Monthly Archives: July 2021

Three potential victims of modern slavery and labour exploitation have been rescued during a raid by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) at a hand car wash in Liverpool.

GLAA officers were joined by Merseyside Police and HM Revenue and Customs National Minimum Wage team for the operation on Wednesday June 30 in Wavertree.

The potential victims, the youngest of whom is in his late teens with the other two in their 20s, were safeguarded and taken to a reception centre set up for the operation where they received specialist support.

Two men a 31-year-old Iranian national and 24-year-old Iraqi national were arrested at the car wash on suspicion of committing forced or compulsory labour offences under Section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act.

Both suspects, who were also arrested for suspected immigration offences, were interviewed by the GLAA before being released under investigation later that day.

GLAA officers also conducted searches of the car wash and addresses of the two suspects.

Information received via the Modern Slavery Helpline earlier in the year combined with the GLAAs own intelligence gathering indicated that workers at the site were not being paid the National Minimum Wage, had identification such as birth certificates taken off them, and were constantly monitored on site, suggesting a level of coercion and control.

GLAA senior investigating officer Martin Plimmer said: This operation demonstrates the importance of members of the public being able to spot the signs of modern slavery and more importantly reporting their concerns so we can take action.

Its not dramatic to say that if you pick up the phone and make a report, you could actually be rescuing somebody from a life of slavery. One day in slavery is one too many and we believe we rescued people here who sadly were in that horrific situation.

Our investigations are ongoing and we will ensure that the potential victims continue to receive all the support that they need.

Excerpt from:

Potential victims of modern slavery and labour exploitation found at Liverpool hand car wash - Forecourt Trader

To the Editor:

Re Maybe Trump Wasnt the Worst President Ever?, by Mark K. Updegrove (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, July 1):

James Buchanan has long occupied last place in the rankings of U.S. presidents, but thanks to Donald Trump, it looked as if he was on the verge of surrendering that ignominy. After all, Mr. Trump seemed to be the strongest candidate in the last 100 years to displace Buchanan. Unfortunately for Buchanan, the 142 presidential historians who participated in C-SPANs just released 2021 Presidential Historians Survey decided otherwise.

Apparently, Buchanans encouragement of the Supreme Courts decision upholding slavery in the Dred Scott case, endorsement of fraudulent election results in the Kansas territory to support its admittance to the Union as a slave state, and failure to respond to states seceding from the Union were viewed as more egregiously incompetent than Mr. Trumps being the only president to stand in the way of the peaceful transfer of power and mishandling a pandemic that led to more than 600,000 deaths in the United States so far.

For the countrys sake, there will hopefully be no future contenders for the title of Worst President Ever.

Gene HarringtonEllicott City, Md.

To the Editor:

With the passage of time, historians have become more generous in their evaluations of the performance of Republican presidents, such as Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. But time will not be as kind to Donald Trump.

Mr. Trump has yet to be held accountable for many of his actions while in office, including the cases of obstruction of justice cited in the Mueller Report, perpetrating the Big Lie relating to the 2020 presidential election, and inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. In addition, the prosecution of the Trump Organization by the Manhattan district attorney is only the start of several criminal cases likely to be filed against Mr. Trump in various states.

When C-SPAN issues its next presidential rankings, Mr. Trump could very well displace James Buchanan at the bottom of the list.

Jack NargundkarGermantown, Md.

To the Editor:

When you attempt to overthrow the United States government, that makes you the worst president ever no matter what else occurred while you were in office.

Patricia WilsonMadison, Wis.

These events were interpreted as a call to report only positive news about China and avoid criticizing the country, prompting some to claim that Snows relations with Mao Zedong were cozy and his independence compromised. In truth, Snow believed in free, independent and factual reporting. He repeatedly resisted efforts by others to dictate, alter or censor what he wrote, be it Chiang Kai-shek, Joseph McCarthy, Stalinist officials in Moscow or Chinese and U.S. officials during the Cold War.

Those who think that Edgar Snow would support the repressive policies of the current Chinese government toward journalists are either ignorant of the real meaning of his work or guilty of using him for their own purposes.

Sian SnowFounex, Switzerland

To the Editor:

Re New York Trails Rest of the U.S. in Virus Rebound (front page, June 21) and The American Renaissance Has Begun, by David Brooks (column, June 18):

The forecast for an uneven economic recovery in New York City sharply contrasts with the bright report of an economic renaissance amid Covid by Mr. Brooks. As he observes, many people have moved out of New York City and San Francisco to more rural areas like Idaho and the Hudson Valley. A sizable number of these urban-to-rural migrants are well-off and are working from home.

If that fortuitous arrangement outlives the pandemic, prospects for an economic boom and social revival will almost certainly leave behind hourly workers and small-business owners who depend on urban commuters.

Work from home is either impractical or simply proscribed for the majority of low-wage workers. It is this large segment of the labor force that seems least likely to burst out of the gate as the economy reopens.

Matthew AuerAthens, Ga.The writer is a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia.

Outdoor Dining? For Me, Not Yet

To the Editor:

Re Outdoor Dinings Next Challenge, by Pete Wells (Critics Notebook, Food, June 30):

The original purpose of building outdoor dining structures this last year was to ensure the air flow and social distancing made necessary by the pandemic. These two qualities are sadly lacking in many of the restaurant structures I had hoped to dine in but could not safely choose.

As someone whose health issues preclude vaccination, I must note and complain that many of these structures do not meet these standards.

Yes, design of these outdoor rooms is becoming more attractive and even impressive. But they really dont meet my needs of adequate ventilation and room for social distancing. I had hopes of easily choosing a place to dine, but sadly, I must wait until we accomplish herd immunity.

Jessica FrommTeaneck, N.J.

Read the original:

Opinion | Should Trump Displace Buchanan as the Worst President Ever? - The New York Times

Argentinas failure has been not to create more formal private jobs over the last 50 years, a period during which the countrys population doubled. From the side of the workers, the most representative and fundamental figure of the previous half-century has been Hugo Moyano. A hero of the struggle against neoliberalism for his teamsters and villain of the combat against capitalism for free- market advocates, getting to know him more intimately allows a better understanding of what has been going on in our countrys labour world.

Now aged 77, Hugo Moyano is approximating the metaphor of herbivorous lion of Pern in his last months milder, more conciliatory and weary. The 140-minute conversation (published word for word in PERFIL) ranges over various issues. At times it resembles the free association therapy typical of psychoanalysis, where the method is not to refute but to go with the flow, in this case leaving readers free to draw their own conclusions.

Before we started this interview, you told me that at the age of 10 you were already working in a cold cut factory in Mar del Plata, La Atlntica.

I started chopping and boning meat there, labelling the salami four by four, attaching toothpicks and then hanging everything out to dry. Afterwards I was a delivery boy for a butcher. By the age of 16 I was already attending the counter and packaging.

And then at the age of17 you entered Verga Hermanos, the first trucking company you worked for.

Yeah, transport. My dad worked there. Before that he had also worked in Platamar. He asked me if I wanted to do the same. I was then working off a bike, the only thing we had in the family a Reyes [Epiphany] present for my younger sister. I took it off her and went to work on a womans bicycle. Thats where my story begins.

At the tender age of 18, you were elected a union branch delegate in Mar del Plata.

I was indeed very young. It happened in an instant at a meeting. Garbage collectors were then still not recognised as belonging to the union. We fought over that and we had a secretary-general in the union who was a great guy a Communist. He went to the Labour Ministry with a presentation and then came and read out to us what had been discussed. There were some comings and goings but the garbage collectors could not join. They wanted to in order to improve their wages. At some point a comrade said: Why dont we have done with this, why dont we go on strike? And they told him in answer that we could all go to prison. Then an old man spoke out: And do you imagine that the prisons were built for dogs? No, they were built for men! If we have to go to jail, we will. Those things encouraged me. I was just a kid but older people were talking that way.

In 1971 at the age of 27 , you were elected secretary-general of the CGT (Confederacin General de Trabajo) Delegation, a meteoric rise.

I competed with the previous secretary-general. I realised that people saw that since I was young, I had plenty of drive. When there was a vote for the first time in history [it was a Sunday], there was a queue stretching over something like 70 blocks. That was an eye-opener for our people in Buenos Aires. They began to see Mar de Plata as an important branch. With that momentum I won the election.

Do you attribute being so adult at the age of 18 to having started work at 10, giving you the vigour of youth and the experience of somebody more mature?

I had plenty of drive but its not as if we swept all before us, as many people would make it seem, no. Our claims were incessant. I said at the time that if we had opposition, we would not be able to manage the union but I never did have any opposition. Opponents for sure, there are always opponents everywhere, but they were never organic or up to presenting a list against me in the union. Even though there was freedom and democracy. The popular recognition of us teamsters is huge.

When did you stop driving a truck?

I left Verga because they had trucks in Buenos Aires but none of their own locally. I drove unregistered lorries aged only 18 [or] 19 but the drivers of Buenos Aires let me drive their trucks all the same. I remember we drove out of Buenos Aires with a packet of yerba mate and chatting and then the other said: You drive and went to sleep. It was a Volvo 495, a huge vehicle for those times. When we reached Dolores, the police stopped and my sleeping partner only woke up when I slammed on the brakes. The cop looked at my very youthful face and said: Che, you wouldnt have a bit ofyerba, would you? Yes, take it, I said, handing over the quarter-kilo packet of yerba we had just bought. As we were driving on, I said to him: Just as well he didnt ask for any licence! My sidekick looked at me and said: Why do you think I gave you that packet of yerba? I have lots of anecdotes like that

Until what age did you drive?

Until my union activities began in 1971.

In 1987 you were elected secretary-general of the teamsters with four reelections (1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003). Also in 1987 you were elected deputy for Buenos Aires Province. Was that with Antonio Cafiero?

Yes, I was on Cafieros [Renewal Peronist] list. Previously I held various posts on the Mar del Plata branch of the Justicialist Party secretary-general. chairman, deputy chairman and secretary.

The secretary is often the one who has to do all the work

Yes, he has to work.

Did you already notice your differences with Carlos Menem, that things would not work out well with him?

Yes. I respect elected governments but if they distance themselves from defending the workers, Im always going to stay in the same place. I never liked Menems policies. I dont want to exaggerate but when he began to hand over the assets of the Argentines, our position was firm.

Argentina today has seven million formal private-sector workers just as when you started out. To what do you attribute Argentinas failure to create jobs?

There are many factors, primarily neoliberal policies.

During the dictatorship and the 1990s?

Of course, it allowed businessmen not topay attention to worker claims.

Thus creating informal employment?

Thats what neo-liberal policies caused.

There are only seven million people in formal private-sector jobs when the population has doubled [since 1970].

The national policies have to do with that. As the General [Pern] said, there is nothing better than an example. They tell us it costs 10 pesos to import a jug and 30 to make it here so we start importing. But when the factory here shuts down and the workers are fired, were giving jobs to foreigners, paying more than the value of a jug. This country went overboard with imports, closing down many textile factories when measured against the volume of imports. In the 1990s imports did indeed sometimes cost less than the national product. Peso-dollar parity produced chaos.

What did you think whenJoe Biden said: Wall Street did not build this country, the middle class did and the trade unions were the ones who built the middle class.?

It made me think that at last they are starting to understand Juan Pern and they understand because its the reality. Wealth is created by the workers. The conditions for creating jobs must exist. Theres a lot to be done.

When did you find out about the existence of Jimmy Hoffa, the archetypal teamster of United States trade unionism?

Fundamentally after seeing the movie, for all the talk about it. [My son] Pablo is in the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), as I was too but hes climbed a bit higher. I was ITF vice-president worldwide for land transport whereas hes ITF vice-president worldwide for transport in general aviation, shipping, the lot.

What do you think when Amazon, the biggest employer in the United States, takes a vote over a trade union and the workers vote against having a trade union?

That it could be a manoeuvre, that they want to modernise slavery to me it can be no other thing. Im not saying that there is nothing in the law which needs changing. There are things which may be modified but the trade unions should do it. Our collective bargaining agreement goes back to 1987 as its sole base. The average time on the road was 35 to 40 percent before that year whereas today it is 70 to 80 percent. You used to set out for Mar del Plata at 6pm and arrive at 6am the next morning in those big lorries. Today a truck takes seven or eight hours, 10 at most. You have to go, adapting things to this reality without going back in time. I do not deny that there are things which are useless to workers in practice. One example is sending people out on the street to work without safety.

If Rappi, PedidosYa or at one time Uber construct mechanisms of labour relations without trade unions, what is your reflection on that? Are those also new generations of modern slavery?

There are employees who do not even know who their boss is. They send them to certain places with all the risks that signifies, whether it be night or day.

Motorcycle and bicycle transportation are other forms of what teamsters do.

Humanitys most important invention is said to be the wheel. We move on wheels. Thats an advantage. There are many things to update while ensuring that there is no direct risk, either immediately or in the future.

If they generate advantages for the common good, we need to modify what is adverse, dont we?

Logically.

In Argentina, 86 percent of freight transport is trucked. What is the situation in other countries?

High everywhere. The lorry is more practical. When they talk of door-to-door transport, this means going straight from the factory to the place of work. If the item is transported by rail, you have to unload it from the train and then take it. Trucks save time as well as being much more practical, efficient and cheaper.

How do you imagine a future in which cars and trucks do not need human drivers? With 5G that will probably come to pass in 15 years, land transport could be driverless.

In the United States they wanted to put that in practice and it failed.

So its not going to happen?

It wont be easy. Many things are changing but it does not seem to me that its going to be easy. Almost impossible. Not only the roads need to be taken into account. For example, you have double-decker lorries. Our workers who drive them pick up a bonus, a wage and a half. They are very expensive vehicles and there are few of them. In many places the roads are not ready for them and the bridges are not high enough for the most modern trucks. Those things need study and adaptation.

Things neither you nor your son will see?

If I live as long as my mum, perhaps I will see some of those things.

Last Teamsters Day Alberto Fernndez said: If Hugo hadnt headed the CGT with Nstor, we wouldnt have been able to do what we did. How was your link with Nstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner from 2003 onwards?

It was very good with Nstor, he was very special. I got to know him when introduced by a comrade [Julio] Ledesma, who was militantly with the Kirchners. He said to me: Why dont we go and talk to Kirchner to see if we can get him to team up with [ex-president] Adolfo Rodrguez Sa? Each of us was working in the others campaign and we tried to bring them together.

To beat Menem?

Of course. He attended me in an office and we greeted each other. No problem with me, Nstor told me, whoever carries more weight [presumably in opinion polls] tops the ticket. Afterwards I saw him in the [Labour] Ministry when he was president.

And what was Cristina like?

She was different. We also discussed the same things, family benefits and payroll taxation. I was always trying to get on top of her. If something was, say, 70 pesos, I would ask for 130 peos. Then I would say: Cristina, 100, and youve got yourself a deal. And she would reply: But, Negro, the difference is now down to five pesos, to which I would respond: Five pesos are four kilos of bread, Cristina. I approached her from that angle and she would accept. Once I asked her: How is it possible that two-month gas bills in [posh] Barrio Norte are the same as in a working-class neighbourhood? Thats what the lads should be disputing. A two-month gas bill cannot be worth less than a gas canister in our neighbourhoods. With arguments like that I always won her over.

And Alberto Fernndez?

I often talked to him when Nstor was president. We have a good relationship.

And how does he differ today from when you knew him as Cabinet chief?

To me hes the same. He has a pretty important intellectual capacity. The situation of the country is different. Many people do not understand that. The worker does because not only did he take over a country in debt but the pandemic has done a lot of damage. Despite all that he keeps moving forward.

As vice-president, Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner has modified the wage bargaining guideline from around 30 percent by giving Congress employees about 40 percent, and then a few weeks ago your trade union clinched 45 percent, thus leading all the other trade unions to claim the same. Were the teamsters the wage bargaining benchmark for everybody else?

Everybody discusses wages in accordance with the inflation weve had. Weve signed a trigger clause [providing for the renewal of collective bargaining if inflation tops the wage increase]. Every year we have a special bonus for the start of classes [March] and the end of the year. We wont modify anything weve been signing for ages. I dont know about other trade unions. Theyve had some inconveniences but that does not modify other things.

[Economy Minister] Martn Guzmn set an inflation target of almost 30 percent with the first wage bargaining along those lines. But inflation topped that 30 percent to hit 45 percent. Dont you fear that if collective bargaining confirms 45 percent, inflation could move up to 50 percent?

That worry exists. You dont want it to happen but it does. We have a very good relationship with the business sector whose situation is understandable with many inconveniences, for example, the issue of tyres.

Which are imported and they cannot get them.

Of course. Fuel and highway tolls have also gone up, sums adding to costs. Thats pretty understandable even if some negative personalities go badmouthing transport. Thats all lies. I can assure you that when we sit down with serious business people, the wage discussion is totally responsible and respectful.

Read this article:

Moyano: Weve always defended workers to the death - Buenos Aires Times

Auckland Councils inspectors are being asked to take worker exploitation more seriously after liquor licences were approved for bottle store owners who had been found to be breaching employment laws.

Members of Communities Against Alcohol Harm protesting outside a liquor store in tara. Source: Local Democracy Reporting

Its modern slavery straight out.

Communities Against Alcohol Harms Grant Hewison isnt mincing his words, following news of another South Auckland liquor store being caught out for employment law breaches.

Clevedon Road Liquor store owner Satnam Singh Jador has been fined $20,000 and ordered to repay $97,361.66 to four employees for a range of breaches, including not paying the minimum wage for all the hours staff were working.

The Labour Inspectorate noted this case had all the hallmarks of exploitation, due to the workers needing the job to retain their visa status.

The Employment Relations Authority ruling is the second in South Auckland this year.

Super Liquor Papatoetoe was ordered to pay close to $50,000 for exploiting a migrant worker in February, while over the last 18 months, Thirsty Liquor East Tamaki was fined $1000 and Thirsty Liquor Wickman Way in Mngere was fined $2000, both for failing to comply with employment laws.

Communities Against Alcohol Harm regularly opposes liquor licence applications across South Auckland and Hewison says a number of liquor store applications, including for the Papatoetoe and Wickman Way stores, have been approved despite being the subject of Labour Inspectorate investigations.

He says Auckland Councils licensing inspectors need to treat worker exploitation more seriously by checking if bottle store owners have been complying with employment law.

In the case of the stores in Papatoetoe and Mngere, the licensing inspectors did not report any issues about the employment law breaches, although Labour Inspectorate investigations were underway," he says.

If someone is working exorbitant hours, not being paid fairly and being exploited, then thats modern day slavery in my book.

And given theres been so much published on how rampant employment law concerns are with bottle stores you would have thought there would be questions asked of liquor licence applicants about whether there were any negative reports about them from the Labour Inspectorate.

Auckland councillor Faanana Efeso Collins, who represents the Manukau ward, agrees that employment law breaches should be factored into licensing decisions.

If people working for liquor store owners are feeling unsafe, then someone has to step in on their behalf, especially if these owners are being exploitative, he says. This is definitely something we have to look at.

The Sale of Liquor Act is supposed to allow the community to have more say, so fuller information should be available, to give the community a much clearer picture of the type of retailer that they are.

Auckland University associate professor Christina Stringer, an expert in modern day slavery, says the issue is widespread in New Zealand.

She knows of numerous cases where employees have been required to work "very long, excessive hours without breaks, often by themselves, while being monitored by cameras.

As was the case at the Clevedon Liquor store, employers are often keeping two sets of records, with one set designed to look like they are operating legally, while a second set shows employees actual working hours, Stringer says.

In some instances employers are requiring their staff to pay part of their wages back, with threats of having their visas revoked used as a means of control.

She says Auckland Council needs to work more closely with the Labour Inspectorate teams inside the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to curb these practices.

Many migrants are sold the dream that working in a liquor store is the pathway to residency, she says. The Labour Inspectorate is the key agency. But central government cant do this alone. Everyone has a part to play.

In a written response Auckland Councils principal specialist alcohol licensing manager, Rob Abbott, said council cannot cancel alcohol licences of stores found to be exploiting workers, as such decisions are the responsibility of the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.

However, council alcohol licensing inspectors can apply to the authority to cancel an alcohol licence where there is evidence a licensee is breaching employment laws that warrants cancellation.

We also have the ability to consider an applicants history as an employer and take this into account when deciding whether to support or oppose the granting, or renewal, of a licence application.

MBIE says it only shares its labour inspection findings with local authorities licensing inspectors if asked, but it says recently instituted measures, such as creating a visa for migrants to switch to when they leave exploitative situations, and a dedicated helpline to report bad employers, should make it easier to combat these practices.

These offences are a case of blatant disregard for minimum employment standards, says Loua Ward, of Aucklands Labour Inspectorate.

We continue to see workers in the liquor industry who are not receiving a fair days pay for a fair days work. [But] cases of worker exploitation in New Zealand will not be tolerated.

Original post:

Liquor licences approved for Auckland bottle stores that had broken labour laws - 1News

This article was written by a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation who participated as an election observer in the June legislative election in Mexico at the invitation of the Morena party.

Within minutes of arriving at the first polling place in the municipality of Iztacalco in Mexico City, many in line to vote immediately focused their attention on our delegation of international observers from the United States and Latin American and European countries. One voter noticed our badges issued by the National Electoral Institute (INE), and protested that our presence was an irregularity and violated the electoral process. In another moment, an elderly man from Iztacalco received us with joy, addressed the comrades who came from Bolivia and Venezuela, and exclaimed his great support for the revolutionary processes in those countries.

On one side is the Morena movement, which in 2018 took presidential power for the first time. Morena the National Regeneration Movement is the party of Mexican president Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, popularly referred to as AMLO. Morenas victory was a historic defeat for the neo-liberal Institutional Revolution Party (PRI) that had ruled Mexico for over 70 years, as well as the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

On the other side is the opposition. This year the PRI and PAN formed a coalition of right wing neoliberal parties to try to stop the Morena movement. Their political program is that of continuing capitalist neoliberalism of the last decades that has caused so much devastation and suffering in Mexico.

The Fourth Transformation

We were guests of Morena to observe the mid-term elections that took place on June 6. At stake were the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 15 governorships, and thousands of mayorships across the country. Morena leaders and militants on the eve of the elections emphasized repeatedly that these would be the most important elections in Mexicos history and fundamental to undertake the Fourth Transformation (4T). One of those requisites for the 4T would be a super majority of the deputies, or 333, to pass constitutional reforms.

Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to officially abolish slavery. Shortly after the famous Grito de Dolores by Father Miguel Hidalgo, the war of independence against Spain led by Afro-Mexicans Jose Maria Morelos and Vicente Guerrero proclaimed the liberation of slaves in 1821.

According to Morena leaders, the first transformation begins with the above-named war of independence in 1821. The second transformation was at the beginning of the War of Reform in 1857, culminating with the administration of Mexicos first Indigenous president, Benito Jurez. The third transformation refers to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which put an end to the countrys dictatorship and brought about profound social reforms. That third transformation included major reforms in the 1930s such as the nationalization of Mexicos oil and other strategic industries.

The Fourth Transformation has begun many of the promises made by Obrador and Morena. Since 2018, they have managed to pass the Hydrocarbons Law to stop the further privatization of the energy sector, and to favor the state enterprise PEMEX over foreign investors. Currently the Hydrocarbons Law is held up by court and investors challenges. The minimum wage has increased by about 45%. Taxes increased for large corporations.

Obrador has implemented several laws and reforms that not only affect government representatives, but his own mandate. The presidential immunity that shielded heads of state from being tried for crimes was eliminated. And a new law was implemented on the revocation of mandate and popular consultation, which attempts to evaluate the work of the president mid-term.

Another of Morenas achievements is guaranteeing the constitutional right to a pension for all people over 68 years old. This same law also guarantees scholarships for students from low-income families from preschool through university. Finally, also included in this reform was access to free healthcare for people who do not have social security (almost half of the country). These reforms were made possible not only by AMLOs presidential triumph but also by the legislative majority they obtained in 2018.

AMLOs first act was to ensure gender parity in his cabinet by selecting an equal number of women and men for the mandate. He established daily presidential morning conferences to report on the progress of the administration and to answer questions from the press. There have been many challenges and contradictions encountered during Obradors time in office, and the economy overall remains firmly in the hands of the capitalist class, but the Fourth Transformation represents the strategic vision of the movement that swept him into office.

Iztapalapa: A utopia made reality

It was the day before the elections and our Morena comrades told us that we were going to one of the Utopas in the municipality of Iztapalapa. The trip was not long and we arrived at the town in less than 20 minutes. Upon entering the main street called Avenue San Lorenzo, our delegation immediately pulled out their cameras and cell phones to take pictures of the long string of walls that adorned the street with powerful images of women and many of Mexicos Indigenous peoples along with messages of empowerment. Another characteristic of this street was a seemingly-eternal row of light poles that were installed to illuminate the avenue. A representative of the mayors office of Iztapalapa explained to us that these streets are on several main avenues in Iztapalapa and are named Calle de mujeres libres y seguras (Street of free and safe women).

The project is part of the recovery of streets and public spaces in Iztapalapa. It was built with the approval and participation of the community. Before 2018 the street was not completely paved and poorly lit. It was known as a very dangerous street for women, who were subjected to daily harassment and violence.

Iztapalapa is an original peoples town in Mexico. The majority of Iztapalapas inhabitants are migrants from southern Mexico, such as Chiapas and Oaxaca, who migrated to Mexico City in search of work. This internal migration is the result of decades of neoliberal laws such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has been largely responsible for the exodus.

Our tour of several streets in Iztapalapa revealed that the majority of its inhabitants were low-income workers and Mexicos poor. The town has a dense population with water supply problems and other difficulties, but the moment our transportation arrived at the parking lot of Utopa Tezontli it seemed we had been transported to a country club or private recreation area in one of Mexicos wealthiest neighborhoods. But no, Utopa Tezontli was in the heart of Iztapalapa and unlike a country club, access was completely free and open to all residents of the municipality.

The Utopas are a project of the Iztapalapa mayors office led by Mayor Clara Brugada, a Morena militant who took office in 2018. The project is central to the recovery of public spaces to provide infrastructure and higher quality services to the population. The Utopas are recreational areas that include natural grass soccer fields, a dog park, BMX tracks, Olympic swimming pools, gymnastics and dance classes, music rooms, and a theater for 400 people, among others. There are also completely free public service facilities including non-judgmental rehabilitation centers, mental health services, arts and computer workshops, senior housing, among others, completely free of charge.

Today there are eight utopias in the municipality of Iztapalapa alone, with six more under construction. The largest is 100,000 square meters. The tour of the facilities made it clear that the project has given this previously forgotten community an area where they can perform their physical activities, obtain essential resources, and explore their talents and learn. Although many of the institutional problems such as inequality and lack of water supply continue, at least the community now has a high-quality venue of their own, free of charge.

Morena: Half movement, half party

A message frequently repeated by Morena representatives during my visit was the complex identity of Morena as half movement and half party. In the book A Year of the 4T by Armando Bartra, he explains the movements desire to count not only on the popularity of AMLO in the country to advance the movement. They fear that concentrating the face of the party on AMLO at the expense of the organization itself would be a mistake that would put them in a vulnerable position.

On the second day of our journey in Mexico, I had the opportunity to attend a panel entitled Youth and Feminists. We heard talks and discussions from several young Morena leaders, most of whom were women, about how proud they were to represent the party and its mass organizations. One of these organizations is the 4T Feminist Committee. This organization led by women party militants is in charge of popularizing feminism as a fundamental part of the Fourth Transformation.

One of its main activities is community door-to-door outreach, and enforcing a requirement that all candidates and government officials affiliated with Morena commit to implement a popular feminist agenda. Many fruits of this work are already evident. Morena is the first gender parity government in the history of Mexico, and the first party with a sexual diversity secretariat.

Morena at the national level is a coalition of several political forces, mostly from the left. Morena does not present its program for Mexico as a socialist project, but rather one of opposition to the neoliberal and right-wing path that Mexico has been following for many decades now.

AMLO and Morena have also played an important role in Latin American regional politics. Since coming into power, AMLOs administration has moved away from the anti-Venezuela Lima Group and shown solidarity to Venezuela and Bolivia in particular. He refused to sign a statement by the Lima Group calling the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election of Nicols Maduro a fraud, and condemned the 2019 failed U.S.-engineered Guaid attempted coup against president Maduro. In Bolivia, he not only denounced the right-wing coup against former Bolivian president Evo Morales, but also offered him asylum saving his life and paving the way for his eventual triumphant return home.

The partial referee

On election day, we made a long tour of several polling stations in different municipalities of Mexico City. We visited four municipalities: Iztacalco, Benito Jurez, Coyoacn, and Magdalena Contreras. We observed few or no incidents in most of the polling places we visited. But in two polling places in Magdalena Contreras we did witness vote buying within 50 feet of the entrance to the polling places.

The vote buying was evident as several people after voting would walk up to individuals carrying folders and verify with what we assume was a phone photo that they voted for their candidate. Our delegation immediately informed INE representatives of the violations we observed. The INE representative said he already knew what they were doing but that it was out of his jurisdiction as long as they did it outside the polling station.

The opposition was responsible for the majority of electoral violations and irregularities such as vote buying, acarreo (practice where voters are forcibly transported or encouraged to vote for a candidate for something in return), voter suppression, and allying with criminal sectors to intimidate voters. During the electoral campaign 34 candidates were assassinated by organized crime. The crisis of mass executions and extreme violence fueled by narco-trafficking has weighed heavily on the population.

In the second polling place we visited in Iztacalco we saw a huge line that ran the length of the block. This polling station was reserved for Mexicans from other states or who are far from their home where they are registered to vote, but we met a crowd of people complaining about not being able to vote.

Although INE is an institution independent of any political party or the government in charge, Morena representatives have denounced INE as a biased arbiter. One of the goals of the AMLO administration is to reform INE.

What the results mean for Morena and Mexico

As the first preliminary results came out on election night, the right-wing corporate media immediately began to spin a narrative on the results. Morena leaders point to the disinformation campaign by the right wing and the information bias of the corporate media as the main reasons for Morena not achieving the resounding victory they were expecting. However, Morena still won most of the seats that were up for grabs in the election.

Morenas poor performance in Mexico City was the big surprise of the election. This is the first in a long time that the right wing has won in Mexico City, the epicenter of the Mexican left and the place where many progressive social changes have been achieved such as the right to abortion and respect for sexual diversity.

Morena, because of its party-movement characteristic, attracts several political forces not only from the left but also opportunistic figures from the center and even from the right. Many argue some of Morenas losses in Mexico City and the rest of the country are the fault of Mario Delgados management as president of the party. Delgado is an economist and professional politician who represents the right wing of the party.

Delgado became Morenas president at the behest of the partys leadership after a long, drawn-out power struggle. Delgado is not a beloved figure by the majority of party militants for the role he played in the passing of former president Enrique Pea Nietos privatization of the energy sector, when he still belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).

But the losses are also attributed to the battle over the future of Mexicos struggling petroleum industry, with the PRI/PAN/PRD opposition arguing for continuing the modernization of PEMEX through foreign investment. This helped to galvanize much of the capitals middle class to vote for the right-wing coalition.

Now that the elections are over, Morenas next task internally is one of reflection. Leaders and militants plan to demand that the partys leadership engage the mass movements where its most dedicated militants come from to change and grow the party.

Still, Morena won 12 of the 15 governorships that were at stake in these elections. With the six it already had, this gives it a majority of 18 of the 32 national governorships. There are some governorships that the opposition officially won but are being challenged. Although the right wing won 9 out of 16 municipalities and demarcations in Mexico City, at the national level Morena won 692 municipalities or mayorships compared to the 495 it won in 2018.

Although Morena lost seats in the national legislature and could not achieve a super majority of 333 deputies needed for the constitutional reforms that it is seeking, it still maintains the majority needed to pass operational reforms and the national budget.

The day after the elections and with the official results already published, the obstacles could not dampen the optimism and will to resist of the Morena comrades who accompanied us during our visit. Many of them immediately began to reflect on how they can improve their work for the people.

Here is the original post:

Eyewitness: On the ground with militants of Mexico's Fourth... - Liberation