The following is an abridged message of solidarity issued by Venezuela's National Union of Workers (UNT).
The National Union of Workers of Venezuela backs the actions of the Australian workers in their struggle against the anti-union laws being imposed by the government of Prime Minister John Howard.
The UNT, the leading force for labour in Venezuela, expresses our solidarity with Australian workers in your just position of completely rejecting the law reforms, which will worsen the pay and conditions of workers.
The law also seeks to extend the exemptions [from unfair dismissal laws] that apply to businesses with up to 20 employees, to those with up to 100 employees!
In the same vein, the UNT supports the ACTU, the Maritime Union of Australia, and all the unions and Australian workers as you unite in your just demand to not worsen wage policies.
The UNT completely backs the peaceful and democratic revolutionary process that we are living in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, now that the workers' struggle is growing stronger, and the strength that our movement is gaining is achieving social, economic, educational and health benefits, which under the old system of confederations and bosses' unions, would have been impossible to obtain. And further, this struggle has begun to bear fruit, such as the reclaiming and reactivation of businesses that had been run down or closed.
Our own experience shows that when the union struggle is strengthened, you can gain the unthinkable. It also shows that you can't weaken or divide in front of the powerful interests of capitalism, if you are to bring about changes to the agony and exploitation of workers.
We are aware of courageous attitude of the Australian workers to struggle and to win! We support all methods of pressure that workers apply to realise their demands, whether that be outside parliament, before the Supreme Court, or after the law is passed by applying pressure by whatever means to make the laws unworkable — because bad laws that are detrimental to the majority should be annulled.
To the Australian workers, we send our fullest and fraternal backing for your struggle.
Marcela Maspero and Orlando Chirino (UNT national coordinators).
From Green Left Weekly, November 9, 2005.
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