On Friday, the Venezuelan governmentĀ initiated aĀ takeover of theĀ abandoned Clorox factory with the country’sĀ Vice President Jorge Arreaza callingĀ an assembly of the company’s 475 workers toĀ reactivateĀ theĀ plant’sĀ activities.
Clorox Venezuela called workers and left voicemails stating that they were liquidated due to the company’s decision to leave the country on Monday. The U.S.-based companyĀ claimsĀ that economic challenges influenced its decisionĀ to close the factories doors.
“TheyĀ [the workers] worked until last Friday, completely normal, and when they cameĀ inĀ on Monday the doors were closed. FiveĀ minutes later, they receivedĀ voice messages on theirĀ cell phonesĀ on behalf of the company’sĀ president, Oscar Ledezma, whereĀ he tellsĀ them, ‘we are leaving Venezuela, we depositedĀ yourĀ liquidationĀ package in your accountĀ … The factory will not operateĀ anymore’,” detailed Arreaza.
Arreaza also explained that the government issued an official order for the company to resume their activities,Ā whichĀ the owners ignoredĀ onlyĀ toĀ subsequently leaveĀ Venezuela.
The Venezuelan leader saidĀ that neither workers nor government officials have been able to speak with the owners of the transnational.Ā “We haven’t been able to talk to any of them, only with a representative in Argentina via video conference, the only one that stayedĀ is a representative of a law firmĀ thatĀ defendsĀ the bourgeoisie all the time.”
The company’s employees called on the government to temporarily takeover the factory following Clorox’s failure to fulfill theĀ orderĀ to resume production.Ā TheĀ factoryĀ isĀ locatedĀ outsideĀ of Caracas in Los Valles del Tuy, Miranda.
Arreaza along with Minister for Social Protection of the Labor Process, Jesus Martinez and the company’s workers attended Friday’s assembly, telling the assembledĀ workersĀ that theyĀ will receive support from the government and chemists in order to reactive the factory. WhileĀ workers know how to handle the chemicals they work with, ArreazaĀ emphasized thatĀ pressured decisions cannot be taken and workers cannot be put at risk.
“[Saturday] a group of experts, including representatives from other national companies will come to make themselves available to these workers,”Ā ArreazaĀ confirmed.
Additionally, Arreaza saidĀ the government plans to open investigations into Clorox Venezuela and, “those who committed this crime against almost 500 families, 474 families are here, workers…Ā we cannot allow this to happen.”
Clorox began their operations in the South American nation in 1990 with the distribution of Pine-Sol.
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