Labor Minister says that companies opposed to Venezuela's national interests must go to into State control

When Roberto Hernandez was sworn in as Minister of Labor & Social Security in April 2008, President Hugo Chavez told him that his major goal was to promote trade union unity, which is crucial for the government to build socialism. Nine months later, Hernandez says that he has done everything possible to achieve that goal, but he concedes that the working class is still fragmented. The minister claims that the purpose of his work is not only the consolidation of pro-government trade unions, but also to merge the opposition trade unions under the umbrella of a union movement that brings together all workers, notwithstanding their political position.

This concept concentrates the only way for socialism to move forward to the original plan: the involvement of the workforce in Venezuela's production model.

As there is a long way to the unity of trade unions, the government has outlined alternative strategies to get people involved in the production process. One example is the National Employment System, in which community councils act as coordinating agents. This system began operating in central Yaracuy state late last year, and is also under way in the states of Portuguesa, Lara, Aragua and Carabobo. "It is a system we are implementing for the first time ... uur main interest it to get community councils involved to conduct a census of people that require to be employed."

In the socialist model the government intends to implement, which is the role of workers in the management of the means of production?

The main goal of socialism is to promote wealth distribution and to transfer the administration of wealth. The Venezuelan society must assume all the economic, social, political and cultural activities. For that reason, the community councils are a major tool to achieve socialism. At the same time, the workers are the cornerstone of socialism. Therefore, it is not possible to build socialism without an organized and united working class.

Which is the role of workers in the production chain?

The workers organized in factory councils will assume the management of each production center. Of course, this is a long process and the main goal is the unity of the working class. If there is not unity, the factory council can be rather negative, since it could contribute to the division of workers. I insist that socialism means to give workers the main functions in the economic and political activities of the country.

The business associations claim that the private sector has been cornered...

That is not true. The private sector had not amassed so much profits as it has done in recent years.

President Chavez has said that the industries with labor disputes must be nationalized. Has the government set its sights on any of such companies?

-No. However, it should be clear that the companies opposed to the national
interests must be in state's hands or controlled by workers.

"Companies opposed to national interests must go to state hands"