Saturday, November 12, 2011

Workers of Venezuela, divide!

THIS POST IS GOING TO BE A TWO PART POST
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The regime must be reaching some sort of paroxysm.  This one might be due to a croaking Chavez, to bad polls, or simply Chavez ego unable to stand that headlines are regularly about the Unidad primaries and programs and not his own ego burps.  There is really no other explanation to his latest rant at the formation of yet a new Labor Confederation, "central obrera" and the promises that came with it.

First, let me make something clear: from personal experience I have a dismal view of Venezuelan trade unions, even before Chavez.  They are particularly corrupt and strictly interested in sucking dry business so the trade union leaders can live well.  Why workers vote for such unions has baffled me, unless they put up with their union bosses in the hope that one day they can become union bosses in turn.  Though as always there are some reasonably honorable exceptions where union bosses establish a collaboration with direction so that all benefit. At any rate, you can certainly imagine that a new trade union organization dedicated to Chavez, the boss of most of them to begin with, is certainly going to reach heights that the old CTV could not dream of.

That is right, the new union group will support its boss, Hugo Chavez, who attended its birth.  I can hardly wait for the first strike....

So today we have in Venezuela at least 4 labor confederations!  And yet the manufacturing sector keeps plummeting.  There is the old historical CTV which is still alive but quite insignificant.  Not because of its active role in 2002-2003 but because once Chavez had secured power in 2004 workers went with those who offered more, Chavez then, flush with dollars.  Yes, trade unions in Venezuela are much more about politics and wealth than actual workers right.  After all the CTV did survive the 2000 onslaught when Chavez tried to take it over and oil had not reached 30 USD a barrel yet.

So Chavez decided in 2003 to create a "bolivarian" labor confederation, UNETE.  It had only a limited success because, well, it was a boss union.  Yet, eventually, labor being labor, UNETE showed some signs of its own thinking.  It was prodded to it because its complacency with the government was too big and a third labor confederacy directed by a certain Orlando Chirinos has been trying to set roots, somewhere between CTV and UNETE.  And I am not getting into some undertow currents.

But it is election time and there is an urgent need to make demagogic promises to the working class which is quite battered by inflation and lots of unfilled promises by the regime, not to mention the financial debt the regime has as for the labor system of Venezuela.  But of course such promises cannot be made to the UNETE so a new labor confederation is formed, with the appropriate  "socialismo" in its infinite title: Central Socialista de Trabajadores de la Ciudad, del Campo y del Mar.  I am not making this up.  thouigh apparently the name is not quite fixed yet as I have found also Central Bolivariana Socialista de Trabajadores.  They cannot even set their act straight!

But this is not for the joy of all and Aporrea has a critical article on it, though very careful to state that Chavez is misinformed by his corrupt entourage (so, who names that entourage?).  If you read a little Spanish try to read the second paragraph and wonder how come that at this point there are people trying to convince themselves that Chavez "does not know", that nothing that happens is this fault, that he is kept in the dark by a corrupt entourage....

As for the delirious promises of Chavez, wait for a coming post.

7 comments:

  1. This is like the third or fourth attempt of Chavez to create a major workers' union, if I'm not mistaken.

    This thing will end up just like its predecessors, in the trash can.

    Still, the role (better the non-role at all) of the CTV is pathetic. In a moment like this, when a strong union is needed the most, the CTV is nowhere to be found. What a shame.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Island Canuck4:52 PM

    "wonder how come that at this point there are people trying to convince themselves that Chavez "does not know","

    I heard this again as recently as last night from a ni-ni. I kinda lost it & demanded to know how, after 12 years, he still thinks that Chavez doesn't know what is going on. I used his own family in Barinas as an example. This caused him to pause & consider however by the look in his eyes I don't think I got through to him.

    The devotees only believe that which confirms their beliefs. Everything else is a lie by the corrupt imperialistic media.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CharlesC5:57 PM

    Island Canuck noted-"This caused him to pause & consider however by the look in his eyes I don't think I got through to him.

    The devotees only believe that which confirms their beliefs. Everything else is a lie by the corrupt imperialistic media."

    This look I have seen for years. It is a person who has been brainwashed by the cult.
    Seriously, information about deprogramming should be distributed in Venezuela.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6:55 PM

    @Island Canuck

    Shouldn't you guys be encouraging chavistas to "rescue" Chavez from the evil men that surround him?

    I mean, if they believe that Chavez is the personification of all good, but who is unable to realize all the good in his heart because all the evil men that (somehow) surround him without his knowledge, and who lie to him about what is really going on in Venezuela, shouldn't the chavistas have more than a passing interest in storming Miraflores to free Chavez from all those evil men? Shouldn't they be marching right now to Miraflores to talk to Chavez and tell him what is really going on in Venezuela? Shouldn't they be storming the AN and every ministry to jail all those evil men that are preventing Chavez from turning Venezuela into a paradise?

    Fanatics are blind, but they are also stupid and easy to manipulate. Perhaps you should be trying to take advantage of their fanaticism instead of lamenting it.

    Looking at Venezuela today, I'm invariably reminded of that line from the movie Spaceballs: "evil will always triumph because good is dumb." It would be so incredibly simple for you guys to infiltrate the few chavista watering holes in the internet and turn the "Chavez is good but he's surrounded by evil men" into "let's all get together and beat the crap out of the evil men who surround Chavez" that I can only guess you won't do it because you think such tactics would be "beneath you" or something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Island Canuck8:10 PM

    Anonymous:

    Reading your comment indicates immediately that you do not live in Venezuela.
    Entering forums like Aporea & suggesting what you suggest would immediately result in the fanatics attacking you. Just read even a middle of the road forum like Noticiero Digital to see what the "evil" henchmen are up to.

    By the way we have no interest in saving Chavez and do not believe that he isn't fully aware of what those around him are doing. That's why we wouldn't waste our time not because "because you think such tactics would be "beneath you" or something like that."

    You really need to get a grip on reality.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Roger1:56 AM

    Communism has no place for unions. The PARTY and ONLY the PARTY runs the enterprises and the employees.
    So far your dictator has not been able to pull that off. Also, it is a serous problem for him. Consider, the labor unions in Poland are brought down the Communist Party there. True unions are rotten but, you can bet most lower class Venezuelans would give anything for a good paying union job rather than Chavez's handouts.
    I consider unions part of the oppossion for better or worst

    ReplyDelete
  7. Glenn2:39 AM

    Workers Divide! Like this two part post, hey?

    ReplyDelete

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