The historic Kraft workers’ struggle continues to write new chapters. The workers once again stopped production on Tuesday the 1st and the struggle continued strong. The morning of Friday the fourth, the company declared a lockout against the workers, with the help of the district attorney, Laura Carpa. They ordered a complete evacuation of the factory at 10 in the morning. There intentions were clear: terrorize the workers, leave the fired workers alone inside the factory and prepare for an evacuation.

At 11 in the morning the factory was empty and only one group of the fired workers was isolated inside the factory. How could they have fallen into the trap of this North American company? Unfortunately the factory delegates from that shift were aware of the situation, but they hadn’t organized an assembly for the morning shift, where the workers would have been able to discuss and prepared for the company’s trap. Because they hadn’t organized the morning shift, almost all of the workers left when the company ordered everyone to evacuate the plant. The evacuation of the plant was so disorderly that the workers factory committee was unsuccessful at their last minute attempt to stop everyone from leaving. They began to discuss what they should do. For us the best plan was to have one sector of the leaders inside the plant, while others would stay outside the plant; because, if the company decided to forcefully remove the workers that remained inside or if there was repression and arrests, it would be important to maintain the struggle from outside the plant. The majority of the workers from the factory committee held another position: they thought it would be best that everyone remain inside the plant, including all of the leaders, and to resolve the situation in an assembly of just the fired workers. In light of the serious threat of repression, it would have been a grave error. Meanwhile, the 3rd shift workers, who couldn’t enter the plant, blocked the main road, Henry Ford Ave.

Assemblies unify the struggle

Finally they held an assembly together at the factory door, where more than 200 fired and not fired workers decided that it would be best for the workers to leave the factory. They didn’t want the workers to be isolated inside the factory over the weekend, so on Monday they would all enter the factory together. The best plan would be to get the fired workers inside would be to surround the fired workers with hundreds of workers, and that’s exactly what they did early Monday morning. The more than 200 police were outwitted and by the workers surprise the fired workers managed to get into the cafeteria with the factory committee, which overjoyed the workers. The police attempted to arrest them, but they couldn’t. Many workers surrounded the fired workers, which prevented the police, who later fired their guns in the cafeteria, from making any arrests. It was a great spontaneous action by the morning shift workers, who demonstrated the importance of unifying the fired workers with those who aren’t fired. From that point on the workers maintained a state of assembly and stopped the plant from producing.

The Buenos Aires police force at the service of the Kraft Foods Company.

Outside another group of fired workers tried to enter the plant, but they were repressed by police. They used rubber bullets, tear gas and nightsticks to prevent the unarmed workers from entering the plant. There were several injuries, including Javier Hermosilla, a night shift worker and member of the Factory Committee, who was shot four times with rubber bullets and hit once in the face. The TV channels broadcasted live in front of the factory, which brought national attention to the conflict. The second and third shifts were given the rest of the day off.

That same Tuesday at 11pm the Obligatory Conciliation had expired. The second and third shift entered the factory, but continued the strike inside the factory. Throughout the day Human Rights Organizations spoke with the district attorney, who had ordered the plant evacuation and they presented a recusal written by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel. While a group of works and family members went to speak with the President. These actions were even published in the Clarin and Critica Newspapers. As night fell the situation became tense. 11 pm passed and there was still no word from the Ministry of Labor about an extension of the Obligatory Conciliation, which by that time had officially expired. Usually the Ministry of Labor extends the Obligatory Conciliation if an agreement hasn’t been made, but this time they didn’t extend it, thus siding with the North American Company. Despite the Ministry of Labor’s decision, the fired workers remained in the plant and a large 3rd shift assembly, along with the fired workers, voted to continue the struggle.

They reached a consensus that this time there should be a group of shift delegates outside the plant to organize the struggle if there the police and the company begin to repress and make arrests. The workers continue to strike and voted to block the roads. Wednesday morning, the first shift entered the factory and decided to remain in a “state of assembly” for the reincorporation of the fired workers. The supervisors pressured them to return to work, but they couldn’t break them down. They blackmailed them, they told them if they refused to work that they wouldn’t get paid, but they couldn’t convince them to go back to work. At the end of the evening the new district attorney, Carpa, arrived. The workers repudiated her. She went too far when she started to take testimonies and accuse the workers, in front of the managers and without the presences of a lawyer or member of the Shop Steward Committee. The workers were right when they accused her of siding with the company. She was repudiated by all of the workers and had to leave.

Giving all of our Support for the Triumph of the Kraft Workers!

Thursday morning this historic struggle will continue. We must strengthen the strike fund and help with the loans that the workers are taking out in order to continue the struggle. In our workplaces, schools and universities we must step up and strengthen the campaign so that this test case struggle is victorious. Long live the struggle of the Kraft workers in Argentina.