EL SALVADOR— “I have made the decision to meet with you, facing the fear that I might be fired because in this place where I work, there is no freedom to join any organization,” said Clelia, a young worker.
In a collective of seven people, we shared the life experiences of the working class under the capitalist system. Clelia works making sweaters for brand X in a factory in the free trade zone near the Salvadoran capital. She added to the discussion by describing her daily work life.
This worker and her partner met with this collective for the second time. They are seeking an alternative, in the hope of ending the crisis of slavery they experience in that factory.
A hope that is being built in the International Communist Workers’ Party.
“In this factory, there are constant threats, shouting, and general abuse from the bosses (in this case, Koreans) and the managers,” said Clelia. “We have no access to consultations or personal leave, and when we take them, they deduct our sick leave and lower our wages. We have no set schedules, and the production demands are higher than those of other factories.
“Some women workers have sought help from the Ministry of Labor, but nothing is resolved.
“No government institution is interested in our problems. In that factory, we feel like slaves; our mental and physical health is at stake.
“It has gotten to the point where dead rats have been discovered in the water cooler area. But when the Ministry of Labor inspection comes, the bosses quickly fix it, and nothing happens; the results are always in favor of the bosses.
“That’s why I want to be the voice among 800 workers and that, at some point, we may become one voice,” ended Clelia.
“We have to do something about these harsh working conditions. They will only end if we organize and fight for a Communist system in which production will be based on the needs of humanity, not profit,” said another member of the collective.
We welcomed them to ICWP and hope to break the barrier imposed by the bosses through the threat of firing those who organize. Red Flag will have to reach the workers in that factory.
The fight for communism will give us the strength to break the chains of capitalist slavery.
