaught against the conditions of the workers. From around 18,000 contracted workers in 1997, the figure was reduced to 4,500, and sub contracted labor was employed on a massive scale. Obviously this affected the lives of thousands of working class families who had their main income reduced or were hit by unemployment.
Although nationalization was a giant step forward it does not in itself solve the problems at Sidor. One year after nationalization we see how many of the acute problems remain unsolved. This concerns issues such as the situation of thousands of sub contracted workers, health and safety conditions in the plant and various cases of mismanagement and even corruption.
