“There was a time when we almost closed the Polo Obrero”. Words of surprise in the mouth Edward BelibonThe main figure of that left-wing territorial organization. In dialogue ᲔᲠᲘ, One of the social leaders who has been the most agitated on the streets lately, is sincere. “When employment increased, it made no sense,” he said, referring to the economic recovery since the 2001 crisis. Trial.

“We are not in favor of permanent social organizations. When there was work, people went to work. The companions did not shy away from the social program, which is trouble, and the work that allowed them to put their lives in order.“, Describes Belibon, who, along with the other organizations that create Picketero Division This Thursday he played in the “Federal March,” which came to the city of Buenos Aires from across the country.

On the 160 lines from railway worker to bus driver, Belibon’s biography is marked by constant change, but is always inhabited in one place: the city of Buenos Aires. Burzako. The social leader accepted ᲔᲠᲘ His family moved to the same monoblock 50 years ago. It was when his father went to work at the former state electricity company Segba shortly before his death. Today, His only coat is a “niche”, a dog poodle, which he nicknamed after a German philosopher..

From an early age, his close connection to politics contradicted the dynamics of his working life, a path that was not free from ups and downs. In the midst of the menemic privatization process to organize a parallel commission of delegates after the release of the railway, His comings and goings had a turning point in the mid-1990sThe moment he started to connect with Polo Obrero. “I bought Duna there and I am going to work as a taxi driver”, – comments the current territorial reviewer. Since he had enough free time, he accepted a comrade-in-arms invitation to collaborate with Lomas de Zamora’s organization.

Belibon says that in his first years as a taxi driver, his work failed to fully meet his political commitment. “I had a worse financial situation than my colleagues because I invented trips to attend meetings.”, Remember. “He told the agency that the trips had to wait. When I got back, I had to pay a commission. “Besides, we were paid a little and I did not earn a single penny. I had to pay for military service,” he said.

Thus began its history Worker poleFirst part of the organization’s southern zone table and, finally, part of the national table, which was headed by a leader at the time. Nestor Petrol. “I knew him from the congresses, but there I started a more direct relationship and a common fighter,” said Belibon, who has been his friend for years.

“I’m a little confused about this. I became an electrician, Something I learned on the railroad. “He also did some rematch, but now with private clients, so he did not have to spend 12 hours in the same place and could have spent a little more time fighting,” he added.

Unemployed workers

Belibon does not shy away from arguing with those who accuse him of “managing” poverty. “We have The concept of an unemployed worker“, – he says. This is because, in his view, all theories that have been put forward about “labor culture” hide “manipulation of the unemployment situation in order to put pressure on wage cuts and job insecurity.”

For a social leader, on the other hand, We will not talk about “people who can not afford it and need social assistance”, but about workers who remained unemployed as a result of the “capitalist crisis”.. “The goal of a worker like the current society is to be able to fight for better working conditions if he has one,” he said.

Belibon’s position is clear: People should not be blamed for unemployment. For this reason, he advocates that those who do not have a registered job have access to “Unemployment Insurance”. “As it was in Europe, where the state took responsibility for job destruction as a result of its policies,” he said.

“Then you have the guys who complain on TV because they can not find people to pick cherries. I ask them: How much do you pay for this? Less than what the social plan pays? And good, skinny, pay the wages because you export cherries“, Shoot.

Differences with the “popular economy” and Graboa

It happens that in contrast to the social movements associated with the Casa Rosada, which suggest that the state should recognize informal workers as workers, Left-wing organizations see the notion of a “popular economy” as a ploy to try to cover up job insecurity and avoid a fight for “real work.”. Conceptual dissent has evolved into overtly antagonistic political strategies.

“The economy is capitalist because the relations of production are influenced by the conditions imposed by the system. The other is those who are outgoing people who, as they say, arrange work, but it is unstable. For example, As Masons, they receive lower wages than the Wokra agreementWhich in itself is already very low, “Belibon said.

Along this line, the Trotskyist leader does not hesitate to argue that “the guy who has to go collecting cardboard is not an entrepreneur,” but rather one who “lives in trouble.” The recipient of the message is only one: Juan Grabua, the leader of the Expelled Workers’ Movement (MTE).

All you have to do is organize it, enroll in a paper guild, and compete for guild leadership. He fights for what fits “He argues that he would conclude later: “But hey, it’s easier to maintain instability than to struggle to allocate working hours or to train colleagues who do not have it.”