This letter which was sent to us describes a pre-conflict situation in the University Fermin Toro. The workers are preparing to give a firm and final response to the employers' abuses.

This situation shows how the employers are conducting themselves when they try to boost their gains with barbaric methods, trashing workers' rights that have been gained and that are endorsed in the Labor Law and even the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The issue in the case related to the employer Raul Quero Silva, a known opponent who knows that he has guaranteed support to violate workers' rights, relates to agreements with the community and the increase of fees that are paid to study in this large enterprise that calls itself a University.

About 400 employees of the UFT are asking for the solidarity of workers. Solidarity now will benefit all of Venezuela's workers because a victory here will strengthen the morale of other sectors that are preparing for a fight. A victory would force the employer to comply with the violated rights, pay those who sign this letter and pay almost a billion bolivars that the University owes the IVSS (Venezuelan Institute of Social Security).

We, the Revolutionary Marxist Current, lend our support to these workers and call on other unions to do the same and that we march together to ask the municipal authorities, including the mayoralty of Palavecino and even the Governor of the State of Lara, to show their concrete support with the just cause of the workers of the University Fermin Toro.

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Good Morning! Mr. Galindez

I am pleased to greet you, and hope that you excuse the late response. We write to you on behalf of the Sole Union of Workers of the University Fermin Toro (SUTRAUFT), to let you know about a series of irregularities that have come up after we set up this union. The events that have occurred in this institution have created a climate of insecurity, uncertainty and psychological pressure for all the affiliated workers and collaborators of SUTRAUFT. The following agreed-to benefits have been suspended:

• Scholarships for the workers and/or family have been suspended.

• There have been arbitrary changes to work schedules.

• Employees have been transferred with detriment to their working conditions.

• Loans for buying medicines have been suspended.

In the case of the suspended scholarships, the employer has said they will re-instate them in exchange for the employees to go before the Labor Inspector and give up membership in the union. We know of a case of a worker who dropped his membership in the union but did not get the scholarship. Therefore, many scholarship holders and other employees who back the union, are afraid to express it for fear of retaliation.

Nevertheless, in its desire to weaken the resolve of SUTRAUFT, a campaign of stalking and psychological pressure has started to force workers to reject SUTRAUFT and join a parallel union that was started in the city of Barinas. The situation reached a point that they put groups of workers into a room before university authorities to pressure them into agreeing; at the Cabudare and the Ujano campuses they would have employees one by one go to the Human Resources Office with the presence of a university authority.

We want to make public all these illegal situations so that some official agency can take the necessary measures.

Our motto is union, strength and work.