Helping Sandinistas ring the changes
than local adaptatione is exclung ey or European multinationals' quarters. Juan-Carlos described how
"The Chilean company buys in machinery which simply operating. With Alcatel-Thomson equipment in 1980, that required only a knowledge reading the instructions. changes that were bought had not been tested anywhere in the world Then we had Porta Systems (USA) which were even worse. changes didn't work not beyond the prototype stage.
Martin Gaticales, a KMU supporter in the Filipino Free Workers Union, described the impact of the Siemens digital exchanges installed there: THE most moving and impressive | of all the contributions at the Conference came in a special session on Nicaragua.
Jose Castillo, leader of the Nicaraguan telecoms workers union TELCOR, spoke in depth about the problems and needs of the industry and his country. Here is his speech.
"Before the Sandinista Revolution we had a network of just 30,000 telephones, assigned to Somoza and the multinationals. There was no
Othe general population. On the Atlantic coast, they had never seen a phone.
The first aim of the government was to link together the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, 450km of line. We lost 36 achieving this, shot by the Contras. Similar projects are being carried out in the mountains. We now 50,000 telephones Nicaragua.
We are not in a position to change our technology. But with the help of the French government we building a new 30,000-line exchange for January 1987.
Our priority is maintaining the service and putting phones into the community. Spare parts are problem. In 1984 a whole exchange
head down. but the from Chile answer." requires Telecoms Workers' Response of French for The ex- Delegates ly. backgrounds, working class must do the same. The ex. - they were international trade union federations, who reproduce the Telephone bureaucracy, filiates tenfold were seen as the answer. Despite the Frankfurt. free maintain the system. network in the while working new the vanguard of the revolution. comrades in have throughout are a real
"When we went on strike in March 1986, the offices all closed telephones con- tinued to work. Next time sabotage of the cables and blockade of inter- agitational basis national calls will be the only delegates; The capitalists operate international- at the Conference, coming from a range of different see clearly that the and Olivetti); It was understood that no reliance ference could be placed on any of the existing the self-interest and of their national af- Rank and file links and activities went down because we didn't have a | fuse costing 50p. This was eventually supplied by Siemens workers in We also had 300 telephone sets from them. Next year we are getting 2 policy at the moment is survival. We telephone exchanges from comrades in Italy — but this is only to All the workers extending the mountains are voluntary brigades. Our union was approached for the volunteers - this is possible because of the political understanding of the workers. The minister of communications, Enrique Smith, was actually killed by Contras with in the uS mountains. Telecoms workers are in The together the industry. Socialist Viewpoint No. 15 February 1987 p7
experimental nature of the meeting, there was enthusiasm and agreement for a number of important steps:
• the exchange of information and
material on regular between participating
•the production of a quarterly international newsletter for reproduction in the various countries;
•the immediate creation of links between workers in associated companies (e.g. the delegates from AT&T
•the potential for a further con-
Tin 12 months' time, the responsibility for which was taken by
British workers present, from GEC, Plessey and BT.
The conference was a major step forward for telecoms' workers internationally. It must be built on.
Coffee is absolutely key to our development. That is why we call it the "golden grain". We can get oil with it, spare parts...
We are bankrupt, our economic are mainly agricultural, but are not able to grow crops in the usual areas which have become battlefronts.
The US economic blockade, their mining of our ports, their support for the ex-Somoza guards, is cripplin our economy. They think we ar going to go in front of them and
If we do that we will be betraying the principles of the internationa working class, of the 50,000 who gave their lives in the revolution. It has no price. When workers have the power, the Americans and their allies start to worry. telecoms industry
Tin Nicaragua has a minister, a viceminister and 3 director-managers, one each for the Post Office, finance and technical. These 5 comrades,
with Telcor's General Secretary, make up the direction of
The workers have the right to object and we talk to them about proposals in an assembly. If for example the administration says 2 people must maintain 20 lines they do not realise there are not enough tools for this to be done. So we ask the
workers if it is possible. The union also participates in lower levels of
Thas a role. We our managers in Somoza's time. They are
So the union 'helps' the manager who is confused - and we have the power! In Cuba too they have had 27 years of revolution, but still haven't eradicated the bureaucrats.
All Nicaraguan unions meet with months to discuss our problems -particularly bureaucracy. undevelope losing 20,000lbs of meat by a bureaucratic manager lost this. assemblies we asked the President to have him replaced. He was sacked and a memo circulated in all the ministries and state companies saying that he could not be given a job for a period of time. That is the only way he will understand his responsibilities in the revolution.
Our normal working hours are 44. But we want to work more than that. This demand came from the rank and file. We do it with a voluntary spirit, to give those hours to the revolution.
Why do the unions accept this?
In this conference we are talking about reducing there is no contradiction. Here (the
Netherlands)
What we produce is to improve te conditions of the working
Here are some of our achievements and aims in telecoms. have 5 free dining rooms for the workers. 70% of telecoms workers use free company transport to and
We have a health centre, 2 holiday
time). Before the revolution there was 60% illiteracy. years it is now down to 20%.
Workers have 3 hours a week off to complete their primary education.
Ta collective system; if someone dies it at least buys the coffin. destroyed 2,270 houses in rural areas and 7,000 Nicaraguans have died. 58 schools, 1l nurseries (where parents work), 291 vehicles, 30 health centres and 565 other buildings have been destroyed by the Contras.
What danger is it that kids in brigades come and work with us? Recently a worker from Belgium was
Five months ago 8 German kidnapped by Contras; they were building workers.
Our policy is anti-imperialist, antiracist; to keep political pluralism and a mixed economy; to have solidarity with movements internationally. We are not guilty that we are free. They
government is really They bombed Managua airport. They constantly violate our
have suffered losses too. We shot down 4 of their
We caught 3 Americans, 1 alive. Were they tourists? He didn't know
contracted him! He didn't know that the plane was full of guns! The US government offered to exchange 15 Nicaraguans in jail in the USA for criminal activities for Socialist Viewpoint No. 15 February 1987 p8
him. Why on earth do they think we
The USA rejected the peace treaty we offered them. They think they can impose conditions on us, but not us on them. The US told us to get rid of our Cuban friends. We said yes, you stop financing the Contras and their camps in Honduras and Costa Bica Tier setised! : in k-iacy. The support you have ::w==a sopped the USA invading
trade unionists, we ::=sier you have a most important
You must talk to your fellow workers, to show them the American aggression against our people.
government has worked out how many Nicaraguans would die
But they haven't counted how many Americans would die. We have the strongest weapon — we are fighting for a free Nicaragua, not for money but for nothing. don't want war; we want to solve our own problems
N. America have a most important role. We do not have any money to overcome the disinformation of the US government. Those who support us are our best means of communication. international working class on our free. They don't like our freedom, and that is why they are attacking us. prevent a US litical solidarity to technical help in telecoms, health... anything that will help develop our
I will make some self-criticisms. I have not mentioned the role of our emancipated. They are free, though chauvinism. They have organised equal pay for equal skills; they are learning how to fight.
Capitalist regimes _ use paying them In Nicaragua centres. Alongside all our problems, our biggest project as a union is to build a childcare centre for our women members.
We have asked for support for our project from comrades in Canada
whatever help can be must prepare the workers, because they must be
The Conference agreed to launch a workplace campaign on Nicaragua with both political solidarity and practical support for the telecoms
A collection was also taken from the 40 or so present, raising over Nicaragua and the Philippines.
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