Brazil after the re-election of Lula: A coalition against the workers Serge Goulart is the leader of the movement of occupied factories in Brazil. He is also a member of the national council of the PT. In this interview he outlines the situation facing the workers in Brazil and explains how he and his comrades in the PT are building a Marxist Opposition within the party.
Brazil: Appeal for urgent solidarity campaign - Seizing of revenue threatens jobs at CIPLA The workers at the CIPLA plant in Brazil have successfully run the factory under workers’ control since they occupied it. The government had tried to crush them by attempting to seize assets through the courts. The state is now once more on the offensive. The leaders risk imprisonment and the factory could be closed. But the workers are fighting back. They need your help.
Bring All the Troops Home Now! A statement by the Workers’ International League on the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also available as a flyer you can download and print.
The fascists shall not pass! A statement of the Bolivian Mineworkers’ Federation condemning fascist provocation in the tense situation that has built up in the country.
The Bolivian mineworkers’ federation faced with the fascist threat from the pro-imperialist right Statement of the Bolivian mineworkers’ federation on the attempts to break up Bolivia with the aim of making it easier for the oligarchy to control the resources of the country.
Interview with Bolivian Miners’ Leader Roberto Chavez, the general secretary of the FSTMB (Bolivian Miners’ Union), spoke to Alan Woods about the conditions of the miners and their role in the class struggle in Bolivia. Their view is that the Morales government is not going far enough. They want serious, radical change.
Bolivia: one year into the Morales government One year after the swearing in of the Morales government in Bolivia it is possible to make a sober balance sheet of the situation. Morales has attempted to carry out some reforms while trying to appease the oligarchy. The masses are drawing conclusions: that compromise is not possible. The struggle must go all the way.
There can be no democracy while the media remain in capitalist hands Fernando Buen Abad Domínguez in Argentina raises the issue of creating a socialist, a people’s media network at the service of the working class to counter the lies and distortions of the bourgeois media in Venezuela and internationally. From the Hands Off Venezuela site.
Chavez announces radical measures against capitalism in Venezuela At the swearing in of his new government, Hugo Chavez announced radical new measures, including an enabling law that would allow for the nationalisation of key sectors of the economy. He also explained that it is necessary to “dismantle the bourgeois state”. All this confirms what the Marxists said after the elections in December. The balance of class forces has tilted enormously in favour of the masses.
Chavez announces United Socialist Party of Venezuela After the massive electoral victory on December 3, Chavez has put a big emphasis on the need to turn towards socialism. As part of this he is proposing a new party, built from the bottom up, to bypass the bureaucracy.
Nearly 1000 people march to the Miraflores Palace demanding the nationalisation of Sanitarios Maracay under workers’ control One thousand people marched yesterday through the main streets of Caracas, in what was the largest demonstration in favour of the expropriation of an occupied factory that has ever taken place in Venezuela. This was truly an historic march. It was the real and genuine spirit of the working class taking over the streets of Caracas and pointing the way the revolution must advance.
Pinochet is dead! It is time to kill the system that spawned him! The death of Pinochet sparked off celebrations in Chile and around the world. He was a hated figure, a living example of the real nature of capitalism. He died without being brought to justice. But his was merely the fate of one man. The task is to make sure that the system that created Pinochet is buried once and for all. That task lies ahead of us.
Resolution of the Pan-American Gathering in Defence of Jobs, Rights, Land Reform and Industry As we have reported in earlier articles,some 691 delegates from 12 countries met in Joinville, Brazil from December 8-10 for the Pan-American Gathering in Defence of Jobs, Rights, Land Reform and Industry. The delegates discussed their different struggles, achievements, and how to organise assistance and solidarity for workers and farmers in struggle across the continent. The following resolution was adopted at the Gathering.
Report of Pan American Conference in Defence of Employment, Rights, Agrarian Reform and Industry (continued) The second day of the Pan American Conference provided a real taste of the most advanced workers’ struggles in Brazil and other countries in Latin America. Peasant leaders, Bolivian miners’ leaders, factory leaders, all spoke about the terrible conditions and expressed their determination to struggle. The idea of factory occupations as an answer to the bosses’ closing of factories dominated the discussion, as did a deep-seated desire to struggle for international socialism.
Historic meeting of workers of Latin America – Cipla workers vote for 30-hour week On Friday one thousand workers gathered in the Cipla plant in Brazil and decided to reduce the working week in the factory to 30 hours. The factory is run by the workers and they are doing it in a very efficient manner, an example to workers in all countries. Workers can run factories and therefore they could also run society. Alan Woods was among the comrades who addressed the meeting, getting a rapturous applause from the workers present.
