FREEDOM FOR THE WORKERS OF LAS HERAS

A year after their imprisonment by Kirchner’s government they are still in jail!

We want back Julio Lopez alive!

Acquittal for the more than 4,500 worker and popular fighters prosecuted by the bosses’ “justice”.

Prosecution and punishment for all the genocidal murderers of yesterday and today’s repressors!

In February, 2006 at Las Heras, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, a ferocious attack on the workers and exploited in this Patagonian city by Kirchner’s pro-imperialist government, a servant to oil monopolies.

There was a strike by the oil workers confronting Repsol and the rest of big oil. They were fighting for their just demands: wage increases, not to the capital gains tax applied… on wages!, and for equal contract conditions and benefits for every worker in the oil companies; they were also demanding freedom for one of their leaders that had been put in jail by the repressive forces sent by the bosses. Kirchner’s government, with the open complicity of the oil union bureaucracy answered the strike with a tough repression. Las Heras was occupied by the gendarmes, the police and undercover agents from the political security police (SIDE) who raided every home, terrorizing the workers and their wives, children and friends.

The workers and many of their relatives, including young boys in some cases, were arrested by the repressive forces, which beat and tortured them. Those who were not found were searched for and persecuted. Today comrades Rosales, Bilbao , Pérez, Cortés, Catrihuala, Padilla and González are still in prison. Las Heras is still a occupied town, as gendarmeria troops reign in it. The gendarmes control the oil fields and distilleries, checking the entrances and watching the workers in their jobs. Meanwhile the government and Judge Ruata, who has given proof of outstanding cruelty in her decisions, are preparing their judgment with the open determination of condemning them.

The imperialist oil companies, all the Argentine bosses and Kirchner government that together inflicted this hard repression and defeat on the workers and the people in Las Heras, are the same ones that soon afterwards attacked the whole of the Argentine workers, imposing the collective bargains of 2006 with a miserable “roof” of 19% on the wage increases (the peso devaluation in early 2002 had eaten more than 70% of the already meagre real wages of the Argentine workers though Argentine economy was growing more than 7% yearly since), with the help of the treacherous union misleaderships.

In the eve of the first anniversary of these developments, the undersigned declare that we are decided to fight untill all the Las Heras comrades are free, and call all the worker, student, peasant and popular fighter organizations in Argentina, the whole Americas and the world to join us and fight together for their freedom, and also for the acquittal of the thousands of worker fighters that in Argentina are being prosecuted by the bosses’ “justice”.

We call these organizations to pronounce and to sign declarations and calls, to take actions in front of the Argentine embassies and consulates, to send telegrams and faxes repudiating the persecution on the workers and demanding freedom for Las Heras’ fighters still in jail. For this end, we encourage them to build up strikes, rallies, etc., and to converge on February 7, 2007 in a great International Day of Working Class Struggle for these demands.

In Argentina, we call to all the worker, student, popular and fighting organizations to put in place a National Struggle Committee for these demands, to put in place on next February 7 demonstrations, rallies, strikes, etc., all over the country, and converge in a huge demonstration in Buenos Aires City, marching to the Casa de la Provincia de Santa Cruz (House of the Province of Santa Cruz in Buenos Aires City), to demand:

* Immediate and unconditioned freedom for the 7 workers of Las Heras still imprisoned and for all the political prisoners!


* Out of Las Heras, the gendarmerie and all the repressive services!


* We want back Julio López, alive!


* Acquittal for the more than 4,500 worker and popular fighters that are being prosecuted and persecuted in Argentina !


* Judgment and punishment for all the genocidal murderers of yesterday and today’s repressors!


For an International Day of Struggle on February 7, 2007!
In Buenos Aires City: Everybody marching to the Casa de la Provincia de Santa Cruz!

Signed:

ARGENTINA

Organizaciones y personalidades obreras, estudiantiles, de DD.HH:

Las Heras: Catrihuala, Alexis Pérez y Bilbao (detenidos); Filomena Romero, compañera de Rosales (detenido); Valeria Santana, compañera de Pérez (detenido); Silviana Choiman, compañera de Cortez (detenido); Mabel Cides, Viviana y Helena Mansilla, por la Agrupación de Mujeres en Lucha de Las Heras – María Roldán, esposa de Cantero (preso de Haedo) – Mirta, por los Familiares de los presos de Haedo - Lucía Consiglio, por la Coordinadora por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos - María Fernanda Pereyra, abogada, por FIDELA (Fundación Investigación Defensa Legal Argentina) – Brukman: Celia Martínez, Alfredo Uriarte, Gladis Figueroa, Zenón Jiménez, Elisa Díaz, Delicia Millahual, Juan Carlos Righini, Mario, Wilfredo y siguen firmas - UTD General Mosconi, Salta: José Fernández y Chiqui Peralta, Raúl Córdoba, César Antonio Vallejo, C. Álvarez, Sebastián Cisneros, Javier Ríos, Ordóñez, Chela, Mario Gutiérrez, Carlos Salta, Ariel Chávez, Pablo Díaz, Antonio Aráoz, Juan Jacinto Suárez, Carlos Maciel, Andrés Arguello, Santos Ordóñez, Orlando Figueroa, Mario Mamani, Mario Guerra, Luis Mérida., Santos Díaz, Daniel Medino, Luis Lamas, Carlos Díaz, Juan Martiarena, Guemar Viales, Mario Torres, Santos Aparicio, Antonio Guzmán y siguen firmas de trabajadores - Raúl Zigarán, por la UTD Pocitos, Salta – ATD –MIJD Tartagal: Carlos Fernández - Mario Reartes, por la Coordinadora de ex trabajadores de YPF del Departamento de General San Martín, Salta - Dr. José Ovejero, DNI docente en la Universidad Nacional de Salta, Sede Tartagal - Hospital Francés: David Garutti. Delegado Gral. Marga Genaver, delegada, Víctor Garay, delegado (a título personal hasta consultar con la Comisión Interna), Monica Melian, Delegada, Daniel Rodríguez, Ruben Tellerín y siguen firmas de 26 trabajadores - Multisectorial de La Plata – Astilleros Río Santiago: Jorge Smith, delegado, y siguen 80 firmas de trabajadores - Hospital Garrahan: Eduardo García, Junta Interna ATE; Silvana Pereyra, delegada de ATE, y siguen firmas de trabajadores – Hospital Ramos Mejía: Claudio, por la Multisectorial - Hospital Borda: N. F. Novo, Delegada ATE; Osvaldo Alonso, SUTECBA; Manuel Colosino, SUTECBA, y siguen firmas de 31 trabajadores- Pan del Borda/Estudiantes de Psicología de la UBA: Marcelo Orlando, Néstor Valverde y siguen firmas– SITRAM San Lorenzo: Edgardo Quiroga, Secretario General - Claudio del Valle, Prosecretario Gremial ATE La Matanza – Liliana Vera, docente SUTEBA La Matanza - Marcelo, por la dirección de la CCC La Matanza - Hospital Paroissien: Reynaldo Saccone, Presidente Asociación Profesional CICOP; y siguen firmas de trabajadores – Hospital Posadas: Gabriel Fernández, ATE, y siguen firmas de trabajadores - TBV (ex Jabón Federal): Agrupación Celeste y Blanca, y siguen firmas de trabajadores – Carlos Platkowski, delegado de LAN – Chiche Hernández, delegado de Siderar (ex Somisa) San Nicolás – Gastón Platkowski, delegado Casino Buenos Aires – Bustos, delegado de FOETRA Buenos Aires - Ramírez, delegado de FOETRA Buenos Aires – FUBA: María Demasseno, presidente - Centro de Estudiantes de Psicología, UBA: David Díaz Fridman, secretario general – Metrovías (Subterráneo): 19 trabajadores Línea “E” – 13 trabajadores Línea “A” y siguen firmas de trabajadores – ATENTO: Sebastián Gallardo, delegado FOETRA, y siguen firmas de trabajadores – Paula Medrano, hija de desaparecidos – Pablo Cabrera, despedido de Metalúrgica Sabó – Rafael Artiguez, Comisión Interna de ENFER (UOM) – Ezeiza: Patricia Donadio- Delegada Suteba Ezeiza, Lista Verde- Silvia Danei- Delegada Suteba Ezeiza- Eloisa Huaranca- Auxiliar Jardin 913, Ezeiza- Nestor Robles- Auxiliar Jardin 913,Ezeiza- Veronica Avila- Auxiliar Jardin 913,Ezeiza- Sady Rolon- Docente de Inicial, Jardin 913- Estela Elsa Roa- Docente de Inicial, Jardin 913- Gustavo Suarez- Estudiante del ISFD 41- Nanci Rojas- Docente de Inicial Jardín 913, Ezeiza; Soledad Luque y César Aguayo, integrantes de la asamblea del FTC-Ezeiza en el FPDS, Margdalena Pérez, integrante del Movimiento de Desocupados de Villa Golf, y siguen firmas de trabajadores – FUBADEyO: Néstor Gómez y siguen firmas de delegados y trabajadores desocupados – Asociación Cóndor (MTD) – Alejandrina, por el CEPRODH – Esquel: Gladis Mabel Ramírez, Secretaria Seccional Esquel, Comisión Directiva Provincial SITRAED; Jorge Antonio Paz, Secretario General Seccional Noroeste del Chubut ATE; Millán, por la Organización Mapuche 11 de Octubre; Edgardo Manosalva, Andrés Campos, Nora Rodríguez, Neuhén Corbelet, por Vecinos Autoconvocados por el NO A LA MINA, y siguen firmas – MUP 20 de Diciembre: Graciela Coronel, Estefanía Gutiérrez, Claudia Cuevas, Marta Inés Moya, y siguen firmas – Neuquén: Ivana Del Bianco por el CEPRODH, Carrasco Cecilia por En Clave Roja, Mario Zurbriggen por la comisión interna de Cerámica Neuquén -

Partidos: Liga Obrera Internacionalista (CI)-Democracia Obrera


BOLIVIA

Central Obrera Departamental (COD) Oruro – Federación Sindical de Trabajadores Mineros de Bolivia (FSTMB) – Octubre Rojo Internacionalista (ORI), integrante de la FLT

CHILE

Luis Rosende, Presidente del Sindicato Unificado de Trabajadores Portuarios Eventuales de Arica – “Encuentro por la libertad de los Presos Políticos: Rodolfo Maturana, Sandra Ortega, Carlos Carter, Nataly Retamales, Caterina Pinto, Maryorie Carreño, Pablo Ruiz - Partido Obrero Internacionalista (CI), integrante de la FLT - Mario Medina Gonzalez, Sindicato de Trabajadores N° 1 Clínica Hospital del Profesor - Exilda Tapia Serrano, Susana Celedón Ortiz, Virginia Castillo E., Integrantes de la Agrupación de Profesores “Rebelión Docente” - Luis Machuca Barría, Minero contratista del cobre, de El Teniente, Rancagua - Sandro Vera G. Delegado Sindicato Interempresa de Trabajadores Contratistas Unión Minera Nacional (U.M.N.), El Teniente, Rancagua - Carlos Díaz Perez, Secretario Junta de Vecinos 25 de Febrero, Lautaro, Población 25 de Febrero, Rancagua - Frente de Estudiantes Libertarios, FeL-Chile - Carlos Infante, secretario de comunicaciones del Centro de Estudiantes de la carrera Ingeniería Ejecución Eléctrica de la Universidad de Tarapacá (UTA), Arica - Chile.

NEW ZEALAND

Communist Workers Group of New Zealand, member of the Leninist-Trotskyist Fraction.

AUSTRALIA

Communist Left of Australia