Posted on 09/08/2005 4:12:59 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
Marcela Máspero, coordinator of pro-government National Workers' Union (UNT), said they are to seize approximately 800 companies they found to be inoperative, with the support of President Hugo Chávez' government.
"As a response to the attacks from neo-liberalism and capitalism, we are now going to use the mechanisms of workers. Now, together with communities, we are going to take over these industrial concerns. We cannot let the closure of companies to lead to the collapse of the productive apparatus."
Máspero explained they are going to ask the National Assembly for a decision declaring these companies as public property. In this way, actual owners would be prevented from using both facilities and equipment needed for a likely reactivation of production. Chávez followers have plans to resume production under the so-called co-management schemes allegedly sponsored by the Labor Ministry.
She indicated that eight plants have already been seized. Besides corn processing plant Probamasa, in south-western Barinas state, and one tomato processing plant of Heinz, in eastern Monagas states, pro-government labor activists, together with military officers and the relevant governors, have recently taken over facilities owned by Parmalat in western Zulia state; Parmalat, in western Lara state; Sideroca Proacero, in western Zulia state; Inveval, in Miranda state; Invepal, in central Carabobo state; and Fribarsa, in south-western Barinas state.
Regarding the lawfulness of these moves, the national coordinator of UNT claimed that "we seize the plant first, and then try to solve the issue of ownership, as there is always a reason for takeover."
And Chavez won't stop until Venezuela is as "rich" as Cuba.
There was a story on Bloomberg the other day (which we can't post here) that one of the factories being seized is a Heinz factory.
---Regarding the lawfulness of these moves, the national coordinator of UNT claimed that "we seize the plant first, and then try to solve the issue of ownership, as there is always a reason for takeover."---
The reason always used "Hugo wants it".
Well crap. I kinda liked buying Citgo gas.
Sounds like the beast.
I always thought Ketchup Boy was more of a "NeoCom."
Jessie Jackson's recent visit must have given him some good advise on corporate shakedowns, and of course Chavez also uses miltary force.
Well... Kerry wanted the UN to handle Iraq. The UN can handle is Ketchup plant.
Could this have possibly been an outsourced plant? NOOOO.
Or as rich as Saudi Arabia. He has oil, remember?
Is Willie Green his economics czar?
It's amusing to see the steady, predictable progress of Chavez along long-discredited lines of socialist economic practice. Venezuela had a fairly diverse economy before Chavez came along. His plan, like every socialist before him, is to steal what can be stolen and milk what can be milked. Oil can be milked for a very long time, but that limits Venezuela's economic development to that of an extraction economy.
There are advantages to this from a socialist point of view - an extraction economy is easy to control and to direct its surpluses toward Party goals. The disadvantage is that if oil fails the country has no recourse and instantly becomes an economic basket case. What happens next after that is what has happened with the failure of agriculture in Zimbabwe - dwindling surpluses will be expropriated by the state and doled out to fewer and fewer people. The rest will do without.
How about we seize Citgo gas stations?
"Or as rich as Saudi Arabia. He has oil, remember?"
So does Mexico but it has nationalized its oil companies years ago. Is Mexico rich?
I think it's Robert Mugabe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.