Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

Venezuelan MP visits Trades Hall

 Dr Carolus Wimmer
Victorian unionists and activists were privileged to meet Dr Carolus Wimmer, an MP in the Venezuelan Parliament of Hugo Chavez. VTHC Secretary, Brian Boyd, hosted the meeting and welcomed Dr Wimmer to Victoria.

Dr Wimmer praised Australia’s labour history, saying we had important lessons for his country to earn. He also highlighted similarities between the Venezuelan experience and the long-term industrial struggle in Australia.

Since coming into power the Chavez Government has reversed decades of conservative rule in Venezuela and begun process of worker management of major industries, particularly the oil, mining, construction and manufacturing industries.

An increasing number of Australian trade unions have begun to acknowledge the importance of the social reforms of Presidente Hugo Chavez government, as a counter to the anti-union and anti-people policies of neoliberalism and imperialist domination of global politics. Already a number of trade unions have adopted motions to this effect at both national and local levels. Most importantly the ACTU executive has adopted such a resolution of support. The union central, National Union of Workers (UNT in it's Spanish) had also sent a message of solidarity to Australian workers as unionists here resist the worst ever attacks on our industrial rights.
Carolus Wimmer has been a militant of the PCV - Communist Party of Venezuela - for 35 years. He is currently the Secretary for International Relations for the PCV, and has recently left his work as Director of International Relations of the National Assembly (where he has been since 2000) to take up his elected position as a Venezuelan delegate to PARLATINO, the Latin American Parliament.
In addition to these responsibilities, Wimmer is extensively involved in the wider political discussions taking place in Venezuela about the ways to build "Socialism of the XXI Century", including his involvement as Founder and Director since 1997 of the political-ideological journal "Debate Abierto"/ "Open Debate" & President of the "Debate Abierto" Foundation. Carolus is also an Independent Radio Program Producer with the weekly programs Program Open Debate on Radio Nacional Venezuela RNV, ( since November 2001), "Enlace Internacional", International Links, (since December 2002) and "Cabina Mundial", World Cabin, YVKE-Mundial World radio (since September 2004).

Biographical Note
Last December’s National Assembly elections in Venezuela marked a significant step forward for the revolution that is unfolding there. It was the 10th consecutive electoral victory for the supporters of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
The pro- Bolivarian forces won all 167 seats in the National Assembly.  Venezuelans voted at the same time for their representatives to the Andean and Latin American parliaments. The main opposition parties boycotted the elections, but all pre-election polls predicted a landslide for pro-Chavez candidates.
The Latin American Parliament was formed on December 7, 1964, at a gathering in Lima, Peru.  Principle aims of the parliament, which includes 22 countries from the Caribbean, Central and South America, are to promote Latin American integration and campaign for non-interference by imperialist powers in Latin American affairs.
Carolus Wimmer, who was elected to the Latin American Parliament, is  touring Australia in February and March. Wimmer has been the director of international relations for the Venezuelan National Assembly since 2002 and the international relations secretary of the Venezuelan Communist Party since 1998.
Wimmer has been an activist in the CP since 1971.  He was the director of the CP’s cadre school from 1978 to 1991 and has been a member of the central committee since 1998 and of the political bureau since 1998. Within the Chavez government, Wimmer was an adviser to the National Assembly president, William Lara, in 2001-02.
Wimmer has also been involved in the media in Venezuela. He has been the founding director of the theoretical journal Debate Abierto (Open debate) since 1997 and he produces a weekly radio program called "Open Debate” on Venezuela’s State run National Radio. The Australian tour by Carolus Wimmer is being organised by the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network.


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