Venezuela: National Union Leader Demands an Inmediate Investigation by President Chavez to Identify and Prosecute Killings of Union Members

During the last few days, the workers of the multinational Colombian company «Alpina» (www.alpina.com.co), a food and beverage producer, were protesting against the lack of compliance on the part of the company management of the collective bargaining agreement currently in existence. Management of the multinational company with a factory in the city of Villa de Cura, industrial State of Aragua, took an offensive against the workers, beginning with an unilateral reduction of end of year bonuses, which are required in the labor contract, also delaying the required weekly salaries to workers, and even suggesting blackmailing measures such as proposing that if the company union was not substituted with new members, the Colombian company would close and would leave the country.

The company local union is a member of the National Union of Workers (UNT), Aragua State chapter, and of the Autonomous, Classist, Unitary, and Revolutionary branch (C-CURA), led by the national union leader Orlando Chirino.

In light of the recent management violations, the workers of the company occupied the Alpina factory in Villa de Cura, demanding management compliance with contractual agreements. At approximately 1:30 pm yesterday, the state police stormed the factory, brutally repressing the workers, and wounding four of them.

Despite the repressive police attack against the workers, the control of the plant was regained by the workers demanding that Rafael Isea, the governor-elect of the Socialist United Party of Venezuela, issue a pronouncement against the repressive and anti-worker behavior of the police.

In a telephone conversation yesterday with Richard Gallardo, president of the UNT-Aragua, the labor leader stated that:

«It is unconceivable that the Judge Niria Hernández, of the Labor Court, instead of looking after the legal issues and worker’s rights, she issued an arbitrary order to remove the workers out of Alpina’s plant by force, who are demanding that management comply with labor contract agreements. Currently, the coordinators of the UNT-Aragua are joining workers of the company in their just demands, and the Government should be responsible and their repressive force if there is a new repression against the workers, because already today several workers were hurt when they were being expelled from the plant».

During the night, when Richard Gallardo together with Luis Hernandez and Carlos Requena, other coordinators of the UNT-Aragua, were around the area denominated La Encrucijada, in the city of Cagua, State of Aragua, the union leaders were intercepted by hired assassins (sicarios) who discharged their automatic weapon magazines against the three defenseless workers, killing them on the spot.

From the city of Barquisimeto, State of Lara, late last night, Orlando Chirino, national leader of the UNT and of the Leftist Socialist Union (USI) party, addressed the media to denounce this criminal and brutal act perpetrated by armed right wing bands who unjustly put an end to the life of these brave union leaders.

In the declarations to the press, Chirino demanded that the national Government and the new governor of the State of Aragua, Rafael Isea, issue a pronouncement and that they begin an investigation that would identify and prosecute the intellectual killers of the brutal crime, which saddens the labor movement in Venezuela.

Orlando Chirino stated that he was in Aragua yesterday afternoon “mediating to find a solution to the conflict which started early yesterday in Alpina” and then when he finished in the afternoon, and after discussing the issues with the killed workers, he went to the city of Barquisimeto to continue with other union events for today.

Chirino asked apologies to the union leaders in Barquisimeto, State of Lara, for not being able to attend the events there due to the killings in Aragua.

Chirino said: “I hope that this crime does not go unpunished like many others. In Aragua we already have 7 members of our labor movement C-CURA and members also of our political party USI, who have been assassinated in the last two years and police investigations have not resulted in any arrests.”

Chirino also expressed his solidarity with families and friends of the killed union leaders and said to reinforce his commitment to the labor movement to “continue fighting for the rights of workers, in the same manner how Richard, Luis and Carlos used to do day to day.”

Chirino also stated that they are coordinating an international campaign to have the solidarity from international organizations, politicians and individuals all over the world demanding an investigation and the punishment of all the criminals involved in these killings. “We are not going to allow these armed right wing bands to stop us or intimidated us. We have already confronted these people for more than 30 years and we will continue to be firm in our cause to fight for a just socialist society governed by all workers and without paid killers”.

Richard Gallardo was a candidate to be city mayor of Villa de Cura in last Sunday’s elections for the USI. He gathered more than 3500 votes and lasted 4th in the race.

Luis Hernandez was a union leader of Pepsi Cola, and co-founder of USI in the State of Aragua.

Carlos Requena was also a union leader at the company Produvisa, the youngest of the three slayed workers and also co-founder of USI in Aragua.

EH