Americas Watch - Projects of Peace No War Network
Venezuela Lawmaker Says Workers Seize, Stop Coca-Cola Plants
CBS MarketWatch - October 23, 2006 http://www.marketwatch.com
CARACAS (MarketWatch) -- A Venezuelan lawmaker said early Monday that workers have taken over several Coca-Cola Co. (KO) plants with support from pro-government politicians in protest over worker debts.
"We have seized Coca-Cola plants.... We will not allow a single truck from Coca-Cola to leave with soft drinks," Iris Varela, a National Assembly member, said during a televised interview.
Varela did not specify how long the seizure would last or what role the government is playing in this dispute between the company and its workers.
"Now we will see if they will pay workers what they owe them," she said. Coca Cola officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Varela expressed support for the worker cause and suggested the government should eventually expropriate the company's assets if it fails to comply with worker demands.
If the company doesn't follow through, "the company should be expropriated," she said, and a new company could produce "Venezuelan soft drinks instead."
Venezuela 's congress is now completely dominated by politicians who support President Hugo Chavez, since opposition parties decided to pull out of last year's congressional election citing electoral irregularities.
Chavez has vowed to create a socialism for the 21st century in Venezuela and to expropriate "idle" land and company assets. He has also threatened expropriation in cases where companies have unresolved disputes with workers.
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