Venezuelan labor organizer released from prison

[HEAD ICE]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hKvf9QKcB0Foo0NReYdhk4xlm5OA?docId=6131611


CARACAS, Venezuela — A Venezuelan union organizer was freed from jail Thursday, just three days after he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in a case that sparked protests by human-rights and labour groups.


Ruben Gonzalez told state television he had been granted parole and would be required to appear before authorities every 15 days. He said he was pleased with his conditional release but was not totally satisfied because he is certain he committed no crime.


"The only thing I did was represent workers in their just cause," Gonzalez told a news conference in eastern Venezuela.


The activist was sentenced Monday for leading a strike that temporarily paralyzed the state-run iron mining company. The sentence drew protests from human rights groups, and some Venezuelan union leaders had pledged to wage street protests to press for his release.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hKvf9QKcB0Foo0NReYdhk4xlm5OA?docId=6131611

[gorillafuck]

Obviously I am on the side of workers asserting their class interests against a capitalist government, but just out of curiosity is there more info on these strikes?

[HEAD ICE]

From El Libertario, an anarchist group in Venezuela:

On 7 May, a court in the industrial city of Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, denied the possibility to the Union Secretary-General of Ferrominera (state-owned mining iron company), Rubén González, to be judge out of jail. Since the mid-year 2009, the union leader is in prison for supporting a workers strike to demand improvements in their working conditions. In August 26th 2009, Radwan Sabbagh- president of Ferrominera Orinoco- agreed with Gonzalez and made public the end of the strike as well as the reactivation of the employment records of a group of workers; also agreed not to retaliate against those who follow the cessation of activities, evaluate the payment of wages of those who did not work during the16 days demonstration and the fulfilment of their claims. However, days later, Gonzalez was arrested for his support to the workers actions and charged with the crimes of “illegal assembly”, “incitement to crime” and “violation of the security zone”. From that day he has been deprived of liberty, and if the court rule found him guilty he can be sentenced to stay between 5 and 10 years behind bars. González is a social fighter with a well known record in the region and is also a member of the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2010/06/453464.html

[Mather]

It's good that he was released, but this will happen again in the future because Venezuela is still a capitalist state and Hugo Chavez is a populist left-nationalist social democrat, not a revolutionary anti-capitalist. Given that the working class have yet to overthrow the Venezuelan bourgeoisie, who still rule and command the Venezuelan state and economy, Venezuela is not socialist.

[AmericanSocialist]

Hugo Chavez cant just tell people "Okay we are socialists" and it becomes Socialist. More credit needs to be given to the guy. He has been striving to bringing Socialist reform to that nation. You need people on board in order to do that. That is why he rallies people for support when he is introducing socialist concepts. It takes time. He is not forcing anything on anyone, so it has to take time. if the people dont want it then it wont happen. we need patience with him.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

AmericanSocialist-so why, exactly, did his government imprison a striker? I mean, this is a state-owned company, state-owned police, state-owned prison system ... so how did that get utilized against the workers? This story makes me sympathize with the petit-bourgeois hunger strikers; how credible is the Venezuelan legal system if it, on behalf of a "socialist" government, wants to put a union leader into jail for years?

I've always had a sense of guarded optimism with the Chavez government, where some policies seem good, while others more worrying (his alliances with Iran, Libya, China, Russia, etc). Perhaps he will be the first leader to make some sort of socialist utopia, but as I said, my optimism is at best guarded. And it's news like this that undermines that optimism further.

[AmericanSocialist]

It is a good question. We need to investigate into this story by all means.

As far as his "alliance" he trades back and forth with Iran. Gaddafi gave him some good stuff. What is so wrong with this? It isnt like he condones the things that they do that are messed up.

[pranabjyoti]

Well, I want to remind others that the Venezuelan bureaucracy and judicial system isn't "Chavist" and a good lot of fuckers are there. Remember, the judgment given to the leaders to the coup attempt, THEY WERE UNCONDITIONALLY FREED.
I am pretty sure that some struggle is going on inside Venezuela and the above-mentioned group are well on the side of the reactionaries.

[Savage]

and the above-mentioned group are well on the side of the reactionaries.
lol

[Crux]

Well, I want to remind others that the Venezuelan bureaucracy and judicial system isn't "Chavist" and a good lot of fuckers are there. Remember, the judgment given to the leaders to the coup attempt, THEY WERE UNCONDITIONALLY FREED.
I am pretty sure that some struggle is going on inside Venezuela and the above-mentioned group are well on the side of the reactionaries.
I assume you refer to the courts. Your formulation is ambigous.

[Tim Finnegan]

...Hugo Chavez is a populist left-nationalist social democrat, not a revolutionary anti-capitalist.
While I don't disagree, I think that Chavismo has managed to legitimately set itself apart form the broader left-populist crowd by actually managing to involve many lower-class Venezuelans in the political life of the nation, when traditionally they have acted as no more than an ultimately passive source of votes. One certainly can't equate the relationship of Chavez with the favela-dwellers to that of someone like Lula.