Bauxilum Workers Peacefully Recover Access to their Company

Workers at the state-run bauxite and aluminium company Bauxilum in Ciudad Guayana, peacefully recovered the main access doors at the plant after it was violently and illegally closed by a right-wing union last Thursday.

Bauxilum workers accompanied by other employees from Ferrominera del Orinoco, Norpro, the construction sector and other primary industries in Guayan, recovered control of the Bauxilum after a rally in defence of the company took place on Saturday morning. The workers were also accompanied by other social organisations including communal councils and youth and women’s groups.

The worker and president of Bauxilum Jose China explained that “most of the workers support the process to develop a new social management model within the company, which began a year and a half ago when the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez decreed that the management of the company should be controlled by workers.”

He also pointed out that the employees at Bauxilum had reached a high-level of political awareness and created a culture of participation and protagonism with regards to the management of their company.

In addition, he highlighted that the act of closing the company’s gates - ordered by Sutralumina on Friday - was totally illegal and broke with the agreements reached that same day between the board of directors, unions and worker control of the company.