An international campaign is underway in defence of 21 workers facing trial for their involvement in a labour dispute following the unfair dismissal of nine workers at the Fundimeca fan assembly plant in Valencia.
Among those facing a possible jail term is Stalin Perez Borges, a national coordinator of the pro-revolution National Union of Workers (UNT).
The Fundimeca workers, along with leaders of the UNT who supported them in their struggle, "are victims of a boss with a prior record of participation in the 2002 coup attempt" against President Hugo Chavez, according to a sign-on solidarity letter being circulated internationally.
While these workers are in court being persecuted by right-wing forces encrusted in the local judicial system, which has always had strong ties with the local capitalists in the industrial state of Carabobo, the boss — who refuses to comply with the law and is suspected of having used hired assassins who shot a female union leader on the picket line — continues to walk free.
The letter also states: "It is unjustifiable that in a revolutionary process like that which Venezuela is living through, a judicial system that favours the rich continues to prevail and that there exists attempts to criminalise the struggle of the workers, as is being done in the specific case of Fundimeca, with the perverse aim of trying to terrorise the struggle of all the workers in the country".
Among those that have signed the letter are union leaders from various sectors and political currents in Venezuela as well as respected international intellectuals and political activists, including: James Petras (US); Celia Hart (Cuba); Daniel Bensaid (France); Francois Sabado (France); and Michael Lebowitz (Canada). International union representatives include: Pat Bolster, (secretary, Unions Wellington, NZ); and Fred Muzin, (president, Hospital Employees' Union, Canada) .
From Australia, sign-ons include: Tim Gooden (secretary, Geelong Trades Hall Council); Chris Spindler, (organiser, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Victorian metals section); Janet Lucas (training officer, Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia, Victorian branch); Kieran Walsh (member of the TAFE executive and TAFE council of the Queensland Teachers' Union); the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network; Peter Boyle (national secretary, Democratic Socialist Perspective); Stuart Munckton and Emma Murphy (co-editors, Green Left Weekly).
[The sign-on letter can be found at http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org. To sign on, or send the Fundimeca workers messages of solidarity, email solidaridadfundimeca@gmail.com.]