PERCEPTIONS
Returning to work and the trade union office after my recent visit to Venezuela, colleagues were curious and inquisitive.
How safe did we feel? How often were you stopped by police?
How free were you to move about?
Was the army on the streets?
The demonstrations? The state media control?
The daily broadcasts by the authoritarian Chavez?
Were we able to eat properly?
Frankly, I was astonished. I had visited a different country.
“INFORMED OPINION”
But these questions came from seasoned trade unionists and senior activists in political parties.Dependent on our open media for information.
A media fed by the comments of Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor in 2005, that Chavez and Venezuela were part of “an axis of evil” (with Cuba).
A media reporting the comments of Presidential Candidate nominee Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who in 2005 suggested on-air that American operatives assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
PURPOSE
On the tenth anniversary of the Revolution, my participation in the visit was to find out about the “peaceful and democratic social revolution” promised by Chavez.
The particular objectives were two-fold.
To find out the state of trade union organisation, to find a means of progressing my own trade union’s expressed solidarity, and that of the embryonic Scottish VSC.
THE VISIT
In such a vast country of intense urban, vast rural and dense forest areas, with a myriad of westernised and indigenous populations, the great regret is that time confined us to the Central North region, to greater Caracas and Miranda with both the urban sprawl and density, and the urban and semi-rural impoverished Barrios.
We were welcomed wherever we travelled, and witnessed the sense of pride, commitment and achievement, in the programme of social change.
COMMUNITY COUNCILS
The women of the community council La Ceiba y su Gente, proudly showing us the (Cuban run) free community primary health care clinic, open to all, and run under the Mision Barrio Adentro.
The various Misiones are government sponsored outreach programmes, part of social redistribution networks.
The state-run grocery store, Mercal, providing a cheap basis sufficient diet.
The culture and learning centre including the information technology training centre swarmed over by teenagers.
The Comprehensive Diagnosis Centre, where Cuban medical staff offer a range of initial treatments.
SOCIAL NEED
Addressing the various social needs and problems is at the heart of the Bolivarian Revolution. They don’t ignore or hide them.
Some 70km west of Caracas high up in the Cordillera de la Costa forest area, we were welcomed by staff and residents of the alcohol, drug and homeless rehabilitation centre.
The staff explained treatment plans, familiar to some practitioners on the delegation, and the residents joined us for lunch.
COOPERATIVES
In the cacao plantations of Barlovento in Miranda State, we were shown round a modern processing plant by a management team whose average age was late-twenties / early thirties.
A model of state investment, run as a cooperative of state/workers/producers.
The factory is a social entity as well as a place of work. The factory bears the name of a slave trader given to the area, Oderi.
We were given a history lesson of how the slave community would have been organised, early socialism.
We were told that the vast majority of the indigenous community are black, of African origin.
That there is historical and current racism.
We were told that the new education law would provide the opportunity to explore a curriculum which acknowledged that history and challenged racism.
They are striving to reclaim the name of Oderi.
LABOUR ORGANISATION
With a colleague from PCS, the civil service trade union, I met Elio Colmenares, Vice minister of Labour.
A self-confessed Trotskyite, in a ministry where the other Vice minister is a Maoist and the Assistant is a Socialist.
“We all work together”, he said.
THE GOVERNMENT VIEW
The minister gave us his version of events.
Elio Colmenares has been a trade unionist since 1979, in textiles, metalwork, oil and petrochemicals.
He was first a minister in 2000.
After decades of oil, and at end of 20th century, there was a period of benefits from oil for some workers,
via the trade union structure, which was effectively part of the government, the CTV (Confederacion de Trabajadores de Venezuela).
These trade unions actively participated in the activities to de-regulate, inspired by the IMF.
The open market destroyed industries in Venezuela and removed social security for workers. For example employment in food industry fell from 32,000 to 10,000.
Labour law was modified, to reduce redundancy protection of two months per year of employment to 5 days per year.
Shift of social security to an insurance-based service over 5 years agreed with the CTV unions, government and employers, supported by the ILO – despite a national strike against these changes.
CHAVEZ ELECTION
“Some strong trade unions were always outside this.” Colmenares said.
They were supported by those involved in trade union struggles, with the objective of reinstating workers rights and trade union democracy
The 1999 Constituent Assembly prepared a new constitution. Of 230 members, 26 were trade unionists.
There is a high participation by trade unionists in government. The Foreign Minister was once a Metro worker.
Goals in the new constitution included:
1. Reinstatement of a public, universal supportive social security system
2. Progressively improve the rights of workers, which cannot be renounced by the individual (e.g. under pressure)
3. Democracy within the unions – they were instructed to hold elections
4. Legitimacy – workers can only be represented collectively by elected representatives
ECONOMIC SABOTAGE
In December 2002, a “nationwide civic strike” took place, encouraged by the employers organisation FEDECAMARAS, the CTV and the opposition parties.
During the lock-out/’strike’ against the Chavez government in 2002, there was systematic economic sabotage.
This was overcome thanks to oil workers who defied the strike call, and popular mobilisations. With the support of the army they could take over industrial sites, operate machines.
They were working 20 hours a day to get a supply of petrol, distribute food.
PROGRESS 1998-2008
The minister outlined social and economic progress during the period of the Chavez governments.
1) From 120,000 retiring with a pension to 1,500,000 (population 24m)
2) Reduced working hours from 44 to 40/week (35 if on night shifts)
3) National Minimum Wage raised every year, to the highest in Latin America
4) TU membership density from 9% to 23%
5) Stability Measures:
a) Anyone earning up to 3x NMW can only be fired (sacking or redundancy) if the reason is agreed with the Ministry for Labour.
b) More strict criteria apply to TU and H&S reps and those with children aged less than one year
c) Large-scale redundancies can be reversed if they have a serious social impact
d) Enforced through inspection system and government contracts.
6) Nationalised over 70 companies which the owners closed down in disputes with unions (govt is legally obliged to compensate).
TRADE UNION CENTRES
The minister reported that there are seven trade union centres – 5 accredited, two waiting (including the Centro Trabjadores Socialista).
If there is more than one in an enterprise, there should be a referendum of workers to decide which will be the one to be given recognition for collective negotiation.
There are some pressures to unite, in order to avoid fragmentation caused by these laws. But there is no obligation.
PSUV (socialist alliance) is encouraging more unification.
The CTV, currently ILO affiliate, cannot represent collectively because of lack of completed elections, but still exists because only members can finish a union (dissolve).
The minister stated that the Government has to talk to all unions irrespective of their political positions.
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES
“The raising of NMW has disproved economists’ predictions that this would cause inflation which has been stabilised until this year.”
“The economy can fund a public health and education system thanks to use of oil income.” Colmenares said.
In some areas Venezuela is not competitive with countries with an under-paid workforce.
Therefore they have protected jobs by prohibiting imports in some areas.
“Venezuela used to be like a shopping mall within the framework of globalisation. We imported 80% of national consumption. Now it’s 52%.
We are aiming at national sovereignty (self sufficiency) in food, medicine, housing and clothing.”
IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
The minister addressed the economic crisis and told us that unemployment was falling, since 2003; now it is stable.
Venezuela’s response to the crisis?
“It was easy. We spent a long time looking at this. WE took all the measures recommended by the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO – and did the opposite.”
This has helped protect Venezuela from the impact of the recession.
SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ?
Venezuela has a government which is implementing policies which tackle social exclusion and deprivation.
The Venezuelan Government is consciously implementing socialist policies and calls these changes a revolution.
Don’t believe what you read about Venezuela.
Most stories in the UK and US press originate in the private media owned by an elite which has far better links with multinational corporations and global media than with the poor in their own country.
Democracy is alive, participative and vibrant in Venezuela; as is market enterprise.
The constitution guarantees numerous rights (education, employment, social security, health care) which we would love to have but don’t.
Venezuela’s achievements and its alliances with other progressive Latin American countries in the ALBA pact show an alternative route for the world economy.
The WTO and IMF do not have to rule.
Workers have played a key role in supporting Chavez and in overcoming economic sabotage during the lock-out, with the support of some unions. Other unions associated with the old regime have actively opposed the Chavez government.
There is a continuing campaign of misinformation by the Chavez led Government’s opponents, aimed at isolating Venezuela.
Whatever our views, they should at least be informed.