Venezuelan workers reject nationalization of Owen Illinois' local affiliate

Economy
The announcement of the expropriation of US-based glass maker Owens Illinois' unit in Venezuela was followed by the presence of National Guard troops in two factories owned by the US bottler.

The presence of troops did not stop the protests of the workers of the US glass manufacturer, who rejected the seizure of the company and said that they would defend their jobs and their collective bargaining agreement.

At Owens-Illinois plant located in Los Guayos, in the central state of Carabobo, Rigoberto Méndez, one of the union leaders of the expropriated company, rejected the Venezuelan president statements according to which the workers of the company were exploited. He also said that the workers of the plant were aware that the nationalization was a threat to the country's giant food and beer conglomerate Empresas Polar.

"If we get a flu, Polar gets pneumonia," Méndez said. The union representative said that in the coming days the workers of the plants will continue the protests against the expropriation of Owens Illinois' local affiliate.

For his part, Frank Quijada, the president of the union of Brewers and Soft Drink Workers and union representative of the Polar plant located in the area of Los Cortijos (Caracas), promised to carry out demonstrations to support the workers of the glass manufacturer and defend what they consider an attack against Empresas Polar.

"The government is cornering us. We must take the streets" to protest, the union leader said.

Quijada said that in coming days they would go the Attorney General Office to sue the State for psychological damage to workers due to the expropriations announcements made by the government. According to them, these actions could tantamount to labor terrorism.

stejero@eluniversal.com

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas