THE Indian affiliates of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), on March 19, organised a workers’ convention with two hundred workers from CITU, AITUC, AIUTUC, and other WFTU affiliates. The convention was held to express solidarity with the people of Venezuela given the background of increasing aggression by the US and its allies to destabilise a democratically elected government in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU, addressing the protestors, said the neoliberal policies under the imperialist forces that make the life of the working class of our country miserable are the same forces directly attacking the sovereignty of Venezuela. He said that these policies are making the life of the people of Venezuela unbearable. He added that it is, hence, all the more important for the working class of India to come out on the streets in solidarity action with the Venezuelan people, while intensifying its struggle to change the policies.

The convention condemned the planned campaign and action by the US and its allies against the democratically elected Maduro government, creating dual power in the country which is against the ‘Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations’. It is not only illegitimate, uncalled for and undemocratic but also the part of a strategy of creating a situation of civil war, endangering the sovereignty of Venezuela. They are doing this to pursue their imperialist economic interests. It recalled that the USA in 2002 also tried a coup against the mass leader Hugo Chavez and continued to impose inhuman economic sanctions. 

The convention condemned the acts of the US freezing $7 billion of Venezuelan state oil company’s (PDVSA) assets and giving access to the Venezuelan state assets to the UK, blocking the legitimately elected Maduro government from withdrawing $ 1.2 billion worth of gold deposited in the Bank of England which is a brazen violation of international laws.

The convention denounced the attitude of the Modi-led government deviating from India’s most popular foreign policy, refusing to come out categorically in defence of Venezuela’s sovereignty and the rights of its own people to decide their political leadership. Further, India’s own interest in bringing oil from Venezuela is also under severe strain due to the US sanctions.

The convention demanded that the government of India must reiterate its long-cherished policy of friendship and mutual co-operation with the Venezuelan people, and not succumb to the pressure of Donald Trump’s call against Venezuela. It appealed to the Indian working class and the patriotic people of the country to mobilise mass of the people in support of Venezuelans. 

The convention passed a resolution that it believed that the imperialist efforts in Venezuela will be foiled by the people and the working class of Venezuela and congratulated them for bravely fighting the imperialist aggression defending the sovereignty of the country and the democratically elected President Maduro.

The workers denounced the biased and prejudiced coverage by both national and international media with misleading stories to support the group rival to the elected Bolivarian government of the Republic of Venezuela. They opined that the coverage helps the imperialist forces to destabilise the elected governments in various parts of the world, which has been witnessed even in earlier times.

The convention appeals to the Indian working class and the patriotic people of the country to mobilise mass of the people in support of the people of Venezuela.

A delegation of WFTU affiliates will meet the newly appointed Ambassador of Venezuela, Coromoto Godoy, on March 22.

The convention was jointly presided over by a presidium composed of Swadesh Dev Roye from CITU, BV Vijayalakshmi, AITUC, Santosh Roy, AICCTU and M Chaurasia from AIUTUC.