Lt. Col. (ret.) Hector Herrera Jimenez was appointed president of CVG-Bauxilum just 13 days ago, but he was fired with immediate effect on Tuesday and was replaced in the presidency by Alfredo Arcila ... the latter, meanwhile, promised to continue searching for resources to pay labor liabilities and for critical investments.
With industrial action already in mind, CVG-Bauxilum had attended emergency meetings on Tuesday evening just as the news broke about Herrera Jimenez' removal from office in an international telephone call from Beijing (China) in which Mibam Minister Rodolfo Sanz dismissed the executive who had been unilaterally appointed by Vice President Ramon Carrizales less than two weeks earlier.
At first light yesterday, Wednesday, employees picketed Avenida Fuerzas Armadas in the Matanzas industrial zone, preventing access to the Bauxilum plant as well as CVG-Orinoco Iron, CVG-Venprecar and CVG-Venalum in the immediate area. Heavy trucks blocked all entrances.
This Thursday morning, however, it appears that the reasons for Herrera Jimenez' dismissal were political rather than any issue of managerial competence. One such is that Herrera Jimenez is chairman of the Bolivarian Military Civic Front whcih disputed the nomination of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) candidate for the Bolivar State governorship, incumbent Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez.
Suprobaux union secretary general. Antonio Rivas, has rejected what he calls "the improvisational way of working" at the Ministry of Basic Industries & Mining (Mibam) and how they hire and fire top executives at the whim of political manipulators, especially so ahead of critical November 23 local and regional elections where Rangel Gomez faces serious challenges as well as allegations of malfeasance and corruption.
"Situations like these show that senior Mibam and CVG officials do not have any strategic vision of Venezuela's aluminum sector means for development of our country," Rivas says. "I certainly do NOT understand the policy of this government when, in less than six months, the prsidency of CVG Bauxilum has been changed twice ... the company urgently needs a stable and consistent policy that will allow a reversal of the disastrously negative trend in production levels and to begin a recovery process."
"At least under Herrera Jimenez' two weeks at CVG-Bauxilum he was able to get Bs.F 73 billion together to pay liabilities and enabled some investment in industrial technology ... but at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, we were called to a meeting where we were informed that Minister Sanz had demanded his resignation, claiming political pressure!"
CVG-Bauxilum is in the front line of Venezuela's industrial production of aluminum and, Rivas says, the knock-on effect with CVG-Venalum, CVG-Alcasa and CVG-Carbonorca is palpable -- "we do not have enough feedstock to guarantee the reduction of alumina to aluminum at Alcasa and Venalum" he says adding that, in concert with other union leaders, they do not lift industrial protest action until the central government in Caracas "gets its act together."
Quoted in this morning's Guayana regional newspapers, Sintrabauxilum trade union general secretary Valentine Edgar urges the Mibam Ministry to appoint managerial staff who know the reality of the state-owned companies and who intend to work towards the regional development of the companies and the stability of a 3,000+ workforce. "It is not a job for a political desk-pilot ... it's a hands-on involvement to deal with labor benefits that are long overdue for payment ... the workers need a timeline, date for payment of liabilities and for investments to be made in maintaining the company." They say that former Labor Minister Jose Ramon Rivero would be more competent in the job than a political appointee such as Arcila.
Just after 1:00 p.m., on Wednesday, deputy Mibam minister, Jesus Paredes and the current head of both Bauxilum and Venalum, Carlos Acosta Perez, met with union delegates to discuss proposals which were subsequently rejected, leaving Bauxilum operations in a state of emergency which the unions say will continue until a date is set for payments "even if it is difficult for us at this time!"
Acosta Perez has acknowledged the importance of Bauxilum's future and guaranteed that the National Guard will only monitor the protest as long as it remains peaceful. Deputy Mibam minister Paredes admitted that the reason for the protest was legitimate, since the problem has existed "for years@ but added that "the President (Chavez) is taking care of this situation." Paredes acknowledged that the money being asked-for for a long time is "fair and true," adding that "it has not been given attention with the speed that it deserves!"
Meanwhile a worker's delegate has asked for Rodolfo Sanz head on a platter claiming that he has been irresponsible in office at Mibam and that the deputy minister should liaise with Vice President Ramon Carrizales to seek his urgent dismissal also from the corporate presidency of the CVG. "we do not want minister Rodolfo Sanz' irresponsibility, we want his head."
Nevertheless, temporary president in charge of CVG-Bauxilum, Alfredo Arcila told a board meeting that there is an urgent need to purge the company's finances and to move into the production process. "We respect the rights of workers in their legitimate demands and justice should be done, but we do not assume demagogic postures or act with irresponsibility to the outside realitis ... the solution to their grievances is in the hands of the President of the Republic."
VHeadline Venezuela News
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Enuff with these pseudo-socialist "executives" being parachuted into cushy jobs (they think) on account of their connections, etc. The production workers of all these plants must band together and seize control of production -- and the central government had bloody well better accept that. If they continue to claim to be socialist, that is.
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