Caracas, Venezuela – Dozens of Venezuelan trade unions representing public and private sectors ranging from national oil company workers to educators to motorcycle taxistas joined together in the Constituent Congress of the Working Class on December 15-17 in Caracas. They gathered as the culmination of over 22,000 assemblies of workers throughout the country involving nearly 67,000 elected delegates from October to December.

A spokeswoman, Maria Griman, from National Commission of Council of Productive Workers, the Hydro-carbons sector, presented to President Nicolas Maduro a list of four proposals. The first proposal is a president-appointed National Commission of Worker Transition (CENOT) that would have the power to direct the renovation of the methods, organization and leadership of all levels, sectors and structures of the federation of trade unions, Central Bolivariana Socialista de Trabajadores (CBST). The CBST, founded in 2008, represented nearly 1.5 million workers. The second proposal provides a timeline for the CENOT’s implementation so that a presentation of the plan for transition is presented within 20 days and the transition needs to happen within 18 months. Importantly, this plan also includes that the criteria for union leadership is that the member is active at the job site and there is a mechanism for recall.

The third proposal called for the re-launching of the Jesus Rivero Bolivarian University for Workers. The fourth proposal called for the creation of a National School for workers with a syllabus containing classes in production management, political economy, the history of Venezuela, science and technology and innovation.

Eduardo Pinate, minister of Popular Power, shared to President Maduro, that “those here are the expression of worker democracy, democracy at the base, direct democracy. These delegates were elected with working class methods by their base assemblies.”

As a former bus driver and union leader, President Maduro happily accepted the proposals from the workers. He declared the work on these proposals will begin the following day. Maduro added “this Constituent Congress of Workers and all the assemblies that took place before today represent the deepening of our revolution. We need to make sure that all unions and workers are integrated into the national plan of resistance. Connecting the militias with unions and workers at every workplace not only prepares us to defend our revolution from U.S. imperialism’s aggression but also allows us to deepen the revolution and advance toward complete independence and liberation.”

Maduro also recognized the 90-plus international delegates attending the Congress as representing over 30 countries and important partners in the struggle to free the world from U.S. imperialism.

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