Bolivia: Oil workers start hunger strike
SP Newsletter No.180
Support the Gualberto Villarroel workers – send protests!
Eight months ago, the Brasilian multinational company, Petrobras, who were the former owners of the ‘Gualberto Villaroel’ oil refinery in Bolivia, sacked trade union activists and leaders at the plant.
Two months ago, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) government, lead by Evo Morales, took over the refinery but workers are still fighting to be reinstated to their former jobs. On July 17, the sacked workers started a hunger strike in the Bolivian capital, La Paz.
The Socialist Party (SP) and our international organisation, the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), supports the fight and the demands of the fired Gualberto Villarroel workers, which are as follows:
- All fired union leaders and workers must be immediately rehired
- The national labour laws prohibiting two-tiered working conditions must be respected
- All temporary contract workers must be signed to permanent contracts
- The right to unionize must be respected
The CWI is helping to spread international support for the workers by appealing to workers and youth across the world to send urgent protests to the Bolivian government and the President. We call for more messages supporting the Gualberto Villarroel workers.
Our sister organisation in Bolivia has been in close contact with the Gualberto Villarroel contract workers over recent months and is committed to supporting these workers as they enter into a new phase of struggle. The CWI in Bolivia, at the request of the fired union leaders and workers of the Gualberto Villaroel oil refinery, appeal to union leaders, workers, and members of the CWI everywhere to assist their struggle.
To express your solidarity with the Gualberto Villarroel workers, contact:
citbolivia@gmail.com
Send protest letters to the following Bolivian government officials:
Evo Morales, President of the Republic of Bolivia
presidencia@caoba.entelnet.bo
Click here for the homepage where you can directly contact the President of Bolivia
Carlos Villegas, Hydrocarbons Minister
hidrocarburos@hidrocarburos.gov.bo
Fax: 00591 2 2141307
Guillermo Arequipa, President of Yacimientos PetrolÃferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB)
webmaster@ypfb.gov.bo
Fax: 00591 2 2356540 2373375
For background information on the Gualberto Villarroel workers click the link below.
Here
Socialist Party National Conference
SP will be holding its National Conference at Trades Hall in Melbourne on August 3 & 4. It will open on the Friday night with a public meeting titled ‘Where is Australia going?’ It will feature a range of speakers including SP members and labour movement leaders. On the Saturday morning we will also have a session open to the public on World Relations. This will also feature SP members including Denise Dudley who will be recently returned from Venezuela! On the Saturday afternoon we will discuss business and building the party.
On the Saturday evening we will be organising a trivia night fundraiser featuring Australia’s most famous (and funniest) left wing comedian, Corrine Grant. All proceeds will go to the campaign to save St Andrews Kindergarten and the Atherton Gardens public housing estate.
We encourage all SP supporters to attend both the public events at the conference and the fundraiser. SP members should ensure they book the weekend in now as it will be the most important meeting we have all year. Members from interstate travelling to Melbourne should contact the National Office soon to discuss assistance with transport costs.
Get on the ‘Red Buses’ to APEC
SP will be organising a fleet of ‘Red Buses to APEC’ from Melbourne to Sydney on September 7-9. We are taking expressions of interest for seats now. If you support the APEC protests against the neo-liberal heavy weights, and can’t make it in person to the protests, you can sponsor a place by donation. In the lead up to the event we will also be holding regular organising meetings. For more information or to put your name down for a seat call our National Office on 03 9639 9111
Join the Socialist Party
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The Socialist
Issue 35 of SP’s monthly newspaper ‘The Socialist’ is out now! Readers can pick up a copy at our regular street stalls, from our National Office or by joining the SP subscriber’s list. This month’s paper features articles on Howard’s emergency plan for Aboriginal communities in NT, Labor and the federal election, tidal power, Tamil arrests, eyewitness accounts from the G8 protests in Germany, a report from our councillor in Yarra, and a centre page spread on the world economy.
SP now on My Space!
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Regional Activity
Victoria
The SP Melbourne Branch meets every Wednesday 7pm at Trades Hall in Carlton South. 1st Floor Corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets. This week the Melbourne branch will be discussing the recent developments in the Middle East. All welcome.
New South Wales
To find out more info or to join SP in Sydney contact Gary - 02 9728 7727
To find out more info or to join SP in Newcastle contact Samantha - 02 4968 1545
Western Australia
To find out more info or to join SP in Perth contact John on – 08 9402 0728
Please note childcare is available at all SP meetings but only by prior arrangement please call ahead first.
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The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI).
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