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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 003259 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
USDOL FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2021 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB VE
SUBJECT: CTV WORKING FOR ROSALES 
 
REF: CARACAS 002466 
 
CARACAS 00003259  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT DOWNES, 
REASON 1.4 (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  The Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV) 
is bucking the abstentionist policy of its patron party, 
Accion Democratica (AD), and supporting the presidential 
campaign of consensus opposition candidate Manuel Rosales. 
The CTV can help staff Rosales' voter mobilization and poll 
watching operations, but its pro-Chavez competition, the 
National Workers Union (UNT) is doing the same, if not more, 
for the Chavez campaign.  The Labor Ministry has rejected the 
CTV's reorganization plan, so the confederation's plans to 
call internal union elections are on hold.  The CTV was 
preparing to nominate CTV President Carlos Ortega for 
re-election while Ortega was in jail, but will eventually 
have to review that decision after Ortega's August 13 prison 
escape (Reftel).  CTV Secretary General Manuel Cova said the 
ex-workers who had taken over Coca-Cola processing facilities 
in Venezuela did not appear to have legitimate grievances. 
End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
CTV Backs Rosales 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (C) CTV Secretary General Manuel Cova told poloff October 
26 that the CTV is "almost" entirely behind consensus 
opposition candidate Manuel Rosales' presidential bid.  The 
CTV Executive Board broke ranks with the absentionist policy 
of the Accion Democratica (AD) Party (the party to which the 
CTV has been historically subordinate) when 32 out of 34 CTV 
executive board members voted several weeks ago to support 
Rosales' campaign.  Cova said he is heading up the Rosales' 
outreach campaign to union workers and meets regularly with 
Rosales' closest political advisors. 
 
¶3. (C) The CTV hopes to help staff key Rosales campaign 
operations, including get-out-the-vote activities, poll 
watching teams, and the post-election "defense" of the 
electoral results.  Cova said his primary message to union 
workers is that the future of an independent trade union 
movement is at stake in the December 3 presidential election. 
 Cova believes Rosales is gaining momentum, but he conceded 
that the opposition still needs to persuade many potential 
Rosales supporters to "overcome their fears" and vote. 
 
------------------- 
CTV's Woes Continue 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The CTV continues to face competition from the 
pro-Chavez National Workers Union (UNT) and is struggling for 
survival.  The National Electoral Council (CNE) continues to 
withhold certification of CTV member unions and is 
withholding approval of some 270 collective bargaining 
agreements negotiated by CTV affiliates, according to Cova. 
Cova also reported that the Labor Ministry rejected the CTV's 
internal reorganization plan, adding that he believed the 
Labor Ministry is seeking to begin a protracted and intrusive 
negotiating process with the CTV.  The CTV is not playing. 
 
¶5. (C) Without Labor Ministry approval for its reorganization 
plan, the CTV has had to defer calling internal presidential 
elections.  Cova told poloff in early August that the CTV 
planned to re-nominate Carlos Ortega for re-election over the 
objections of a number of CTV executive board members.  At 
that time, Ortega was serving a 16-year sentence for his role 
in the December 2002 to February 2003 national strike. 
Ortega subsequently escaped from military prison on August 
13, but his whereabouts remain unknown.  Cova said the CTV 
will eventually have to review its position to nominate 
Ortega for re-election. 
 
-------------------- 
Coca-Cola Job Action 
-------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Asked about the take-over of Coca-Cola processing 
plants in Venezuela that started on October 24, Cova said the 
protesting ex-workers were a combination of formerly 
contracted employees who where not protected by a collective 
bargaining agreement or were full-time workers who already 
 
CARACAS 00003259  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
received due severance.  Cova said the job action to extract 
back pay and retirement benefits from Femsa, the Mexican 
company that owns Coca-Cola in Venezuela, prevented CTV 
workers from doing their jobs at Coca-Cola facilities. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Cova added that CTV workers also have some labor 
issues with Femsa, but is pursuing its interests in 
"appropriate channels" without trying to politicize 
labor-management relations at Coca-Cola.  (Note: The National 
Assembly deputies who championed the takeovers brokered an 
end to the job action on October 27.  The deputies reportedly 
agreed to get the National Assembly to ask the Supreme 
Tribunal to review lower court decisions that did not satisfy 
the former workers.) 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) Venezuela's largest independent trade union umbrella, 
the CTV, is a shadow of its former self under pre-Chavez 
governments.  Moreover, while badly divided, the pro-Chavez 
UNT will likely be able to mobilize as many, if not more, 
union workers in support of the Chavez campaign. 
Nevertheless, the CTV's support for opposition candidate 
Rosales gives his campaign a boost in two areas where it 
really needs help.  First, the CTV's support may be helpful 
in persuading would be Rosales supporters to go to the polls 
instead of abstaining.  Second, the CTV can still mobilize 
large numbers of people in Venezuela's urban areas.  Rosales 
needs a significant number of trained volunteers if his 
campaign is going to be able to mount credible 
get-out-the-vote and poll watching operations. 
 
WHITAKER