Chile - February 28th 2017

Strike in La Escondida:

There is a new containing wall to guarantee the isolation of the struggle being gestated

It's been two weeks since it broke out a strike of the workers of the biggest copper mine of the world, operated by the transnational mining company BHP Billiton, together with Rio Tinto and JECO (Mitsubishi). The strike is marked by the extreme closure of its leadership. The miners that have paralyzed 7% of the world production of copper are camping at the doorstep of the shaft, at 3100 meters high, around 200km away from the city of Antofagasta.
The isolation not only comes from the leadership of Union Number 1 of La Escondida Mine (led by the Mine Workers Front, which also leads a large share of the unions of private mining in the second and third regions in Chile), but it also comes from all the leaderships of the left and the workers movement, which haven't produced a single statement on the matter, except in some particular cases.
On Wednesday it appeared in internet a fast call to a protest in at the doors of BHP Billiton's offices in Santiago for last Thursday 24th at 11am. This call was signed by the Committee of Initiative of Union Unity (CIUS), Workers Alternative (the "workers" collateral organization of PTR) and CTT (Commitee of Workers of El Teniente).
The concentration (whose call was made at the last minute and only via internet) was not attended by any independent sector of workers or students. Only the leaders of the organizations that called for that demonstration were there, which were no more than 20 people.
The event was opened showing banners of CIUS, a sign of CTT/CIUS demanding "equal pay for equal work" and there was another banner of Workers Alternative. After some chanting, a representative of CIUS spoke and read a statement speaking about labour reform, down with outsourcing and supporting the strike of the miners of La Escondida. Later, Edward Gallardo (PTR-Workers Alternative) spoke on behalf of "Nelson Quichillao Front" and demanded all the union leaderships (including the scab bureaucracy of CUT) to have effective solidarity with the strikers. After him, Francisco Flores (PTR) spoke on behalf of vice-presidency of FECH and talked about the solidarity of the students movement with the strike. After him, Yuri Sandoval of CTT spoke about the state in which the outsourced workers are. The whole protest lasted no longer than 20 minutes and then it got dissolved.
The attendance of bourgeois media was big and important. To cover this event, CNN, C13, Telesur, Radio Biobio, Cooperativa, TVN, EFE, Reuters and El Mostrador among others were present. Counting all the cameramen, the photographers, the journalists they were more people than the protesters.

 

Realignment of PTR with CIUS: to set up a wall to contain possible irruptions of the contracted workers

The FTC (Federation of Copper Workers), following the footsteps of the Teachers Union, broke away from CUT. The CUT, which is a true office of labour issues of the government, doesn't represent anyone, not even their families. They have been largely discredited in their role of deceiving and containing the workers.
In this fact we cannot only find the realignment of PTR in this federation of trade unions (CUT). On this matter of the Federation moving away from CUT, PTR declared in their digital newspaper that it was because bureaucrats from the Communist Party and the Socialist Party disagreed among each other (in the middle of the strike of La Escondida) and not because of the need of the bourgeoisie to control possible new irruptions of the contracted sector to the struggle, setting up new containing walls. The contracted workers suffered a brutal attack of the government these last 18 months. With treasons and one worker murdered in the criminal repression of the police, there has been 50 thousand layoffs, increase in the rhythms of production, huge increase in the rates of deadly "accidents", and there is no wage increase and the bonuses are miserable.
On this, PTR should answer this question: What are you doing with those doing "parallelism to CUT"? (That was their previous denounce on those who rightfully opposed to this treacherous bureaucracy). The defense of this hated federation, which has a long history of betrayals on the struggle of workers and doesn't group more than 5% of the working class, was the historical policy of PTR in the Chilean workers movement, beyond the fact they cynically speak about the Industrial Cordons. To accuse of "parallelism to CUT" was the criticism launched to everyone that rose against CUT.
On the other hand, CIUS, which was publicly disappeared until the last demonstration held due the anniversary of Juan Pablo Jimenez murder (in which nobody said anything about the strike in La Escondida or the slogan "equal pay for equal work"), should answer what was it doing together with the ones that yesterday accused it of "dividing the working class by making parallelism to CUT", the same ones that defended CUT from the hatred of workers and called the workers to "participate" in Bachelet's labour law reform, while CIUS denounced the reform and called for its defeat?
It is evident that there is a relocation of the old structures in order to prevent that this militant and punished sector of the working class leads the miners of La Escondida.
For this reason, for the high prestige won by those who set up the front Nelson Quichillao in the previous period in order to save the Communist Party's leadership of the CTC (Confederation of Copper Workers) usurping the name of the martyr and controlling the hatred of the rank and file and thus letting the leadership to impose a bitter defeat on the outsourced contracted miners, CTT plays a key role.

An empty slogan: solidarity

PTR repeats the lie of solidarity. But in this case, what does solidarity mean? What "teleton" can be useful for the strike these days? The truth is that the key of this struggle is the isolation imposed by its leadership, assisted by the entire left. They say nothing that the mineworkers of La Escondida have the key to the end of the labour law reform and outsourcing. The leaders take good care in leaving the outsourced miners out of this issue, but the strike itself involves them. The only solidarity that can be useful for the strike is the unification of the demands, the unity, the coordination of the struggle, to advance to the general strike. With the symbolic "solidarity" that the strikers have the only thing the working class will get is to add another defeat.

POI-CI of Chile - adherent to the FLTI