In Defence of Marxism

Venezuelan workers have halted operations at the Isidora gold mine, run by a subsidiary of U.S. miner Hecla Mining Co., to demand President Hugo Chavez take over the unit, a company official said yesterday.

The stoppage follows a renewed wave of nationalizations this year affecting the cement and steel sectors, and comes just days after other companies said Venezuela denied exploration permits to two gold miners operating in the same region.

The official at Hecla, the largest gold miner in Venezuela, said Isidora has been halted for two weeks by a group of around 40 workers, out of a total of about 300, who blocked the mine's entrance and protested working conditions.

Government officials, including the mining minister, had visited the area and publicly instructed workers to halt operations if they were unsatisfied.