August 11: SIDOR

Today, Siderúrgica de Orinoco (SIDOR) workers, who have been on an “indefinite strike” since May of this year, blocked an avenue in Ciudad Guayana, Bolivar state. The National Guard responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the striking workers. According to Twitter pictures from people on the scene, it appears that live ammunition has also been used, although it is not clear by whom at this point.

It appears that at least two workers were injured. William Castillo was injured by rubber pellets, and Johan Perez appears to have been shot in the face and head. They were both taken to the Clinica Unare.

A picture appeared on Twitter shortly after the confrontation, showing what appear to be at least three spent shell casings and a pin, possibly from a tear gas canister:

The SIDOR workers apparently made use of a front end loader to bring rocks and dirt to the road they were blocking:

A worker injured by rubber pellets:

The video below was taken at the protest today:

Some highlights from the video:

• 0:17: A man holds some kind of I.D. card with Hugo Chavez’s picture on it. He shouts, “He was a real president! A worker!”
• 0:21: The man with sunglasses yells, “Diosdado [Cabello]! Estas quebrado, oiste? Estas quebrado!” [meaning, “You’re dead! You hear me? You’re dead!”]
• 0:25: Man speaking directly to the camera says:
  

  Mr. Nicolas Maduro, we’re not protesting like you say… you’re a puppet of Diosdado Cabello. You’re his puppet! If he says “no!”, then it’s “no!”. We’re here fighting for what’s rightfully ours.  We’re not against the National Guard, like they’re making it seem. We’re with the National Guard. Because our Eternal Commander [Chavez] said, ‘The National Guard is for the people, and of the people’!

• 1:00: The man with the sunglasses says:
  

  Maduro, you say you’re one of the people. That you are the President of the Workers. What kind of a worker are you, Nicolas Maduro? [unintelligible] Nicolas Maduro, I’m telling you, [unintelligible].

• 1:35: The man holding what appears to be a spent casing of some kind says:
  

  A few workers have been injured. The government is acting irresponsibly here in Bolivar state. These are the policies of the national government. This isn’t the worker’s fault, it’s the fault of the government’s policies. [Holding up the casing] Look how they reward us! They’re shooting the people of Guayana! [Quoting Simon Bolivar] “Damn the soldier who shoots his own people!”

The workers have been on strike demanding that the government sign their new collective bargaining agreement, Their current contract expired in 2010, and since that time, the government has ignored fourteen clauses the union wants re-examined. As a result, SIDOR employees have been working for the past four years at their 2010 salary rates.

Finally, some more pictures from the demonstration:

Opinion

The government’s inability to come to terms with the SIDOR workers over  the last four years is a disappointing reality. Today’s confrontations – and the fact that at least two people were injured – are proof of the governmnet’s lack of respect for the workers it claims to represent.

Just two days ago, during the first annual Congreso de la Clase Obrera [Working Class Congress], Maduro spoke of his government’s support for the workers against the abuses of the bourgeoisie. Maduro even suggested that any company “paralysed by the bourgeois” should be taken over by the workers.

The hypocrisy shown by the Venezuelan government by sending National Guard troops to disperse a worker’s strike is stunning. SIDOR has been completely paralysed since May, and crippled since 2010 when the contract expired. The governmnet’s actions today provide clear evidence that at least for the 13,000 SIDOR workers, the greatest enemy is not the bourgeois as Maduro claims, but rather his own government.