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New President of Paraguay, Mr Fernando Lugo,with Rodolfo Benítez and Adriana Rosenzvaig, from UNI.







The union delegation was presided by Víctor Baéz Mosqueira and Rafael Freire, General Secretary and Economic Policy Secretary respectively of CSA. UNI was represented by Adriana Rosenzvaig, World Head of the Graphical Sector and Rodolfo Benítez, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas who also is responsible for coordinating the work of the IFTU in the Americas. Also present were representatives of the office of the ILO and leaders from the national centrals of Paraguay.



In a relaxed and very cordial atmosphere, the union representatives expressed to President Lugo the enormous expectations held with regard to this administration and in particular, the role the new government must take on in the defense of worker rights and their organizations. These have always been marginalized from the political decisions that affect them and forced to support innumerable injustices and unprecedented vexations in the region. Along these lines, the representative of UNI pointed out to the President that the multinationals in Paraguay must be made to comply with the law, among them the BBVA, which has undertaken an aggressive campaign to destroy the union. In this regard, UNI Americas is already implementing a campaign of denouncing it internationally and supporting these workers and their union.



The General Secretary of CSA -TUCA, Victor Báez, called attention to the practices of the International Financial Organizations, which customarily present suggestions to the new administrations of the regions that produce negative results for employment and union rights. It was also pointed out that Paraguay holds the Pro Tempore Secretariat of MERCOSUR at this stage which entails the possibility that with the new government, issues of interest to the union movement that have been put off till now can be taken up again.



The new President of Paraguay expressed his gratitude for the demonstration of solidarity from the international union movement and expressed his willingness to correct the injustices experienced by workers in his country, giving assurances that his social basis is the people and the workers and it is to them that he will dedicate his efforts. He explained, nonetheless, that he is aware he will face difficult obstacles, since his administration’s alliance will not have a majority in the Parliament. Therefore, many issues will have to be negotiated with the opposition. Hence the importance that the population in general, and the unions in particular, maintain an attitude of vigilance in the face of the possibility of destabilizing actions from the political opposition that may resist ceding the power it lost after 61 years of wielding it.



The visit to Paraguay of the international union leaders and representatives served as a framework so that with the initial presence of the new President, CSA -TUCA, IFTU, and with the technical support of the ILO, the official launching of the CAMPAIGN FOR THE DEFENSE OF UNION FREEDOMS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING was carried out. In a multitudinous act with workers, words were spoken by the General Secretary of CSA -TUCA, the Regional Secretary of UNI Americas, Eduardo Rodríguez, on behalf of the ILO, and leaders from the national centrals of Paraguay. UNI Graphical Americas held a sub regional seminar on collective bargaining at this time, with the presence of leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, giving witness this way to their support of the campaign and their best wishes to the new administration of Paraguay.







In the picture, Rodolfo Benítez speaks at the event organized by CSA