sixdollarchampagne
30th July 2008, 20:20
Tuesday 7/29/2008
FATE, PIRELLI, FIRESTONE
A big day of tire workers' struggle :thumbup:
By PTS [Socialist Workers Party] Northern Zone, Greater Buenos Aires
This Monday, the three big tire factories were shut down: the bosses have already ordered more than 150 layoffs, and the workers decided to continue with measures of force. At 11 a.m., an assembly of 500 workers from FATE decided to march to the Obelisk, seeking to join the comrades from Firestone and Pirelli, that were carrying out measures in the plants at Lomas de Zamore and González Catán. In spite of maneuvers by SUTNA [united tire workers union, belonging to the CTA union federation], 200 workers from Pirelli decided to join the mobilization at the Capital. At 2 p.m., they merged in a militant embrace ("abrazo") at the Obelisk, mixing their colors, those from Pirelli dressed in dark red, those from FATE dressed in blue. "The unity of FATE and Pirelli is now a reality," they
chanted. They held an improvised assembly there, where the workers declared they were not going to accept layoffs in any of the three plants, and they began to march along Avenida Corrientes. The column of almost 800 tire workers, impressively arrived at the Ministry of Labor ... where the Council on Wages was meeting, with bureaucrats and businessmen sitting in their easychairs, including the head of the SUTNA union Pedro Waseijko. The mobilization "greeted" all of them.
A workers' delegation from the two factories had an interview with
Schuster, a highly-placed official of Ministry, to whom they handed
over the workers' demand, stating that they rejected all the
layoffs ...
On leaving, in the presence of many press media and the
organizations that showed up in solidarity, delegates from FATE
stated the need to call a general assembly of the union to rehire
those laid off through a unified plan of struggle. The proposal was
approved by joint acclamation from hundreds of tire workers that
were participating in the mobilization.
The comrades continued the mobilization toward the headquarters of the CTA [union federation], to which SUTNA belongs, to demand real support in the conflict, for the union to contribute to the strike
fund, asking for a national strike by the CTA. Facing the CTA
leadership, the workers approved, with raised hands, the demand that a general assembly of the entire SUTNA [union] be called.
This big day of struggle by the tire workers impressed the majority
of the young workers from Pirelli, who acknowledged that "for 17
years nothing like this has happened in our factory. We are fed up;
at the age of 25 we have slipped disks, and when we are
incapacitated, they throw us out. Now we are going to fight." They
raised a banner that said, "Pirelli -- bloodsucking exploiter!"
("chupasangre explotador") They work 12 hours a day and earn 1300 pesos. [$429.61 US]
Their comrades from FATE have already walked the first road against the bosses' arrogance, with hard strikes and furious lockouts by the bosses, and a process of organization that allowed the workers to win, first, the group of delegates and to take the section away from the union bureaucracy.
The mobilization was joined by workers from Mafissa, ex-TDO, from
Dana, from the Hospitales Garrahan and Francés, among others, and by workers from Zanon in Neuquén, who collected 1565 pesos in an assembly of the ceramic workers for the FATE strike fund.
Wage increase now! No more slavery at work! Not a single layoff! The workers' banners are raised high. Therefore the strike continues. With various methods, the workers will continue with the measures of force, and they will participate in the march to the Ministry of Labor called for this Wednesday morning by SUTNA. There they will insist on the request for a general assembly of the union, the strike fund, and continuing the measures until all those laid off have been effectively rehired.
We must actively support the tire workers. All out for the march on
Wednesday! We must support their strike fund, like the workers from Zanon, the neighbors from San Fernando, and those who contributed 3200 pesos collected by the delegation that attended the internationalist meeting of the PTS at the Federación de Box last Saturday.
FATE, PIRELLI, FIRESTONE
A big day of tire workers' struggle :thumbup:
By PTS [Socialist Workers Party] Northern Zone, Greater Buenos Aires
This Monday, the three big tire factories were shut down: the bosses have already ordered more than 150 layoffs, and the workers decided to continue with measures of force. At 11 a.m., an assembly of 500 workers from FATE decided to march to the Obelisk, seeking to join the comrades from Firestone and Pirelli, that were carrying out measures in the plants at Lomas de Zamore and González Catán. In spite of maneuvers by SUTNA [united tire workers union, belonging to the CTA union federation], 200 workers from Pirelli decided to join the mobilization at the Capital. At 2 p.m., they merged in a militant embrace ("abrazo") at the Obelisk, mixing their colors, those from Pirelli dressed in dark red, those from FATE dressed in blue. "The unity of FATE and Pirelli is now a reality," they
chanted. They held an improvised assembly there, where the workers declared they were not going to accept layoffs in any of the three plants, and they began to march along Avenida Corrientes. The column of almost 800 tire workers, impressively arrived at the Ministry of Labor ... where the Council on Wages was meeting, with bureaucrats and businessmen sitting in their easychairs, including the head of the SUTNA union Pedro Waseijko. The mobilization "greeted" all of them.
A workers' delegation from the two factories had an interview with
Schuster, a highly-placed official of Ministry, to whom they handed
over the workers' demand, stating that they rejected all the
layoffs ...
On leaving, in the presence of many press media and the
organizations that showed up in solidarity, delegates from FATE
stated the need to call a general assembly of the union to rehire
those laid off through a unified plan of struggle. The proposal was
approved by joint acclamation from hundreds of tire workers that
were participating in the mobilization.
The comrades continued the mobilization toward the headquarters of the CTA [union federation], to which SUTNA belongs, to demand real support in the conflict, for the union to contribute to the strike
fund, asking for a national strike by the CTA. Facing the CTA
leadership, the workers approved, with raised hands, the demand that a general assembly of the entire SUTNA [union] be called.
This big day of struggle by the tire workers impressed the majority
of the young workers from Pirelli, who acknowledged that "for 17
years nothing like this has happened in our factory. We are fed up;
at the age of 25 we have slipped disks, and when we are
incapacitated, they throw us out. Now we are going to fight." They
raised a banner that said, "Pirelli -- bloodsucking exploiter!"
("chupasangre explotador") They work 12 hours a day and earn 1300 pesos. [$429.61 US]
Their comrades from FATE have already walked the first road against the bosses' arrogance, with hard strikes and furious lockouts by the bosses, and a process of organization that allowed the workers to win, first, the group of delegates and to take the section away from the union bureaucracy.
The mobilization was joined by workers from Mafissa, ex-TDO, from
Dana, from the Hospitales Garrahan and Francés, among others, and by workers from Zanon in Neuquén, who collected 1565 pesos in an assembly of the ceramic workers for the FATE strike fund.
Wage increase now! No more slavery at work! Not a single layoff! The workers' banners are raised high. Therefore the strike continues. With various methods, the workers will continue with the measures of force, and they will participate in the march to the Ministry of Labor called for this Wednesday morning by SUTNA. There they will insist on the request for a general assembly of the union, the strike fund, and continuing the measures until all those laid off have been effectively rehired.
We must actively support the tire workers. All out for the march on
Wednesday! We must support their strike fund, like the workers from Zanon, the neighbors from San Fernando, and those who contributed 3200 pesos collected by the delegation that attended the internationalist meeting of the PTS at the Federación de Box last Saturday.