Reply #146: Soon, I guess [View All]

[tama]

The workers have been striking and calling for nationalization, as negotiations with the capitalist have failed. Here some background:

"Located in the state of Bolivar in the south of Venezuela, Sidor was privatized in 1997. Argentina's Trechint now owns a 60% controlling stake, 20% belongs to workers and retirees, and the remaining 20% is owned by the Venezuelan state.

Since privatization the company has reduced its number of permanent employees from 18,000 to 5,400 and increased outsourced labour from 3,000 to 9,000. The union says working conditions have decreased dramatically and 18 workers have been killed in workplace related accidents over this period. They also said the outsourced workers, who earn significantly lower salaries than the permanent workers, suffer inferior working conditions and are victims of 65% of workplace accidents. The company "has applied a policy of savage neoliberal capitalism for more than 10 years," Rodriguez said.

Last year, in the framework of President Chavez's call to "re-nationalize everything that was privatized," sections of the Sidor workforce called for the company to be nationalized and put under worker's control."
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1117/35/

Reading these discussions makes me wonder why so many DUer ideologues take the side of capitalist rather than working man. Perhaps their true ideology is just plain and simple (neo)colonialism...