In a press conference, today, Friday July 11th, the ten strikers, together with leaders of the General Federation of Factory Workers in Bolivia (CGTFB), announced the end of the hunger strike.

“We have called attention to the problems of factory workers in Bolivia, their defenselessness at this moment. As leaders, but in particular as workers who have put forward our bodies and our lives to build a different nation, with a different future, we believe this is the least we could do: as in the War on Water, as in October 2003 and as happens every day in every factory in this country, we have raised our voices against injustice, we have acted with dignity.

“We have obtained a resolution for a fellow worker which is less unjust than if we had remained silent. This does not mean that his problem can be solved with pocket change. We reserve the right to demand that Manaco act just: Alejandro Saravia refuses to waive any rights, much less his dignity; he is getting at best meagre compensation for his 28 years of committed, honest work.”

The factory workers issued a six point communiqué attached to a communiqué from the executive committee for the CGTFB which indicates, among it as an organization along with others, withdraws all endorsement and recognition from the current directorate of the Manaco Labor union, led by Adán Sierra, for having shown that they are a servile labor union, working in management’s interests, to the detriment of workers to whom it owes allegiance. Thus, the Sierra case and the labor union will be called before CGTFB’s the honor tribunal next week.

Oscar Olivera with CGTFB leaders in a press conference
© Boris Ríos Brito for UB

The strike gave visibility to the current state of workers and to the how their plight falls on the deaf ears of the alleged government of change, like with other neoliberal governments, claimed the factory workers. The only road possible for the nation’s workers, they continued, is their own strength of mobilization.

Similarly, they stated that neither Manaco nor any other firm in the country should feel at ease, as the workers will mobilize again for their rights. Among upcoming measures is a National Expanded Factory Worker Day, to be held on July 15 in the city of La Paz, with the objective of evaluating the conflict, establishing a plan of national and regional action, as well as calling for an August 7 and 8 Factory Worker Summit to broadly analyze, with other sectors, the situation of male and female workers throughout the country.

The conflict triggered by Alejandro Saravia is changing shape now that widespread employer abuses have become evident. The factory workers know that they must figure out how to restablish labor stability and respect for the nation’s workers.