The "Trade Union encounter for our Americas" closes in Nicaragua
NSCAG News |
on: Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Article about the ESNA Forum closure event featured in the UNE Bulletin. With thanks to Domingo Perez, UNE's General Secretary for the information
The Nicaraguan equivalent of the TUC (FNT - National Front of Workers) was host to the fourth Union Meeting of Our Americas (IV ESNA), which took place from 25 to 28 August 2011 in the Engineering University. More than 27 countries took part from the American Region, as well as representatives from Portugal, US and Africa, making a total of 300 participants and more than 114 unions .
IV ESNA opened in the historic Lecture Hall 12 of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua at 9 am on 25th August with the Solidarity Rally for the Five Cuban Heroes detained by the Yankee empire for more than 13 years.
More than 2000 trade unionists from FNT attended to give their full support to these heroes of Cuba and of all America, because they are our heroes, who fought for the peace of Cuba and of all our region.
At the Rally they committed to strengthen solidarity groups for Cuba and the Five Heroes and to work hard to achieve their freedom and happy return to their native land, the land of Jose Marti and Fidel Castro.
On the same day, at 5 pm, IV ESNA opened officially to begin the debates and looked for solutions to the economic and social problems of what it is a very rich but impoverished region, due to the big imperialist powers (the Yankee Empire and the Empire of the European Union).
The National coordinator of the event and General Secretary of FETSALUD, comrade Gustavo Porras Cortez performed the opening, welcoming the delegates of the 27 participating countries and giving a historical critique of the Nicaraguan revolutionary struggle and the role of comrade Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua.
Debate took place in workshops which were then reported to the plenary and approved by consensus. Among the principal resolutions approved were ones supporting the Palestinian people and calling for an end to Israeli attacks; rejection of the NATO solution and calling for an end to the bombardment of the people of Libya; and the resolution backing the Sandinista Popular Revolution and giving complete support to the candidacy of comrade Daniel Ortega for President of Nicaragua.
Comrade Daniel Ortega himself officially closed the IV ESNA, congratulating the trade union vanguard for seeking solutions to the main problems of the world, such as the situations of Libya, Palestine, Cuba and the Five Heroes and damage to the environment. He asked 'Who can argue with that, if that is what is happening in the world?' He also acknowledged to the participants how powerful the FNT is. Without the FNT, he said 'it would not have been possible to regain power in 2007'.
Thanks to the street protests against those neoliberal and excluding policies it was possible to bring back the FSLN into government. 'The FSLN and the FNT are working hand in hand', he concluded.
With thanks for the translation to our volunteer Graham Dane
About ESNA
ESNA - ‘Encuentro Sindical Nuestra America’ – literally translated means ‘Trade Union Encounter for Our Americas’, is a framework for bringing together trade union organisations from across the American continent. This framework is facilitating trade union capacity building and development through training programmes. It is also facilitating political debate about the problems that workers across the continent currently face.
Next year's ESNA meetings will take place in Mexico around the same date.
If you are interested in hearing more about this initiative or for first hand documents, contact Gabriela at nscag@nicaraguasc.org.uk.
The documents are available in spanish, but translations could be arranged.
