All of the Union delegates and workers inside!

The repression on Friday the 25th, transmitted “live” on TV, drew
national attention, after 2,700 workers hade been on strike for 37
days, during which fired workers remained inside the plant; many
marches, including the Pan American roadblocks and roadblocks
organized by the students and unemployed in the heart of Buenos Aires.
Daer, Moyano, and the “progressive” Kirchner sectors, which had been
attacking the workers struggle, had to condemn the repression. Today,
Tuesday, there has been an increase in solidarity actions as well an
increase in the supporters’ demands, both employed an unemployed.
Scioli admitted that the United States Embassy had called him to
pressure him into “taking action” and that’s why he gave the Buenos
Aires police the go ahead to evacuate the plant and turn the factory
into a detainment camp.

The United States Embassy, in an event never seen before in history,
was forced to make a press release “clarifying” that “they didn’t
participate in the negotiations”, (!?)but they did pressure them for
“a lasting solution”. The government that claims itself to be
“national and for the people” has managed to permit the US to treat
Argentina like a “Banana Republic”!

This whole situation brought the National and Provincial Ministries
of Labor to meet and “begin negotiations”, which turned into a 6 hour
meeting on Monday. Meanwhile roadblocks were taking place throughout
the country in many different provinces as well as in the heart of
Buenos Aires and there was an enormous march to Plaza de Mayo
condemning the repression and in support of the workers, with the
participation of many workers delegations, student organizations,
political figures and leftwing parties.

As the worker delegate, Oscar Coria, told Pagina 12 (Argentine
Newspaper), they didn’t reach an “agreement” because under the
Ministry of Labor’s requirements only the Union Shop Stewards would be
allowed to return to the plant and just for a short time. Furthermore,
in the “agreement” they didn’t establish the withdrawal of the recent
worker suspensions or the withdrawal of the police from the factory,
“arguing” that there should be no more measures of struggle. On top of
it, the company refused to recognize the Ministry’s requirements and
today, Tuesday, they wouldn’t let the Union Shop Stewards in the
plant! The Multinational North American Company continues to try and
break down the Union Shop Stewards, the Factory Delegates and the
activism. They are particularly vicious with the night shift, which is
the most combative and it’s the shift that most of the fired and
suspended workers were on. They use the incoherent logic that the
firings were because of a demonstration organized by the workers in
demand of improved sanitary conditions to combat the H1N1 virus. Which
took place during the day shift!

For us, it’s important to have assemblies and prepare new means of
struggle, not only the Kraft workers but also the student movements
and workers organizations that have been supporting the struggle. We
demand that Moyano and Daer put an end to their subordination to the
government, which acts under the orders of the North American Embassy.
We demand the CGT and the CTA call for a national strike condemning
the repression and demanding the reincorporation of all of the fired
workers, not only in Kraft but in all of the companies, also that they
recognize the demands of the unemployed movements and increase
salaries.

We demand that the Food Workers Union strikes and that the entire
union joins the struggle.

That the University federations and Student centers push for a serious
and massive participation, and organize the student movement -
following the example of the initiatives taken by the Philosophy and
Letters Student Center and driven by En Clave ROJA.
For all of the delegates and all of the fired workers and workers who
want their jobs back!

PTS
Partido de los Trabajadores Socialistas

Sept. 29th 2009