A daily fight for our rights
“Its a big fight”, says the bus driver Jorge Aranda while we drink Tereré, a fresh drink of Yerba Mate and cold water on the sidewalk next to the Labour Vice-ministry. We are sitting in a tent in the centre of Asunción, talking about the infernal January heat and the injustice that Aranda and his work mates are protesting against. They were sacked from their jobs when they wanted to create a trade union to defend their labour rights.
The owner of “La Sanlorenzana”, the bus company where Aranda used to work, applies an extended practice in this country. When the workers create a trade union, they are simply fired. There are lots of examples but the Aranda case is special. Six months ago the workers put a tent in front of the public building of the Labour Ministry. At this time, two court resolutions gave them right and ordered the company to re-employ them. Drivers, mechanics and administrative staff took turns in the tent to fight for their case.
But there was a problem. A lawyer from the ministry helped the company and the vice minister, Raúl Mongelós, acted like Pontius Pilatus and washed his hands. Mongelós gave the workers a deadline: on January 31 they had to leave the sidewalk.
I’m a delegate of the Paraguayan Journalist Union, SPP, and I know how hard it is to create a trade union. I remember when we helped some graphic workers to create a union in La Nación. The employers just fired the delegates. After a hard fight we forced the employers to recognize the Paraguayan Graphic Workers Union, SOGP. Now we are happy that the SOGP is alive and that Angel Fleitas, one of the sacked delegates is the new secretary general of the Union.
These are things that make me laugh out loud when somebody talks about freedom of expression as a guaranteed right. The media ownership is concentrated in a few hands in our country. They are also are landowners, and in Paraguay 3 percent of the landowners own 90 percent of the land. It’s the worst land distribution in the world, according to the Gini coefficient. They defend the status quo, trying to keep their privileges. On the other hand, there are lots of Jorge Arandas, and together we will achieve a little space here and there for real freedom of expression. It just requires a big fight every day.
