The one million members of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation joined the mot powerful private industry association in Venezuela Yesterday, in vowing that a two day-old general strike will indefinitely. The strike started six weeks ago when Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez replaced his own appointee's to the board of directors of the country's state oil company in a move that is largely seen as political cronyism. The state oil company has long seen itself as a meritocracy immune to politics, and directors and workers responded to the new appointments by joining forces first in opposing the change, and now in a call for the replacement of President Chavez.
See "Venezuelans declare longer national strike", PATRICE M. JONES, Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2002