ARGENTINA--Workers' struggle at Paraná Metal

From: http://www.pts.org.ar/spip.php?article11474

Friday, December 19, 2008
Big workers’ and people’s march in Villa Constitución
More than 4,000 people mobilize in support of the workers at Paraná Metal
By PTS Santa Fe

At 9 a.m., they were already gathered in front of Paraná Metal. The mobilization began with a picket at the former Metcom. There was a lot of enthusiasm, and the workers from Paraná Metal were not alone. The workers from Tenaris had already endorsed the call. The women’s commission in struggle was there early, exerting all their strength.

The workers’ contingent was moving foward along the road. The first stop was at the entrances of Acindar. Lots of emotion. Applause. The workers from Acindar, on foot and motorcycles, joined the march. Local workshops also came out and joined.

“You have to jump, you gotta jump. The one who doesn’t jump is management” was heard, growing ever louder. “The people united, will never be defeated.” Two hours of walking, and at every step the column grew larger. Applause again, when the workers and young people who arrived from Rosario in a bus, lined up on the side of the road to join.

Teachers, workers from the hospital, from the EPE, from city government, everyone coming together in the mobilization. Delegations from AMSAFE, ATILRA of Rosario, CCC, Raúl Castells, the women's group Pan y Rosas, the Agrupación Marrón from Rosario, the students' center from Villa Constitución, the PTS, Polo obrero, and others accompanied. During the whole march, the young people from Paraná Metal did not stop chanting very energetically.

When the march reached the city, families were applauding from their balconies, housewives, neighbors, waiting on the sidewalk for the contingent to walk by. All the businesses had closed. The city of Villa Constitución was moved by the struggle of the workers from Paraná Metal.

Finally they got to the Plaza. "If this is not the people, where are they?" A group from Paraná Metal added another chant: "Occupation, a wave of people, workers' control to throw out the bosses!"

The rally was held in the historic Plaza of Villa Constitución (where the Villazo took place). There were speeches by leaders from CTA Rosario, AMSAFE, ATE, CTA Mar del Plata, leaders of the [metalworkers' union branches] UOM Campana, UOM Casilda, UOM Las Parejas, and also a metalworkers' representative from the CUT of San José Dos Campos of Brazil. Leaders of the [metalworkers' union] UOM Villa Constitución concluded the rally. It was very emotional when two women who belong to the Women's Commmission of Paraná Metal went up to the speakers' box. "You can feel it, you can sense it, women are present," and "Yes, we can, yes, we can! If a woman steps forward, no man retreats!" the women were chanting.

Support from Villa, from Rosario, and from all of Argentina, was extremely strong.

Support also arrived from the corps of delegates of the Buenos Aires subway.

One of the delegates from the internal commission announced that through Caló (national UOM) the government will soon give them 500 pesos for each worker before the year ends. They managed to restore the 600 peso subsidy for each worker that the government had already been giving the bosses for wages, but for after January 15. Now the workers continue to be without a single peso to take to their families.

Today they have a meeting at the Ministry of Labor in Rosario, and another on Monday in Buenos Aires with the Buenos Aires secretary of commerce, but until now, there is no news.

The women invited the audience to spend December 24 in the tent alongside of the workers. They already received a donation from the town council of beef and sweet bread for everyone, and donations of pork and food from other bodies. The Santa Cruz oil workers offered beverages for 3,000 people for those days. The Contraimagen Group, which was filming the whole march, publicly offered to screen films in the tent for the workers and their families.

The resolutions from the workers' plenary meeting that took place on Wednesday, December 17, in Rosario, that include a rejection of layoffs and suspensions, distributing the hours of work, workers' putting every plant that closes back to producing, non-payment of the foreign debt, and support for all the struggles, were read from the speakers' box.

It was an historic mobilization, that generated a lot of popular support for the workers' victory in their struggle, for insuring that the workers do not pay for the crisis. The Women's Commission called a broader meeting for 6 p.m. on Saturday, in the UOM auditorium.

From the speakers' box, they called for continuing to back the struggle and participating in the tent.

Today the workers of Paraná Metal are a great example for all workers of Argentina and the region, next to those of GM in Alvear and others. Actis, leader of UOM Villa, and of Paraná Metal, asserted in conclusion that “if all else fails, we workers will set the factory to producing.” This is a report of a great day of an historic struggle.

Total support to the struggle of the workers of Paraná Metal!