Below is a talk that Michael A. Lebowitz gave at el Encuentro Nacional de Trabajadores Hacia la Recuperación de Empresas (the National Meeting of Workers for the Recovery of Enterprises), organized by la Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (UNT, the National Union of Workers) in Caracas, Venezuela, 22 October 2005. The meeting was preparatory to el Primer Encuentro Latinoamericano de Empresas Recuperadas por los Trabajadores (the 1st Latin American Gathering of Companies Recovered by the Workers), to be held in Caracas on 27-29 October 2005.

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A report on the Speech Chavez gave recently in Paris. Asked by the local mayor what was the “secret” behind his political success and resilience, Chavez explained that his power emanates from the mass movement, of the involvement of the mass of the people in the struggle for change. During his speech he also praised the work of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign and underlined the need for such international solidarity.

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Workers' representatives and trade union activists from around the country met in Caracas on October 21-22, in the National Gathering of Workers towards the Recovery of Companies. The main aim of this meeting, called by Venezuela’s National Workers’ Union (UNT), was to bring together workers involved in experiences of factory occupations and different forms of workers’ management.

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Durante dos días, 21 y 22 de octubre, representantes obreros y activistas sindicales de todo el país se reunieron en Caracas en el Encuentro Nacional de Trabajadores hacia la Recuperación de Empresas. El objetivo principal de esta reunión, convocada por la Unión Nacional de Trabajadores de Venezuela (UNT), fue reunir a los trabajadores implicados en experiencias de ocupaciones de fábricas y en diferentes formas de gestión obrera.

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At the beginning of 2005, president Chávez nominated Carlos Lanz a head of the nationalized aluminium company, Alcasa. From his arrival at the head of the company he began a process of “co-management” which has made this company a political symbol and this experience a national test. We interviewed a member of Lanz’s team, Rafael Rodriguez.

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In a previous article taken from AFP and reproduced in the Pakistani newspaper, The Dawn, it was stated that  "Hugo Chavez blamed global capitalism for Saturday’s earthquake in South Asia". Unfortunately this slipped through without being checked. It is not really what Chavez said.

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According to Venezuela's National Institute of Statistics, unemployment and poverty have both been dropping significantly in 2005. Unemployment is now at 11.5% and income poverty at 38.5%. These figures are said to be a direct result of the consistent economic growth for the past two years.

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Marcela Maspero of the pro-Chavez union federation UNT and José Gregorio Villarroel of the Labor Ministry explain to Green Left Weekly's Frederico Fuentes how they see the recent intensification of expropriations of idle land and businesses.

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