Flasko workers have successfully defended their factory for a second time. You can see video footage of yesterday’s event and read an appeal from the workers for solidarity in defending the factory and their jobs.
On the 20th of June a commission composed of the administrator imposed in CIPLA and two other people went to Flasko, occupied factory in Sumaré, with the aim of dismissing the Factory Council elected by the workers and taking over the running of the factory. The workers stopped work and successfully rejected this intervention. (see More attacks on occupied factories in Brazil – Workers resist). The administrator, Rainoldo Uessler, announced that he was going to return on June 21st. The workers organised a defence picket which had the presence of activists from the Marxist Left of the Workers' Party (PT), the Chemical Workers Union from Campinas, Osasco and Vinhedo, dismissed workers from CIPLA, workers from Ellen Metal (Caieiras), the National Network of Peoples' Lawyers (RENAP), an advisor to the Federal Deputy, Zaratini (PT), the local councillor Marcela Moreira (PSOL - Campinas), the O Trabalho current of the PT, a delegation of neighbours from the Vila Operaria e Popular, the Black Socialist Movement, Revolution Youth and a group of lecturers from SP.
Once again the commission of the administrator appeared, but without police presence, and was received by the activists shouting slogans and the determination of the workers to keep the factory under workers' control. The administrator was invited to leave and, after a general assembly, the workers decided to resume work.
The movement of worker-occupied factories demands from president Lula and from the Ministry of Social Security Luis Marinho, the withdrawal of the administrator from Cipla/Interfibra, since the recent police and judicial intervention is based on a legal action promoted by the National Social Security Institute, a state federal body. They are also demanding the reinstatement of the sacked workers and the right of the Factory Council elected by the workers to resume its functions.
Further to this the workers' assembly at Flasko is asking for the support of the working class nationally and internationally to defend the company against outside intervention, which is an attempt to close down the occupied factories and defeat this historical example of struggle for a society without exploiters and exploited.
Letter from the Flasko Factory Council:
To the workers of the world. The workers of Flasko declare to the workers of the world and their organisations:
1.- We do not accept any judicial intervention which has the aim of closing down Flasko or transforming it into a cooperative, dismissing the workers and putting an end to their rights, as is happening in Profiplast in Joinville and as they are attempting to do in Cipla and Interfibra with the help of the military apparatus.
2.- We occupied the factory more than 4 years ago and with our sweat and the help and support from the workers, democratic and peoples' movement from all over the world we have managed to keep it open. We always demanded that Lula should fulfil his promises to save the jobs of the occupied factories and to fight for this we organised 4 caravans to Brasilia. Further to this the BRDE/BADESC and BNDES, after studying the case, proposed that the government should take over the factories. But the Lula government remained silent, and furthermore, the Minister Luis Marinho, former president of the CUT, maintains the decision of the INSS to intervene in CIPLA.
3.- We know that the occupied factories are living proof that the workers do not need the parasites that destroy and loot society, as it is proven by the long list of employers who have millions in debts to the INSS (Social Security), amongst them the Itau Bank, the Unibanco and Vale do Rio Doce. This is the reason the statements of the President of the Sao Paulo Federation of Industry and of ABIPLAST (the plastic employers' association) against the occupied factories and the agreements between them and the Venezuelan government. For all this we reaffirm that:
- we will maintain Flasko under the democratic control of the workers
- we will maintain our elected factory committee to run the factory and lead the struggle for jobs and rights
- we will not accept any outside intervention
- we will not accept any redundancies
- we will not accept any attacks on any workers
- an injury to one is an injury to all
- we will resume production under workers' control and we will keep it that way
- faced with the imminent threat of attack we appeal to workers and their organisations to come to Flasko
- we will maintain a permanent vigil to defend the factory
The Flasko Factory Council
(19) 9233-1391
pedro.santinho@uol.com.br
(19) 8164-1971
mobilizacaoflasko@yahoo.com.br
Please send solidarity messages. For details see More attacks on occupied factories in Brazil – Workers resist
See also:
- Picture gallery of the rally of the 13th
- Brazil: Cipla workers struggle to regain control of the factory as the campaign spreads (June 18, 2007)
- Report of pickets in Vienna, Brussels and Frankfurt in solidarity with CIPLA workers (June 13, 2007)
- Protest outside Brazilian Embassies in Europe in support of Cipla and Interfibras workers (June 12, 2007)
- Letter to the international labour movement by Serge Goulart (June 7, 2007)
- Appeal by Alan Woods on behalf of Cipla workers (Brazil) (June 6, 2007)
- Press statement by Rafael Prata, Communications advisor for Flasko, a company under workers’ control (June 4, 2007)
- What the CIPLA workers had achieved – a report from a Spanish comrade visiting the occupied factories in Brazil (June 1, 2007)
- Brazil: Federal Police invade occupied factory CIPLA (May 31, 2007)