Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

Without Workers Management There Can Be No Socialism

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke reports on a two day conference on Worker's Management: Theory and Practice, as part of a program, "Human Development and Transformative Praxis," run by Canadian Marxist academic Michael Lebowitz at the International Miranda Center in Caracas.]
A worker at the worker-controlled Inveval factory, an hour east of Caracas in the satellite town of Carrizal, state of Miranda. January 2006. Credit: Gustavo Marcano.

Venezuela’s Co-Managed Inveval: Surviving in a Sea of Capitalism

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke visits Inveval, one of Venezuela's new worker co-managed factories, to talk to the workers and find out more about their struggle, their history, their experience of workers control, the challenges they face as well as the broader question of how they are strategising to transform Venezuelan society in the struggle for ‘Socialism in the 21st Century’.]

Venezuelan Labor Leaders Call for Union Federation Elections

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Chris Carlson reports on the call made by various leaders of Venezuela's primary pro-government labour union, the National Workers Union of Venezuela (UNT), for all sectors of the organisation to join together and hold elections later this year. --Ed]

Orlando Chirino, coordinator of Venezuela´s National Workers Union (UNT) at a march in the state of Carabobo in 2006. Credit: Aporrea.org

Interview - Trade Unions and Socialism in Venezuela

[The following interview was conducted with Orlando Chirino, national organiser of Venezuela’s National Workers’ Union (UNT) federation and leader of C-CURA (the United Autonomous Revolutionary Class Current) within the UNT. --Ed]

Venezuelan Workers Demand Nationalisation of SIDOR Steel Plant

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Chris Carlson reports on the protest held by SIDOR workers outside the SIDOR steel plant in Puerto Ordaz on Tuesday demanding that the government nationalise the company. Last Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that he might nationalise the Argentinian-owned company. --Ed]

Credit: Venezuelanalysis.com

Video: Sanitarios Maracay Under Workers' Control

[The solidarity group, Hands Off Venezuela, recently sent a delegation to Venezuela. During their stay the group visited Sanitarios Maracay, a factory in Venezuela under workers control, to learn more about the revolutionary process taking place there, and to offer solidarity to the workers. --Ed]

Venezuelan Workers Demonstrate for Nationalisation of Idle Factory

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Steven Mather reports on the recent march by workers of the occupied factory Sanitarios Maracay to demand its nationalisation. Workers are demanding the nationalisation of the company, which produces ceramic bathroom products, after they occupied their workplace on November 14 and restarted production for the local community. --Ed]

Malicious Media

[Richard Gott responds to the recent claims by the General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Aidan White, which include the view that it is untenable to argue that "democratic rights, including freedom of the press, are better protected than ever before in Venezuela." --Ed] 

FRETECO: Conference of Co-managed and Occupied Factories’ Workers’ Revolutionary Front

[Below is an article by Steven Mather for Venezuelanalysis.com which reports on the first annual conference of the Co-managed and Occupied Factories’ Worker’s Revolutionary Front (Freteco), held last month in Caracas. --Ed]

5 Factories - The Voices of Venezuelan Workers

[The following venezuelanalysis article by Michael Fox contains excerpts from a dialogue between workers at co-mananged and self-managed enterprises, upon viewing the screening of the documentary, 5 Factories - Worker Control in Venezuela. The workers discuss the problems and advantages of the transformation of their workplaces. --Ed]