Top officials and executives of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) have organized street protests and rallies to condemn the government. Their actions build on a series of protests called by the bosses' federation, Fedecámaras, and statements by several active and retired military officers calling for Chávez to step down.

Washington and the capitalist class in Venezuela have been aided in their efforts by the officials of the Venezuelan Workers Federation (CTV), who have called workers out on strike to support the bosses' reactionary drive. In the current action, the CTV's call for a one-day walkout both curtailed oil production and gave the big-business media an opportunity to make the situation appear as a conflict between workers and the government. Officials of the CTV have aligned the federation with the Democratic Action Party, a capitalist opposition party.

Despite the stated grievances of the capitalist bosses, who accuse Chávez of turning PDVSA into a "political fiefdom" by appointing his allies to run the oil company, underneath the conflict lie a series of measures passed by the government that threaten the interests of imperialism and the Venezuelan capitalists and landowners.

Four months ago the Chávez government pushed through a law increasing production royalties on both PDVSA and international companies. The act required PDVSA to own a majority stake in all joint ventures with foreign firms.

The state-owned company is the largest oil firm and the fourth largest company in Latin America. When he took office Chávez scuttled a PDVSA plan, in line with the needs of U.S. imperialism, to increase revenue by doubling production. Chávez instead worked with other members of OPEC to curtail production and drive up prices.

The government also passed a law allowing for the takeover of unused land for the use of peasants, a measure that brought howls of protest from the wealthy classes.

"PDVSA has long been the hen that lays the golden egg, but today it is eating more than half of the eggs it is producing," said Venezuelan foreign minister Luis Davila, "We are trying to bring some order to this company."

PDVSA "has always been managed by a political elite," said Chávez during a radio program. "The plan is to return the oil industry to Venezuelans."

In response to the bosses' protest Chávez fired seven oil executives and forced 12 more into retirement April 7, warning that a "subversive movement in neckties" was trying to destabilize the country.

Rafael Sandrea, the president of Fedecámara's oil division, said that with the firings Chávez had closed the door on reconciliation and opened the door to war. "That is what this is now, war between the people of PDVSA and the government," he said.

"This can only end with the president resigning," said Humberto Calderón, a former minister of energy and mines, to a demonstration of bosses and administrators April 9 in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. "All Venezuelans from all walks of life, from all social strata, from all the political and ideological sectors, must take part in the stoppage. This is about him or us. It is a choice between democracy or dictatorship."

CTV president Carlos Ortega announced April 9 that the strike would be extended by 24 hours "because there was a feeling that nothing had been resolved" by the end of the first day of the action. Representatives from the different bourgeois associations and union officials claim that more than 75 percent of private businesses, schools, and industries had been shut down.

A disruption to the flow of oil has raised some concerns among foreign capitalists, who also face uncertainty in the Middle East and the decision by the government of Iraq to suspend oil shipments for 30 days.

Press reports indicate that the combination of the bosses' action and CTV strike has cut production at the country's largest oil refinery by 50 percent, while some other refineries have shut down. But this has been little effect on extraction operations at oil wells. A New York Times article reported that two oil workers were killed at one drilling site when fighting broke out between government supporters and opposition party members.  
 
 
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