August 2020

Tribute to Leon Trotsky, 80 years since his assassination by Stalinism

Israel Cervantes, a worker fired from GM Silao (Mexico) and a member of the union group "Generando Movimiento" (Generating Movement) “We ask for the solidarity of the other GM assembly plants, in the US, Brazil, Argentina and the whole world”   Very good afternoon to everyone. Receive a cordial greeting to the group of "The International Workers Organizer" from the group "Generando Movimiento". We are a group of both active and fired workers, who for a year have been leading a struggle for the reinstatement of the 16 workers fired in General Motors, Silao complex. We were fired for attempting union democracy, since 10 years ago, GM's company imposed the Miguel Trujillo López union on us. As a result, we began to organize and the company, in retaliation, fired us. Not content with that, they had us like this for a year with the demand for reinstatement. We hope that with the entry of the T-MEC and the 2019 new labor reform our demands will be resolved and we will be able to reinstate all of our fired workers. Today we feel sad, because today another GM colleague has just died due to Covid-19, since the safety protocols at the plant are really useless. This is the eighth worker to die and more than 25 workers are infected. And so far neither the GM company nor the union have come out to stand up for all the infected workers there are or say what they are doing for the workers' welfare. Currently the union has simply gone out to tell the workers that these workers have not been infected inside the company but outside the plant. The authorities have really done nothing. We have personally delivered letters of complaint to the President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and so far we have been ignored. We have been and are presently fighting for the welfare of all the workers inside the plant. Currently, Guanajuato is in second place in terms of infections and the company has already sent 90% of the vulnerable workers to work. There have been layoffs of workers who have been working in the company for 20 or 25 years. In fact, many of them sign a voluntary resignation, receiving miserable compensation payments ranging from $45,000 pesos (U$S 2,000) to $50,000 pesos. (U$S 2,300). We believe that it is the gravest thing that they are giving these miserable compensations. And with the salaries we have, unfortunately we don't manage to cover the basic basket. This is why we have fought and continue to fight to improve the working conditions, not only of some, but of all the workers within GM Silao, and to be able to reach the other plants in San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe in Mexico. We also ask for the solidarity of the other assembly plants, in the US, Brazil, Argentina and the whole world, since they are the most powerful. Likewise, we demand comrade Sebastián Romero, a worker and fighter for workers' rights, to be freed. He is a political prisoner and we hope that he will be freed soon. Thank you very much.

"Fired for demanding union changes"