Solidarity with Venezuelan workers

Caracas, Wednesday 16 May 2006

To Whom It May Concern:

Solidarity with Venezuelan workers

Stop the repression of Trade Union rights in the pharmaceutical
company RACE in Caracas, Venezuela

The Executive Committee of the trade union Suprofrad, which organises
the pharmaceutical workers in Caracas, Venezuela denounces the company
RACE C.A for its refusal to recognise our trade union. We are the
legitimate representatives of the workers on the shopfloor and the way
in which management is behaving means that the workers we represent are
being denied their most elementary rights. The right of workers to
organise in trade unions and to be represented by the trade union of
their choice is fundamental and established in the Venezuelan Labour
code and in the Venezuelan Constitution.

Our trade union Suprofrad has been legally registered and can count
on the support of the majority of the workers in this workplace. Company
mangement refuses to recognise the trade union and refuses to start
collective wage negotiations or to respond in any way or form to the
demands of the workers. What management has done is to put pressure,
intimidate and even physically threaten workers who are supporting the
trade union Suprofrad. These tactics have been supplemented by illegal
redundancies of workers, especially those workers who are known to be
members of our trade union. Workers who are on a 12 month contract have
not had their contracts renewed after it became apparent that they were
supporting Suprofrad.

The management of RACE have started to organise a yellow trade union
named Unitrace. This trade union is lead by the lawer Debora Espinoza
who quiete conveniently for the management of RACE is also the labour
inspector for the capital district of Caracas. The management is now
steaming ahead with its plans to legalise Unitrace as the legal
representative of the workers in RACE. We have to warn and repeat that
when management will be allowed to achieve its sinister objectives and
Unitrace will be recognised as the sole representative of the workers
there will be no stability in the factory nor will their be any just
collective convention for the workers. The only agreements imposed will
be those who favour the so-called "economic reality" of the factory.

We are also denouncing the way in which the company has forced
workers to sign a monstrosity of a contract that is made up of
incomprehensible phrases but which in reality do not contain any of the
by law required elements detailed in decree 4248 of the mininstry of
Labour. This decree states that private companies which have commerical
contracts with the state or any agency of the state have to comply with
the labour law. This means they have an obligation to observe human,
workers’ and trade union rights in their workplaces. On the basis of
this decree we are petitioning the Venezuelan state to cancel the
contract between the national oil company PDVSA and the pharmaceutical
company RACE.

We have called upon the workers of RACE C.A to remain firm and
defiant and not to believe in the false promises of the company. Our
common goal is to arrive at a just and equitable collective agreement in
which our labour will be valued honestly. Only in this way will we be
able to obtain better social and economic conditions for our families.
The situation for the workforce and for the sacked trade union members
is critical. Our trade union Soprofard will, after consultation with the
membership and in accordance with the Labour code of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela take industrial action to secure the rights of the
workforce.

We are calling on all the trade union organisations, national and
international, to send letters of protest to the Ministry of Labour:
[email protected] and [email protected]

Please send copies of your letter to [email protected] , [email protected]
, [email protected] , [email protected] and [email protected]

We are also asking for financial support for the strike fund of the
Suprofard trade union. Two members of the executive committee of the
trade union have been made redundant by RACE. Jhonny Coronil has been
without any income for the last 6 months and Andry Key has been without
income for the last year. They were sacked illegaly and we are demanding
the immediate reintegration into the company.

We are aware that the situation which has developed in the RACE
company is not unique in Venezuela. A lot of other workers are going
through the same experience, for example the workers in the textile
factory Sel-Fex. This is a call for unity. The workers have to unite all
similar struggles just as the bosses and management are uniting in
Venezuela to drive down the conditions and wages of the working class.
With unity, organisation and awareness we will succeed.

  • The RACE company violates the labour code
  • Enough of abuses and disregard for our rights
  • Unity to fight for our labour rights

signed

The executive committee of Suprofard