Roberto Jorquera, Caracas
May Day 2005 will go down in Venezuelan history as an significant date in the developing revolution. Although there was no official estimate release, it is speculated that around 1 million workers marched through Caracas on the day. The main slogans of the demonstration were "Co-management is revolution" and "Venezuelan workers are building Bolivarian socialism".
The protest confirmed the depth of the "Bolivarian" (after Venezuelan-born South American liberation hero Simon Bolivar) revolution that has gripped Venezuela, and is led by the government of President Hugo Chavez. The revolution aims to re-order the oil-rich society, where 80% have been condemned to poverty, to create a new "humanist" system where the interests of people come before corporations.
"Co-management" refers to the bold experiments in workers' management of industry, along with state and community representation, underway in a number of state-run industries and in two recently nationalised companies.
Since first elected in 1998, Chavez's government has been becoming increasingly radical. As its reforms to reduce poverty, and increase grassroots democracy were met with fierce resistance and sabotage from the wealthy business elite at home and in Washington, the Bolivarian revolution has moved rapidly in an anti-capitalist direction.
In January, Chavez declared that the only solution to the problems created by capitalism was socialism and called for a discussion in the popular organisations that support the revolution on how to build socialism in Venezuela.
The size of the May Day demonstration, as well as the mood and attitudes expressed in banners, chants and the response to speakers, reveals that a significant section of the Venezuelan working class have enthusiastically embraced this radical course.
The rally was organised by the National Union of Workers (UNT). For the past four years there have been competing May Day events, with one organised by the Central Union of Workers (CTV). For decades, Venezuela's main trade union federation, CTV has degenerated into a tool of a corrupt, right-wing bureaucracy, even supporting a bosses' shut down of industry designed to topple the government in late 2002-early 2003. In response, the UNT was formed in 2003.
As in previous years, the CTV organised a demonstration. It called for the freeing of jailed CTV former president Carlos Ortega. Ortega has been charged with involvement in an unsuccessful coup against Chavez in 2002. In an internet blog, visiting US trade unionist Louise Auerhahn, who attended both demonstrations, claimed that two hours into the CTV protest only 400 people were present. Other accounts suggest around 1000 people participated.
UNT national coordinator Oswald Vera commented to media on the respective protests, "The workers of Venezuela have shown that they support socialism and the revolutionary methods that have been implemented ... while the CTV is a symbol of the old unionism, which has been demonstrated today to have very little support."
Vera explained that the "workers of Venezuela have said that they are prepared to defend the factories and are part of the [military] reserves so as to defend the country against any foreign intervention". Given Washington's increasingly threatening condemnations of Chavez's government, Caracas recently expanded military reserves dramatically to involve a significant proportion of the population.
Workers' control
The massive May Day rally also called for support for a document — the Project for the Law of Participation of Workers in the Management of Public and Private Enterprises — that the UNT has presented to be debated and voted on by the National Assembly. The legislation will expand workers' management into the private sector.
One of the speakers was Elias Jaua, who is minister for the portfolio of "popular economy". Jaua told the rally that a new economic order is being constructed, based on "a democratic and participatory method that aims to construct a socialism of the 21st century". Jaua said: "We are aiming for equal distribution and so that workers are part of deciding what, how and who should be producing products ... we aim to democratise production and consumption of products in society."
But the highlight of the demonstration was Chavez's address. Just returned from Cuba after signing 49 agreements between the two countries, Chavez repeatedly reiterated the need to fundamentally transform the political, social and economic system in a speech reminiscent of those given by Cuban President Fidel Castro during the early years of the Cuban revolution.
He declared: "Our models of integration include liberty and equality... and they are incompatible with the laws of capitalism."
Chavez also paid his respects to the Chicago anarchists murdered in 1888 for organising workers, in whose memory May Day was established, and sent revolutionary greetings to the people of the United States.
Chavez highlighted the enormous tasks ahead for the revolution. "It is only the beginning of the process, we are just beginning to construct a new state, institutions and a new society ... we are just taking the first few steps in the new economy, in [the transformation of] property relations and so we must not have any illusions and we must not chant yet that we have won".
He also pointed out that more work had to be done to unite the revolutionary forces, to which protesters responded with chants of "The people united will never be defeated!". Chavez also condemned the fighting that had erupted within his party, the Movement for a Fifth Republic, between the supporters of Freddy Bernal, mayor of Caracas municipality Libertador, and Juan Barreto, mayor of metropolitan Caracas. He made a public invitation for them to all have lunch to discuss their differences and to come to an agreement so they could focus on solving the problems of the people they represent. "We need unity, unity and more unity — if not they should resign and allow the people of Caracas to elect officials that really represent them".
There were banners at the rally reading, "Without a revolutionary party there can be no revolution".
Chavez also told the rally that everyone had to work towards the "building of the new human", that Che Guevara, a leader of the Cuban Revolution, had written about. Explaining that this meant all revolutionaries should lead by example, he added: "Che was more than just a martyr, more than just a heroic guerrilla fighter, he was also a minister in the Cuban government and developed many ideas on how to build the new socialist society... we must study and learn from his thoughts".
Chavez pointed to the example of revolutionary internationalism that is exemplified by Cuba's willingness to send doctors to countries around the world, explaining "We will be in a position within a few years to start to send Venezuelan doctors to parts of the underdeveloped world as Cuba has done for decades".
Chavez sets socialist course
Chavez explained that Venezuela was "in a transitional situation which has taken effect since 1998 and needs to be continuously planned. To construct socialism we need to break with capitalist economic laws ... the traditional economic orthodoxy is not compatible with a revolutionary economy."
As part of this project, Chavez explained the process of workers' co-management that was being introduced in factories across the country. He used the example of the workers at the INVEPAL (a paper company recently nationalised after the workers occupied it and ran it under their control). "INVEPAL is now a factory that strives to build socialism", Chavez claimed.
The workers at the factory are part of the management and decide how, what and when things are produced. Chavez said if any factory was not being used or had been abandoned then the government would move to expropriate them. Chavez insisted the aim was to "move from a revolutionary democracy to socialism this year... and it is critical for political parties to be consolidated in this process". Chavez concluded by declaring "We need to break all the chains of the past that have held us back".
It appears that the spectre of socialist revolution is haunting the powerful once again.
[Roberto Jorquera is the Green Left Weekly correspondent in Caracas. To help us keep a bureau in Latin America, please consider donating or subscribing. For details see advertisement this page, or on page 16. For more accounts of the rallies, see <http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org>.]
From Green Left Weekly, May 11, 2005.
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