OilVoice - Venezuelan Oil Chief Warns Workers They Must Become Socialist

Venezuelan Oil Chief Warns Workers They Must Become Socialist

Thursday, July 16, 2009

A warning by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that workers in the oil sector who do not hold a socialist doctrine of beliefs will face suspicion that they are conspiring against the government, has been condemned in full by Union leaders.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said, in a televised speech: "There cannot be a single PDVSA (state-run Petroleus de Venezuela SA) installation where socialist committees do not exist.

"Whoever is not in a committee will be suspected of conspiring against the revolution," continued Ramirez.

President Chavez appears to have single-handedly turned McCartythism on it’s ugly head, by attempting to force oil workers into socialist workplace groups within the OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)-member nation.

Unsurprisingly resistance from within the workforce has been strong. Union leaders have reacted angrily after seeing the government's attempts to infringe upon their political and organising rights.

Union leader Froilan Barrios, commented: “It’s an irresponsible statement.

“We won’t accept it,” he continued, adding that workers were in the process of meeting to plan a response.

Since the unsuccessful 2002-2003 oil strike conducted to oust the flamboyant premier, government-owned PDVSA has become increasingly politicised. During the strikes Chavez fired in the region of 20,000 workers after their walkout helped cripple the industry - albeit temporarily. Fortunately for the incumbent Venezuelan leader timing was upon his side and his popularity has since rebounded on the back of rising oil prices, which subsequently paid for the funding of popular social programmes introduced by the government.

With all the suspicion of President Richard Nixon, on a bad day, Chavez and Ramirez's purge looks set to be far reaching. "Not a single counter-revolutionary can remain within our company, within our industry," the Oil Minister added in his public address.

The Minister, who leads a double life as head of PDVSA, added that he would not negotiate a collective labour agreement "with any enemy of Chavez".

In the past the south American nation's electoral authorities have criticised Ramirez for making similar comments when he told oil industry workers that they had to be "red, really red," ahead of the 2006 Presidential election. Not only is red the colour of Chavez's United Socialist Party in Venezuela, but is also associated with socialism the world over.

The news comes against the backdrop of the poor performance of Venezuela's oil industry of late. Since prices have crashed in the market following the record high of oil at $147 a barrel seen last July, Venezuela's production has fallen by a quarter. This one-time OPEC powerhouse nation is now finding itself struggling to pay creditors and employees who were absorbed by PDVSA after a string of state takeovers of private oil contractors.