Viva Venezuela! Magazine Vol 2 Issue 1

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www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk e: [email protected] Strong Support Shown for Venezuela Vigilance needed against US and right-wing opposition destabilisation efforts New Labour Law Advances Social Justice Please Support the VSC’s Special Financial Appeal www.thompsons.law.co.uk With thanks to Vol 2 Issue 1 Summer 2012 viva venezuela ! ! viva ! ! Venezuelan Elections: 100 Days to Go Also inside:

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The 5th issue of VSC's quarterly magazine

Transcript of Viva Venezuela! Magazine Vol 2 Issue 1

Page 1: Viva Venezuela! Magazine Vol 2 Issue 1

www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk e: [email protected]

■ Strong Support Shown for Venezuela■ Vigilance needed against US and right-wing

opposition destabilisation efforts■ New Labour Law Advances Social Justice

■ Please Support the VSC’s Special Financial Appeal

www.thompsons.law.co.uk

With thanks to

■ Vol 2 ■ Issue 1 ■ Summer 2012

vivavenezuela!

!

viva !

!

Venezuelan Elections:

100 Days to GoAlso inside:

Page 2: Viva Venezuela! Magazine Vol 2 Issue 1

2 SUMMER 2012 ■ VIVA VENEZUELA!

...EDITORIAL...EDITORIAL...EDITORIAL...EDITORIAL...EDITORIAL...EDITORIAL...

The presidential hopeful of the right-wingcoalition that has been formed isHenrique Capriles Radonski. AlthoughCapriles has tried to conceal his politics,

his campaign manager and other prominentsupporters have already given the game away.There have been calls for Venezuela’s state oilcompany, which has funded the huge increasesin public services in recent years, to beprivatised and for the IMF to help ‘readjust’ theeconomy. The highly successful socialprogrammes – that have transformed health andeducation – would be similarly ‘restructured’bybringing in the private sector for their ‘support’rather than the state oil company!

All this points to the right-wing coalition’sdesire to return to the disastrous free-marketeconomic policies of the former ruling elite, ofwhich Capriles is a prominent member, that ranVenezuela into the ground for decades.

Unfortunately for those seeking to replace thegovernment of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’seconomic performance is improving. Not only isit solidly out of recession with growth of 4% in 2011, but in the first quarter of 2012 theeconomy grew by 5.6%. The government’shousing programme, which underlies theeconomic recovery, has built 180,000 new

homes in just 18 months! A new progressiveLabour Law and huge increase in the minimumwage are further evidence of continuing social progress.

Although Capriles has travelled all aroundVenezuela to rally support, and hasoverwhelming support from the privately owned media which dominates Venezuela’sairwaves, his candidacy is consistently trailingbadly behind in the polls. Pollsters are currentlygiving Hugo Chávez strong double digit leads.

Given this, substantial sections of the right-wing opposition and of its sponsors inWashington have begun to toy with the idea ofyet again resorting to sinister and undemocraticmethods. Most worryingly, not a singlespokesperson for the Capriles’ campaign hasyet said that they will respect the electoralresults of the Presidential elections.

There are already several US-led provocationsunder way. For example, Eladio Aponte, a fugitiveVenezuelan judge wanted by the internationalpolice agency Interpol - which issued a ‘red alert’arrest for his connections with narco-trafficking -has fled to the USA where he is giving interviewsand spreading false allegations against theVenezuelan government.

The opposition have also built close links withneighbouring Colombia’s extreme right wing,notably the former President Uribe, who isaccused of countless human rights abuses, yetpersonally met representatives of Capriles’opposition MUD coalition recently to advise onsecurity issues, and is clearly publiclyintervening in support of Capriles. All the while,US state agencies such as the NationalEndowment for Democracy continue to providemillions of dollars in funding to Capriles.

Although the social achievements of thegovernment are leading to strong support forHugo Chávez’s candidacy, we must remainextremely vigilant against the threat of the USinterfering in Venezuela.

Vigilance needed against US and right-wingopposition destabilisation efforts

As October’s Presidentialelection nears, theoptions open to theVenezuelan people arebecoming clearer.

Contributors to this issue were:■ Lee Brown■ Francisco Dominguez■ Catriona Goss■ Terry Hoad ■ Matt Willgress and■ Tim Young

This magazine is published by theVenezuela Solidarity Campaign

is delighted to sendsolidarity and support

to VSC and theVenezuelan People

“the social achievements

of the government are

leading to strong support

for Hugo Chávez’s

candidacy”

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3SUMMER 2012 ■ VIVA VENEZUELA!

...VENEZUELA IN THE NEWS...VENEZUELA IN THE NEWS...VENEZUELA IN THE NEWS...

Chávez Returns to Venezuela after Treatment

President Hugo Chávezreturned to Venezuela on May12 after concluding six rounds

of radiotherapy treatment inCuba to treat the cancer thatre-emerged earlier this year.

Polls show strong lead for Hugo Chávez

Apoll published by ICS gave HugoChávez 63% to Henrique Capriles’26%, while a separate survey by GISXXI saw Chavez on 57% and Capriles

on 21%, with 20% having not yet made up theirmind. Similarly, a CMIDE survey gave 57% toChávez against 26%, with a Consultores pollgiving Chávez 58% to 32%.

These indicate a widening lead on the strongfollowing for Chávez shown in polls taken inApril. The Venezuelan Institute of Data AnalysisApril poll gave Hugo Chávez 57% and HenriqueCapriles 27% – a lead of 30%. Separately,Hinterlaces said 52% would back Chávez and34% Capriles – a lead of 18%. A poll byDatanalisis gave Chávez 43% and a 17% lead.

The reasons for these clear leads were obviousfrom a poll published in late May byConsultores that said 59% of Venezuelansbelieve Hugo Chávez is the candidate that bestpromotes social inclusion, against 32% forHenrique Capriles. Additionally, 67% saidChávez is concerned about poor people, withjust 22% opting for Capriles. This is important

With the countdown toVenezuela’s election well underway, a range of polls published inMay indicated convincing doubledigit leads for Hugo Chávezagainst Henrique Capriles, thecandidate of the united right-wing coalition.

As he left the plane after arriving backin Caracas President Chávez said: “Ican tell you that in the last few dayswe successfully completed the

radiation cycle, as planned by the medicalteam,” adding that he will “rigorously follow themedical advice in these coming days in order tocontinue recuperating.”

In his speech President Chávez emphasisedthat he will now be preparing for theforthcoming electoral campaign, saying: “I’llprogressively put myself where I should be, inthe front line of battle ... pushing forward therevolution of peace and love” and continuing“to fight the battle of ideas”.

The recent VSC delegation to Venezuela saw a massive rally to greet President Chávez as he returned to Venezuela during his treatment

as the overwhelming majority of Venezuelanscome from poorer communities. 61% ofrespondents supported policies of PresidentChávez against 22% approval for those ofCapriles.

A survey by Datanalisis – a company morefavourable to the opposition – showed anincrease in the positive assessment for theChávez government to 65% between Marchand May 2012, with support for the right-wingopposition coalition dropping from 50% to 47%.Chávez’s approval rating averages 63% in2012, the highest since 2006, and a huge80.5% of those polled described their personalsituation as “very good, good or average” whileonly 18.4% described it negatively.

Datanalisis director Luis Vicente Leon wasquoted as saying that winning “seems difficultfor Capriles” while Bank of America MerrillLynch said in a note to investors that the highlevel of electoral support for President HugoChávez “limits the possibility of a changetoward more market friendly policies in thenear future.”

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...NEW LABOUR LAW...NEW LABOUR LAW...NEW LABOUR LAW...

On May 1, a day celebratedacross the world as

international workers’ day,Venezuela signed into law new

labour legislation that willextend employment rights andwiden access to social security

benefits. Over one millionmarched on May Day, withplacards saying, “The new

labour law = respect for theworker” and “The labour law is

social justice.”

This new progressive law followed aconsultation process with the publicwhich lasted five months and sawsome 20,000 submissions from trade

unions and other organisations.

The new law will see the working weekreduced to 40 hours and guarantees 2 days offfor every worker in a 7 day week. It enshrinestrade union freedom, including the right tostrike and collective bargaining and seeks toend all outsourcing.

It has also been described as a big stepforward for women’s rights in the workplace,with post-natal maternity leave being raisedfrom 12 up to 20 weeks and increased job

security for new parents. They will now beprotected from dismissal for two yearsfollowing the birth of a child. It also improveschildcare provision – with every workplace withmore than 20 workers having to provide acreche for children aged from three months tosix years. It also provides an obligation on thestate and companies to promote and supportemployment for disabled workers.

Another new legal protection is the guaranteedaccess to social security for all workers,including those in the informal sector. Workers’organisations within Venezuela have cited there-establishment of a retirement bonus as asign of the more progressive direction thecountry is moving in under the currentgovernment. The bonus is determined by aworker’s monthly wage at the time ofretirement multiplied by years in service. It waseliminated in 1997 by the right-wing, neo-liberal Caldera government in conjunction with

Venezuela’s New Labour Law

Steve Murphy John Thompson

General Secretary President

UCATT Stands in Solidarity withthe People of Venezuela!

No US Intervention!

www.ucatt.org.uk

UCATT Stands in Solidarity withthe People of Venezuela!

No US Intervention!

Left: 1000s of assembies were held across the country to feed

into the law. Above: Banner: ‘The Working Class is with Chávez’

Small insert: President Chávez with the new labour law

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...NEW LABOUR LAW...NEW LABOUR LAW...NEW LABOUR LAW...NEW LABOUR LAW...

Advances Social Progress

big business and under pressure from theInternational Monetary Fund.

President Hugo Chávez signed the law onnational television from the Miraflores Palace,stating that he was carrying out an act of“social justice” for Venezuelan workers at atime when labour rights were being rolled backacross Europe and the United States.

Chávez added: “We have a law which will godown in history. That history...tells us that thetriumph of the people, of the workers, hasnever come about without a long process ofresistance, of struggle, suffering even. This law,which I will have the honour of signing...is theproduct of a long process of struggle.”

“This new [labour] law is something that notonly the workers of Venezuela deserve, butthose of all Latin America and the world deserveit,” said Vargas mayor Alexis Toledo, adding that“today [May Day] is a day of struggle forworkers in a large part of the world, but here inour country it is a day of celebration.”

Here in Britain, leading progressives welcomedthe developments, with Tony Burke, Unite theUnion Assistant General Secretary, saying:“With the new progressive labour lawVenezuelan workers and their unions are ableto show to the world the social progress beingmade under President Chávez. Viva Venezuelanworkers! Viva progressive Venezuelan unions!”

Labour Law Advances LGBT RightsAs a sign of progress in Venezuela, the newLabour Law explicitly prohibits discriminationin the workplace based on sexuality as partof action against all forms of discrimination.

Separately, in May, the Venezuelangovernment's human rights ombudsmanaddressed the launch of a new report on theInternational Seminar on Sexuality, SexualDiversity and Human Rights that thegovernment organised in 2010 as anopportunity for LGBT groups to recommendpolicies for the government to undertake.

Additionally, recently movements for LGBTrights in the coalition working for PresidentChavez's re-election met to form a sexualdiversity council. In total, people representing228 movements or groups met to form this newbody. “Years ago we were subject to... apatriarchal system that had us on our knees,that marked us out,” said Ronny Ortega,spokesperson for a movement in Aragua state.“But now... we can say that we are part of theconstruction of a new country that goes againstthat system.”

The GFTU Stands in Solidarity

with Venezuela – Yes to Social

Progress! No to US Intervention!

Joe Mann MBE John Fray Doug Nicholls

President Vice-President General Secretary

www.gftu.org.uk Unite North West Region –

in Solidarity with Venezuela

Paul Finegan, Regional Secretary

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6 SUMMER 2012 ■ VIVA VENEZUELA!

...STRONG SUPPORT SHOWN...STRONG SUPPORT SHOWN...

30MPs supported a motionnoting that the defeat of thecoup was a victory fordemocracy, pointing out that

“since President Chávez was first elected in1998 Venezuela has held more sets of electionsthan in the country's previous 40 years ofdemocracy, all of them free and fair [and] thatHugo Chávez and his coalition of supportershave won all but one of these elections”.

The MPs also congratulated the Venezuelangovernment on “its strong democratic recordand strengthening of social progress since thecoup, including free healthcare being madeavailable to millions for the first time, theeradication of illiteracy and the halving ofextreme poverty”.

Support from Across SocietyFurther support was shown in a statementlaunched by VSC to mark the coup defeat. Thisaddressed the ongoing threat from the US tothe right of the Venezuelan people to determinetheir own affairs.

Supporters included poet Linton Kwesi Johnson;film director Ken Loach; filmmaker and journalistJohn Pilger; writers Owen Jones and RichardGott; musician Jon McClure (Reverend & theMakers); rapper Lowkey; prominent academicsincluding Professor Ernesto Laclau (University ofEssex) and Professor Doreen Massey (The OpenUniversity); plus peace campaigners Bruce Kentand Lindsey German (Stop the War CoalitionConvenor). Strong support also came from theBritish labour movement, including sevenGeneral Secretaries and leading national

Strong Support Shown

Supports the VenezuelaSolidarity Campaign

Billy Hayes Jane Loftus

General Secretary President

In April, as Venezuelanscelebrated the 10th

anniversary of the defeat ofthe US-backed coup that

briefly overthrew the electedChávez-led government, abroad range of prominent

figures in Britain expressedtheir support for the

expansion of democracy andsocial progress that followedthe reversal of the coup, but

warned against further USintervention.

Leading Figures from Britain Celebrate 10th Anniversary of the Defeat of US-backed Coup in Venezuela

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...STRONG SUPPORT SHOWN...STRONG SUPPORT SHOWN...

representatives of Unite and UNISON, as well asstudent leaders Kanja Sesay (NUS BlackStudents' Officer) and Aaron Kiely (NUSExecutive).

Jeremy Corbyn MP who launched the Early DayMotion (EDM) in parliament said:

“In heroically defeating the US-backed militarycoup the people of Venezuela not only rescuedtheir democracy. They also opened up the newera of social progress that has swept acrossLatin America in the last decade.

“However, we need to remain vigilant againstongoing attempts to intervene into oil richVenezuela to achieve regime change. It is veryconcerning that US government agenciescontinue to pour millions of dollars into the USopposition.”

VSC recently organized a delegation oftrade unionists to Venezuela to see thecountry’s inspiring social progressfirsthand, including representatives of

Unite, the CWU, NUT, UCU and RMT.

A busy programme enabled the delegates tosee inspiring and tangible advances in areassuch as housing, health care and education,including one of the new social housingdevelopments; the Latin American School ofMedicine, training Venezuelan and foreignstudents to become doctors in theircommunities; an impressive children’s heart

for Venezuela

hospital for poor patients from across thecontinent; and the El Sistema musical centre,providing facilities for young people from allcommunities.

The delegation attended a rally to markPresident Chávez’s return to the country; hadmeetings with government representativesacademics, community leaders and others; andattended a couple of lively union rallies, one ofwhich, with over 500 participants, had beenarranged specially to build links between Britishand Venezuelan trade unionists. At the otherrally, the delegation sent messages of supportfor the revolutionary new Labour Law.

Solidarity Delegation Sees the Real Venezuela

“I have witnessed people raised from poverty and seen theeffects of the social missions [programmes] on the lives ofordinary people. I have seen the aspirations of workingpeople become reality, and I have learned to love thisVenezuela!” Mike Sargent, RMT Executive

Top: The delegation with doctors at the children’s heart hospital. Middle: The delegation at

a Trade Union Rally. Botom: Delegates with teachers, doctors and students at the

Salvador Allende School of Latin American Medicine

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Fiesta-goers were treated to authenticSouth American food and cocktails anda salsa lesson. The highlight of theevening for many was when special

guest, the legendary Linton Kwesi Johnson(pictured), treated guests to a poetry

¡Viva Venezuela! Fiesta

■ Vol 2 ■ Issue 1 ■ Summer 2012

vivavenezuela!

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viva !

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performance, before the distinguishedJesús Cutiño y Son de Cuba performedlive salsa.

£1000 was raised for the VSC which will go towards it 2012: Countdown to theElections Financial Appeal (see below).

“Progress on rights and socialdevelopment in Venezuelashow what is possible whenthe political will is there tobuild alternatives.”

DONATE NOW TO VSC’S COUNTDOWNTO THE ELECTIONS APPEAL

Celebrating in true Venezuelan style, over 170 people came togetherto a fiesta marking the 10th anniversary of Hugo Chávez’s return topower after the US-backed coup.

■ If you join VSC online at:www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk foronly £12 you receive a free DVD ofOliver Stone’s South of the Border. You can also join by cheque for £12 (£6 unwaged) to Venezuela SolidarityCampaign, c/o PO Box 56210, London N4 4XH

Join the VSC

From Frances O’Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary:

From Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary :

“Venezuela is a beacon for progressives throughout the world,showing there is an alternative to cuts and privatisation. Pleasesupport the VSC as they seek to defend this revolution againstexternal intervention.”

This special appeal to raise £10,000 aims to fund VSC’s current campaigns topublicise and condemn US interference in the 2012 presidential election and willenable us to continue to expand our activity at this crucial time.

You can donate at www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk or by sending a chequepayable to Venezuela Solidarity Campaignto VSC, PO Box 56210, London, N4 4XH.