The Movement of the Occupied Factories in Brazil is a
glorious chapter in the struggle of the working class. Last year the courts and
the police intervened in an attempt to smash the movement. In spite of
everything it still survives at the Flaskô plastics factory in Sumaré, Sao Paulo. Here we
provide an account of the struggle of the Flaskô workers and background to the
movement as a whole.
Adilson Mariano is a PT councillor in the town of Joinville, Brazil.
He has been sentenced to more than one year in prison for having led
demonstrations against the unjustified increase in bus fares. Here we publish
an appeal and model letter for you to send off to the authorities. Please
participate massively in this campaign.
At the beginning of
February the Esquerda Marxista (Marxist Left) group in Brazil held its
congress, where they unanimously voted in favour of their affiliation to the
International Marxist Tendency. The addition of this important grouping, which
gathers within its ranks leaders of the occupied factories, of the Black
Socialist Movement, important trade unionists and many revolutionary youth,
marks a major milestone in the building of a genuine Marxist International in
Latin America and the world.