Americas

On hearing of the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela the World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency, which was sitting at the time, immediately discussed this important measure taken by the Venezuelan government and passed unanimously this resolution of support.

In a television programme broadcasted to the whole of the country on July 31st, President Chávez announced the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela, the Venezuelan bank owned by the Spanish banking multinational Grupo Santander. "We are going to nationalize Banco de Venezuela. I make an appeal to Grupo Santander to come here so that we can start to negotiate".

Workers in British Columbia have seen their pulp, paper, and lumber mills closing at an alarming rate, leaving thousands jobless and facing an uncertain future. Whole communities have been devastated as large forestry companies such as Interfor and Canfor pull out operations and ship jobs overseas where labour is cheaper.

The death of another female US soldier fighting in Iraq has aroused serious suspicions as to the circumstances that led to her death. The war in Iraq is causing far more casualties than the official figures indicate. The case of LaVena Johnson is yet another tragic example of why we demand the troops be brought home now! For more information, please visit www.lavenajohnson.com.

The U.S. is in the worst housing slump since the Great Depression as home prices fell by a record 15.3 percent from a year ago in the first few months of the year. Mortgage defaults and home repossessions have skyrocketed as working people are unable to make ends meet.

The rising cost of oil, and gasoline in particular, is having an effect on everything, further stretching the limits of the already strained wallets of US workers. The oil and energy barons are making big profits at the expense of US workers. It is time to call for the expropriation of these parasites.

On July 9th tens of thousands of workers and peasants took to the streets in Peru as part a national strike. The strike had been called to protest against the right wing economic policies of the government of Alan García.

On June 26, at around 10.40pm, comrade Ángel Humberto Martínez Cerón was assassinated just a few metres from his home. He was the General Coordinator of the "January 24" Revolutionary Socialist Students Block (known as BERS-24). The political activity this revolutionary young militant was involved in was the reason why the ruling class decided to silence him.

The influence of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) continues to spread across Latin America. A few days ago a meeting of 60 people from different left groups gathered to hear speakers from the IMT explain the ideas of Marxism and several requested a follow up to this with a programme of political education for trade union members and youth.

Two weeks after a new contract in which GM bosses promised no more layoffs and no more plant closures until 2011, in exchange for a wage freeze and other concessions, they have now announced closure! The profit motive is stronger than any rotten deal the union tops can broker with the bosses and they are prepared to break the law to do so. Workers will be drawing some bitter lessons from this experience.