Very Committed GM workers in Colombia sew mouths shut in protest

Pff and we thought Unions here were hardcore?

MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA—Nine days into a hunger strike in which he has sewn shut his mouth, Jorge Parra, a former worker for General Motors in Colombia, says his condition is deteriorating. “I have terrible pains in my stomach, my lips are swollen and sore, and I am having problems sleeping,” he says. “But I will not give up.”

The 35-year-old is one of a group of men who say they were fired after suffering severe workplace injuries at GM’s Bogota factory, Colmotores, and have taken drastic action to demand compensation.

After protesting for a year outside the United States embassy with no results, four of the ex-workers sewed shut their mouths on August 1, followed by another three men a week later. More will undergo the procedure every week until their complaints are answered, they say.

“We are all totally prepared to die,” says Parra, whose lips are sewn tight enough to prevent chewing, but not so tight he can’t speak with some degree of difficulty.

Seems like some of our favorite car manufacturer's aren't quite treating folks with the respect they deserve.

What say you ATS?

The exploitation of other countries is unfortunate and It is good to see they are not sitting idly by as these transnational corporation continue to cut costs directly effecting these foreign factories.

The common argument is that “Hey at least these factories are there, rather then not, to give these people some kind of income”. However the other side of the coin is, that conditions have deteriorated so much, the good vs evil benefits have gone beyond their intersection point and the evil now outweighs the good.

Side note: How did he comment with his mouth sew shut?

reply to post by MDDoxs


I assume he can write .

But yes, I'm glad to see these people not taking it lying down and getting some media coverage over it.

GM should have to answer for these sorts of things in other nations. I don't think the US taxpayer bailed them out so they could put more people in hardship.

~Tenth

It will take Americans demanding better of US companies to get anything done about this.

How long are we going to let Companies rape the resources of the planet including people before we demand better of them?

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by MDDoxs

 

I assume he can write

.

~Tenth

Very true

Also from your source

“We are all totally prepared to die,” says Parra, whose lips are sewn tight enough to prevent chewing, but not so tight he can’t speak with some degree of difficulty.

I wonder how effective a hunger strike for someone in their situation would really be. These corporations have already shown little care for the third world locations they establish themselves in, why would they care if someone starved in protest. Unless it made national news ofcourse

I wonder if anyone has any ideas to more effective means of protest? Violence?

I recall a situation in a south american country, were labourers in a steel mill violently revolted and threw out their upper management and now run the factory as a COOP, governed by a committee of workers.

Interesting stuff.


Found the article

Argentina's fábricas recuperadas movement, which emerged in response to Argentine's 2001 economic crisis,[2] is the current most significant workers' self-management phenomenon in the world.

The movement of worker-led factories and enterprises represents a very important departure from the norm of traditional Argentine labor relations. It creates islands of worker autonomy and responsibility quite distinct from union organizations and typical rank and file worker relations with their employer. It offers the promise of new forms of worker control over the productive process, worker political empowerment and a potential revision of traditional relations between capital and labor. Lastly, the worker cooperative movement, with its critique of the neoliberal business-as-usual ethos, inspires large portions of Argentine civil society.

Source

I think that gentlemen is the picture of courage and shows what the atmosphere was like here in the US when Unions were everyone's best hope and answer.

I'd say many nations, including his, have far more than how many dollars per hour on the paycheck or how much to put to health coverage for a %. I'll never say Unions aren't very important when the work atmosphere is one people can't be sure they'll even come home from in one piece each day.

I hope his protest is noticed and the circumstances and target is ironic beyond all words.

(At the same time....those are some pretty soft, round cheeks.... Unless he's going without water too, this could be a month or two.. err... His media coverage may be what works)

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Pff and we thought Unions here were hardcore?

MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA—Nine days into a hunger strike in which he has sewn shut his mouth, Jorge Parra, a former worker for General Motors in Colombia, says his condition is deteriorating. “I have terrible pains in my stomach, my lips are swollen and sore, and I am having problems sleeping,” he says. “But I will not give up.”

The 35-year-old is one of a group of men who say they were fired after suffering severe workplace injuries at GM’s Bogota factory, Colmotores, and have taken drastic action to demand compensation.

After protesting for a year outside the United States embassy with no results, four of the ex-workers sewed shut their mouths on August 1, followed by another three men a week later. More will undergo the procedure every week until their complaints are answered, they say.

“We are all totally prepared to die,” says Parra, whose lips are sewn tight enough to prevent chewing, but not so tight he can’t speak with some degree of difficulty.

Seems like some of our favorite car manufacturer's aren't quite treating folks with the respect they deserve.

What say you ATS?

Thanks for bringing this to attention! A very sad state of affairs indeed!
I do hope their message can reach out further and show up the corporation of GM for its apparent unjust behaviour towards these men. Through such courage and bravery change is brought about.

You have certainly helped their cause some by sharing this. S&F to you my friend!

reply to post by MDDoxs


That's what I think as well. Some small countries were "forced" to join the world market when all the had in their country was the food they ate. Now the have to export food. Inturn they get sick so they import medecine to treat malnutrition. But in those poor contries who profits from that exportation? Certainly not the people. They should leave poor contries alone. Let them naturaly develope and in time they will join the world market by themselves. Those greedy bass-turds will do anything to bleed people dry.

This is the result of unregulated unfettered Capitalism. This is the result of all these Free Trade policies we have. The only people benefiting from either are those making millions. If we made trade policy that ensured off-shoring companies had to compensate and protect their overseas workforce they wouldn't be off-shoring. Americans allow them to get away with it because they don't have to go home and look them in the eye when they pull in the driveway. There is no personal stake in it for them.

And that is what pisses me off more about this election than anything else. They are talking about everything other than doing the one thing that would have direct impact on our economy, fixing our exploitative trade policy. Instead they are happy to starve the American worker until they are willing to accept depressed wages.

Unfortunately this is the direction the world is spinning towards. There is only one solution to all the problems happening these days with just about an endless number of outcomes that only one can know who knows.