: (en) periodico-solidaridad #30 - Miguel Pizarro, Sumar union
leader: "Controlling production was a fundamental task for the
development of consciousness of workers" by Adela Velarde (ca)
[machine translation]
After 45 years, he gives his testimony about a fundamental process of the program of the
Popular Unity; the intervention of textile companies, which represented a milestone that
served as a model for other areas and faced the conflict over the ownership and management
of the means of production. ---- A photo shows the way ---- Miguel Pizarro grew in
population El Pinar de San Joaquin. When he was 16, the policy broke his life through a
photo: "He walked peluseando in the square with my friends and had an exhibition of
complaint about Vietnam and stopped before an image that struck me, was the boot of a
military threatening a Vietnamese child, I immediately thought that those who did this
work of complaint were good people. I approached them and began my political development. "
The first tasks were propaganda and spread in the population, and gradually began to
assume political tasks within the (PC) Communist Party. When the government of the Popular
Unity came, there was great expectation in the air, "the utopia of a more just society had
invaded the spirit of the whole population, the treatment we gave us, independent of
militancy, was partner or companion" .
At 19, Miguel became leader of the Regional Committee and work had political
responsibility in the National Commission for Residents of the PC, in 1970 he joined
Sumar; "I had to be present the day were driven patterns and managers of the company,
despite the excitement of such an act, which had political training knew the tremendous
challenge that began, you had to teach basic economics to advance production and develop
other labor relations. "
The mission was not easy. According to the program of the Popular Unity, which sought the
intervention and nationalization was to end monopoly capitalism and dependent developing a
more dynamic productive sectors in order to "liberate Chile from subordination to foreign
capital."
However, the form was not clear and that ambiguity was space to corporate interests; "Some
industries had a decree of intervention, but were never transferred to the state, then
hybrids produced effects that had to divide the profits with the owners." "At first it was
difficult to advance work because Sumar owners cared to have a retinue of workers in their
favor defending the employers' interests as if they were his own family and closed to
dialogue politically in order to preserve their place privilege, a common practice through
the ages, "he adds.
The coexistence between the parties and organizations was not easy. The internal climate
of the Popular Unity was complex because facing irreconcilable positions between the PS,
PC and MIR, "a sector was only worried about the military aspect and believed that control
of the production was a secondary task, but I understood that to make a revolution have to
start from the basics, production control was fundamental to the development of
consciousness and workers' task.
The cords were originally driven by the Front of Revolutionary MIR workers, but its
development, "each factory began to depend on the political orientation of their leaders,
preventing in practice a common policy in the organization," says Miguel.
Despite the differences, production within Sumar worked well, it was a new model of
organization that did not face violent strikes and allowed workers to control the
situation. "We had our own organizational structure, committees were output by industry,
there was a school that was financed leveling utilities and an administrative council
where all workers involved," says Miguel.
Sumar was the only plant of synthetic nylon fiber in the country and many textile
companies depended on it, if failed to produce would have a catastrophic effect on the
economy, and workers took on that challenge. In addition, the task of fueling companies
cord San Joaquin mission was presented Miguel took over: "Every morning started very early
in a truck delivering fuel to all companies, regardless of whether they were tapped or no,
not to stop production. "
Amid the climate of polarization that existed in the country, the government of the
Popular Unity publicly claimed his confidence in the constitutional field of the Armed
Forces; "Fidelity to assume a leftist government was stupid. No one would play the role
dimensioned and with the CIA, that was a terrible mistake. "
"On September 9 a military family was hit warn me, and went to the regional party
committee to report the situation. They told me not to worry because after the great
concentration of September 5 no support for a coup from the military "
Workers Add the day of the coup
There are many stories about the response of industrial belts on 11 September. Some even
contradictory. The truth is that that morning left no one indifferent. Early meetings were
initiated to define the type of response and Sumar Nylon decided not receive the weapons
were coming from Thomas More; "There was no military training, weapons occupy not know or
had ability to respond to military force, were people willing to give their lives, but not
to give it away."
The weapons were then moved to Sumar Polyester; "Many workers decided to fall back, the
people were waiting for the loyal army to stop the coup and that never came. This area was
affected by the slaughter that took place in the League where workers Sumar Polyester came
with the conviction to defend the government with weapons, many workers facing police, and
people who received bursts at home died. "
National Stadium, Embassy of Canada and back to Pinar
After the coup, Michael was arrested and taken to the National Stadium and later detained
in prison. Later, he began a life marked by the permanent siege until the Canadian Embassy
offered him asylum; "After thinking a few hours, I decided to give up that possibility
because I was asked to start a new life, forgetting my past who I really was."
Miguel is essential for reconstructing the history of the workers and faithfully, in order
that new generations know the process and know what were the main challenges and defeats;
"Especially in the current context of the country, in the absence of a greater unity on
the left and with who have renounced all its principles and that only serve the interests
of private Socialist and Communist Party."
The race began with matches arrival of the coalition meant a complete untying of what
happens on the bases; "If an organization or party believes it is possible to intervene in
parliament, is to want to cook a dish with the recipe for those who run the kitchen,
experience shows that this is not where the power of workers is, nor is it a useful tool
for its development, "he says.
The defeat of the Chilean people was an episode in the history of Chile, but not its
future. For Michael, the territorial labor continues to have a vital importance, "in the
perspective of struggle, coordinated, responsive to the specific needs of the population,
which affects us in everyday life. They are small fights that will give meaning to
political work and materialize to a greater awareness of the people, you should go over
there. "
[Published in the No. 30 edition of Solidarity]
http://www.periodico-solidaridad.cl/2015/10/24/miguel-pizarro-dirigente-sindical-de-sumar-controlar-la-produccion-fue-una-tarea-fundamental-para-el-desarrollo-de-conciencia-de-los-trabajadores/
