Bolivia

Bolivia: class struggle and social crisis

Pamphlet looking at the class struggle in Bolivia underlying the struggle between Evo Morales and the oligarchy.

The Commune's pamphlet on the class struggle and right-wing coup attempts in Bolivia includes the following articles and documents:

- Evo Morales, the Bolivian oligarchy and the workers' movement, by David Broder
- Central Obrera [union federation]: 'neither Evo nor the oligarchy'

Bolivian union disapproves of Morales' negotiations with fascists

The Central Obrera Boliviana sees no value in the current dialogue between the indigenous-peasant government and the separatist oligarchy. The president is urging the fascist governors to sign a grand national accord in the next four to five days. From the commune, translated from the Spanish from Econoticias Bolivia

La Paz, September 18th 2008 - The leadership of the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) has declared that it does not approve of the negotiations president Evo Morales today opened with the fascist governors and the oligarchy in search of a great national accord.

Bolivian miners strike against Morales pension reform

The Bolivian government has lost over $1.5 million due to a strike at the country's largest tin mine, Huanuni, where workers are demanding a deeper pension reform.

Roberto Montano said the state-owned mine has been losing about $500,000 a day since workers went on strike, halting production, on Thursday afternoon. The official said the mine always closed on Sundays.

"They (the workers) are staging an indefinite general strike [...] they're waiting for negotiations between the Bolivian Workers Central and the government," Montano said.

Bolivia: roads blocked by strikers and protesters

Thousands of striking miners from the Huanani mine have been forming road blocks since Tuesday to protest against government inaction.

President Evo Morales was forced to cancel a trip to Brazil due to this and several other protests.

Worker self-management in historical perspective, 1950-2006

A worker of Argentina's self-managed Brukman plant

A brief history of the movement for workers' self-management in the 20th and 21st centuries. Examines instances of workers' control in Yugoslavia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and contemporary Argentina.

Introduction
Worker self-management (WSM) has re-emerged as a major movement in Argentina, particularly this year with over 200 factories organized and controlled by their workers and a national co-coordinator of self-managed enterprises in the process of being organized.

Is Latin America really turning left?

James Petras examines recent social movements and developments in the class struggle in Latin America.

A new series of social and national polarities in the Western Hemisphere has dominated political life over the past few years. At the beginning of the new millennium the national confrontation was between Cuba and the US/EU, and the social confrontations between the rural/indian and urban/unemployed movements and a continent-wide collection of neo-liberal regimes.

Bolivian military take control of airports to break strike

Bolivian military and police forces have taken control of four main airports, aiming to break an airline workers' strike in major cities.

Employees from the country's main airline, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB), are demanding its nationalisation.

But President Evo Morales has ruled out nationalisation, saying the partially private company is seriously corrupt.

The government said it took control of airports in an effort to avoid accidents and ensure passenger safety.

The Bolivian state already holds a 48% stake in the LAB.

Bolivia - struggles continue under socialist Morales

Despite the election of Evo Morales from the Movement for Socialism as President of Bolivia, several strikes are in process and the persecution of the landless movement MST continues under the new regime.

This week has seen an ongoing strike by pilots at private LAB. The Pilot Association paralyzed work Thursday demanding the reinstatement of 15 fired workers, alongside the cessation of lawsuits against three others, and payment of $8 million instalments to retirement funds that were deducted by LAB.