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blake 3:17
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posted 12 September 2005 03:57 PM      Profile for blake 3:17     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Venezuelan Authorities Seize Idle Heinz Ketchup Plant
Friday, Sep 09, 2005
By: Gregory Wilpert – Venezuelanalysis.com

Caracas, Venezuela, September 9, 2005—Venezuelan military seized a Heinz Ketchup plant in Venezuela’s Monagas state last Monday. Heinz company representatives complained that the seizure represented, “a violation of property rights and free trade as well as due process.” Venezuela’s Minister for Agriculture and Land, Antonio Albarrán, argued, though, that 80% of the plant actually belongs to the workers and that Heinz bought the plant illegally in 1996. The plant has been closed for nearly a decade, according to Albarrán.


The take-over of the Heinz plant in the town of Caicara, Monagas, was carried out by Venezuelan troops at the request of the pro-Chavez state governor, José Gregorio Briceño. The move comes at a time that the Chavez government is investigating over 700 closed enterprises, evaluating them for their suitability for worker takeovers, via expropriation.


Workers at many other factories and businesses have begun taking matters in their own hands, not waiting for the government to act in the expropriation of idle factories.


The president of the anti-Chavez industrial business federation Conindustria, Juan Francisco Mejías, said that he hopes that the government will “rectify” its action in the case of the Heinz tomato processing plant.


However, the president of the National Confederation of Ranchers and Agricultural Businesses, José Augustín Campos, a group that is considered to be close to the government, said that Heinz's closing of the plant was a “criminal act” because it caused all the surrounding tomato growers to go out of business.


The coordinator of Venezuela’s new union federation, the National Union of Venezuelan Workers (UNT – Unión Nacional de Trabajadores Venezolanos), Marcela Máspero, said that the UNT is considering the take-over of 800 closed businesses. “Accompanied by the communities, we will occupy these businesses because we cannot continue to allow that the reactivation of the country’s productive apparatus is diminished due to the closure of businesses,” said Máspero.


Máspero also said that the UNT would ask Venezuela’s National Assembly to declare these businesses of “public utility,” a necessary step prior to the government’s expropriation of privately owned businesses. Máspero estimates that up to 20,000 jobs could be rescued via such takeovers.


According to Máspero there are currently eight businesses in Venezuela that workers have occupied, to which belongs the Heinz plant in Monagas. Others include Probamasa, a corn processing plant owned by the food and beverage company Polar; a plant belonging to the dairy company Parmalat, in Machiques; Parmalat in Barquisimeto; Sideroca Proacero in Cabimas; the valve factory Inveval in Los Teques; the paper plant Invepal in Morón; and the meat-packing company Fribarsa in Barinas. Only two of these, Inveval and Invepal, have completed the full legal procedure for turning the plants over to the workers.


Máspero explained, “First we occupy and then we resolve the issue of ownership, as there is always a reason for the occupation.” As an example she cited the recently occupied Promabrasa, where “the workers told us that for over six months now the business owes them back pay. We requested an inspection by the Ministry of Labor and they are carrying out all the legal procedures.”


According to Venezuelan law, once the National Assembly declares a business to be of “public utility,” the executive may expropriate it, compensating legal owners at market value for the business. Chavez has said that his government would turn such expropriated businesses into state and worker co-managed businesses.

Venezuela’s Labor Minister, Maria Cristina Iglesias, recently provided an assessment of the 700 businesses the government is considering for expropriation. According to Iglesias, in 155 of the cases both owners and workers have already committed themselves to the principle of co-management, implying that original owners and the workers would co-manage these, without the state’s involvement.


From: Toronto | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
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posted 12 September 2005 04:01 PM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The nerve of that Chavez guy!

Has he no respect for private property?


From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Hephaestion
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posted 12 September 2005 04:08 PM      Profile for Hephaestion   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Well, we know where John Kerry (husband of Theresa Heinz-Kerry) would have likely stood on this, eh?
From: goodbye... :-( | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
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posted 12 September 2005 04:13 PM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
God, the Marines would be hitting the beach while Carly Simon's "Anticipation" played as a marching song.
From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
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posted 12 September 2005 04:16 PM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Well, we know where John Kerry (husband of Theresa Heinz-Kerry) would have likely stood on this, eh?
Hey, I remember him.

Wasn't he the anti-war candidate that ran against Dubya last time?


From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Hephaestion
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posted 12 September 2005 04:28 PM      Profile for Hephaestion   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Burch:

God, the Marines would be hitting the beach while Carly Simon's "Anticipation" played as a marching song.


"Anything for my lil' tamaytah!" sez John...

From: goodbye... :-( | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged
Hugo the Liberator
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posted 12 September 2005 05:23 PM      Profile for Hugo the Liberator        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Well, we know where John Kerry (husband of Theresa Heinz-Kerry) would have likely stood on this, eh?

Hint:

It starts with flip and ends with flop.


From: Caracas | Registered: Aug 2005  |  IP: Logged
Rufus Polson
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posted 13 September 2005 02:02 AM      Profile for Rufus Polson     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Actually, the weird thing is that apparently Heinz don't mind. The government is going to compensate them, and they were looking to sell and finding no buyers, so they don't give a shit. So while there may be plenty of corporate types who hate the precedent, it's no skin off the nose of the actual corporation getting expropriated.

Meanwhile, I think you'll find that John Kerry was the other pro-war candidate who ran against Dubya.


From: Caithnard College | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
Hugo the Liberator
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posted 13 September 2005 11:47 AM      Profile for Hugo the Liberator        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Rufus Polson:
Actually, the weird thing is that apparently Heinz don't mind. The government is going to compensate them, and they were looking to sell and finding no buyers, so they don't give a shit. So while there may be plenty of corporate types who hate the precedent, it's no skin off the nose of the actual corporation getting expropriated.

Meanwhile, I think you'll find that John Kerry was the other pro-war candidate who ran against Dubya.


I have no love for John Kerry. The only thing he would have done much better with is the Supreme Court.


From: Caracas | Registered: Aug 2005  |  IP: Logged
James
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posted 13 September 2005 11:56 AM      Profile for James        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Well, we know where John Kerry (husband of Theresa Heinz-Kerry) would have likely stood on this, eh?

Unfair comment, Heph. Theresa has zero financial interest in the H.J. Heinz Corporation. Not liking John Kerry doesn't justify Rovian tactics.


From: Windsor; ON | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged
blacklisted
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posted 13 September 2005 12:01 PM      Profile for blacklisted     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
i kind of like a lot of this "public utility law",especially this part.
"3.1.4 Law Reserving for the State the Exploitation of the Domestic Market of Products Derived from Hydrocarbons
This Law, enacted on July 22, 1973, reserves for the state the exploitation of the domestic market in hydrocarbon products, specifically fuels, liquefied petroleum gas, oils, lubricants, greases, solvents, brake fluid, fluids for hydraulic systems, petrolatum, paraffins and asphalt. These products are considered as essential products, and as such their prices are regulated by the state.
The reserved domestic market comprises the import, transport, supply, storage, distribution and retailing of these products in all parts of Venezuela. These activities are declared to be of public utility, and remain under the control and supervision of the Government. Transport, storage, distribution and retailing (not import and supply) can be undertaken by third parties under special agreements with PDVSA"
http://www.internet.ve/araqreyn/opart3-1.html

i think Canada should really consider threatening to take the Chavez option,in response to the Americans being in default of their NAFTA obligations.
unfortunately that would mean developing bony dorsal structures in a lot of jellyfish, and weaning Albertans off the American tit.


From: nelson,bc | Registered: Mar 2005  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
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posted 14 September 2005 06:36 PM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Maybe you could just swap Alberta for the U.S. holdings in Canada.

You'd come out ahead.


From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
scooter
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posted 14 September 2005 07:00 PM      Profile for scooter     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Burch:
Maybe you could just swap Alberta for the U.S. holdings in Canada.

You'd come out ahead.



Nice cheap shot.

[ 14 September 2005: Message edited by: scooter ]


From: High River | Registered: Apr 2004  |  IP: Logged
radiorahim
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posted 14 September 2005 09:29 PM      Profile for radiorahim     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Ah perhaps we could all use a little more ketchup.

After all ketchup contains natural mellowing agents...as per the Ketchup Advisory Council

Garrison Keillor - Ketchup Advisory Council "ad"

(Listen in Real Audio)


From: a Micro$oft-free computer | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged

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