Bolivia - June 16, 2026

Faced with the new and announced betrayal by the COB (Bolivian Workers' Central Union), which opened a dialogue with the government, in opposition to the revolutionary mass struggle that has been fighting for 47 days to oust Rodrigo Paz…

THE PEOPLE IN THE STRUGGLE HAVE ALREADY DECIDED:
NO DIALOGUE! OUT WITH PAZ! BOLIVIA IS NOT FOR SALE!

Trial and punishment for the murderers of the people!
Disband of the repressive police!

Freedom now for all those detained for fighting!

We must reject the spurious pact between the COB leadership and the Paz government, a servant of US imperialism!

FOR A NATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE ROAD BLOCKS, GRASSROOTS DELEGATES FROM THE UNIONS AND THE PEASANT MOVEMENT!

Let the rank and file who are fighting decide, not the traitorous leaders!

It's been 47 days of revolutionary struggle by workers and peasants, with over 100 road blocks, pickets, and mass mobilizations toward the seat of power in Plaza Murillo, resulting in fierce clashes with the murderous police that have left at least 6 dead, more than 250 arrested, and dozens wounded. The government, supported by the Armed Forces and the murderous police (under the orders of the US Southern Command), has even deployed fascist gangs as shock troops, as in San Julián (Santa Cruz), where they were repelled by the fury of the masses.

It was in this context that the leadership of the COB, the FSTMB, and other leaders, behind closed doors and without consulting the rank and file of workers and peasants, called a press conference to announce that the COB had sent the pro-US government of Rodrigo Paz a “Demand and Proposal for the Pacification and Recovery of the Country.” This document, comprising eight points, effectively eliminates the main demand of the workers and peasants, who had already voted in all the town hall meetings of Bolivia during the road blockades: “Out with Rodrigo Paz!” They claimed this was the way to “pacify” the country. Furthermore, Argollo himself argued: “Just as a leader knows how to call for mobilization, he must also know how to call for peace.” Similarly, the Tupac Katari Federation of Peasant Workers of La Paz sent an official note to the government, conditioning the start of dialogue on five points of demands.

In response to these demands, the government didn't hesitate for a second. Through presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez and the Foreign Minister, they invited the COB (Bolivian Workers' Central Union) to a dialogue on June 17th at 9:00 AM at the Casa del Pueblo (People's House) in La Paz, supposedly to begin a phase of "consensus-building" and "a solution development." Thus, the COB leadership seeks to negotiate with the murderer of the impoverished masses, calling for the "pacification" of the lackey of the US imperialism, Rodrigo Paz, who will only deepen the sell-off of the nation, the privatization of mines and other state-owned enterprises, and further attacks and repression against workers and peasants.

Meanwhile, that same day, the rank-and-file workers and peasants, supported by their Assemblies and Town Hall meetings, voted to intensify the struggle, chanting, "The path of the struggle is set, it will continue until victory, until Rodrigo Paz and his entire clique of ministers resign!" And they denounced the negotiations that the traitorous leaders were trying to carry out with the “vendepatria” government (a government that sells the nation out, NT), a servant of US imperialism.

Once again, as in January, the COB leadership is preparing an infamous swindle and betrayal to the revolutionary struggle of insurgent workers and peasants, a struggle that threatens to overthrow the government of the US imperialism, the IMF, and their plans to sell the nation over!

With this kind of leadership, we can't fight, much less win!

Mario Argollo of the COB (Bolivian Workers' Center) spent most of his time in hiding, using the arrest warrant as an excuse. Thus, he failed to effectively paralyze production in the mines and factories, sabotaging the general strike he himself called for. On the contrary, it was the masses, with their blockade committees and by ousting the corrupt leaders, who largely made the indefinite strike effective by blocking the main roads throughout Bolivia. Meanwhile, leaders like Argollo of the COB, the FSTMB (Federation of Mine Workers of Bolivia), and other unions such as CONAMAQ (National Confederation of Ayllus and Markas from Qullasuyu), and the CODES (Departmental Community Committees) in different parts of the country, have prevented factory workers and miners from both private and state-owned companies from leading the struggle by taking up arms and paralyzing production. On the contrary, each union negotiated independently, and the bureaucracy attempted to wear down the struggle, repeatedly forcing negotiations with the government, while the government seeks to break the fight through repression, supported by the Armed Forces, the police, and attacks by fascist groups. These were the two ends of the same rope, designed to strangle the revolutionary struggle of the insurgent masses.

The actions of COB bureaucracy and all the leaders who signed the act of betrayal with the government in January during the fight against Decree 5503, and who now again seek this pact of betrayal with our class oppressors, make it clear that the COB bureaucracy is a servant of  US imperialism. We must not allow this! WE MUST REJECT THE SPURIOUS PACT BETWEEN THE COB LEADERSHIP AND THE GOVERNMENT OF PAZ, A SERVANT OF US IMPERIALISM! The rank and file in struggle are the ones who decide and vote!

The last word has not been spoken! We must oust the union bureaucracy from the COB! Let's move to assemblies in private and state-owned mines and factories!
From each assembly, from the blockades, from peasant organizations, we must send delegates with a mandate to establish a:
National Coordinating Committee of the blockades, grassroots delegates from the unions and the peasant movement!

WE MUST Build the Power of the People!

Enough of traitors and agents of the “vendepatria” government like Argollo, who places the glorious COB at the feet of the US imperialism! Freedom now for all the imprisoned fue to the workers' and peasants' uprising!
Trial and punishment for all the murderers of the people! Disband the police and fascist gangs! WE MUST REFOUND THE COB OF 1952, WITH ITS WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' MILITIAS, WITHOUT COLLABORATIONIST BUREAUCRATS, SERVANTS OF THE CAPITALISTS AND THEIR GOVERNMENT!

We must not allow the struggle to be surrendered, because if the blockades are defeated, a dark night will fall upon the working class. That is why we must look to Argentina as an example:

- The Paz government will privatize all mining, resulting in thousands of layoffs. Instead of “cooperatives” owners coming to Huanuni or Colquiri, transnational corporations will take over the mines, leaving hundreds unemployed and starving.
- The IMF will provide loans that will be repaid with exorbitant increases in electricity and water rates, and by decimating the health and education budgets.
- For factory workers, Paz will replicate what the Milei government did. Under orders from the US imperialism, Milei opened up imports, destroying 300,000 jobs with the closure of 20,000 factories.

That is "Chicken" Paz's plan: the domestic market for transnational corporations and imperialist bankers. This way, employers will quickly become importers and maintain their enormous profits. To achieve this, the government will target not only the exploited but also the leaders and their organizations, aiming to eliminate all unions. Enough with the lies!

Let no one weaken the struggle, divide it, isolate the blockades, and leave them at the mercy of government repression and its damned murderous police. From this Coordinating Committee, a call could be made for:

A NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' CONGRESS WITH REPRESENTATIVE DELEGATES FROM EACH BLOCKADE, UNION, AND PEASANT CENTRAL ORGANIZATION IN STRUGGLE

To coordinate and centralize the power of the workers, peasants, and indigenous peoples of Bolivia…

Before it is too late, let us call upon the rank and file soldiers to fight, to disobey all orders from officers to kill the people, and to establish their committees to send their delegates to this Congress! For self-defense committees aimed at building workers' and peasants' militias! For the disband of the police and all repressive forces and the crushing of fascist gangs! Unrestricted freedom for all arrested for fighting!

From all the roadblocks, everything must stop now…in the mines, factories, and schools to guarantee a true: REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL STRIKE UNTIL we bring down Rodrigo Paz, the Media Luna, and expel US imperialism! Out with the IMF!

This congress would have the strength and full authority to impose the effective strike that the COB leadership failed to guarantee: so the means of production would be paralyzed and  miners and factory workers delegates would be sent to all the roadblocks.

From this Congress, a revolutionary workers' solution to the capitalist crisis can be forged:

- To obtain bread, work, and a living wage, we must expropriate the expropriators of the people: Nationalization without compensation and under workers' control of hydrocarbons and private and cooperative mining.
- To have bread for the poor and land for the peasants: Nationalization of the land of the Media Luna oligarchy.
- We must end the usurious debt of the world banks now! Out with the IMF!

For the unity of the masses in struggle!: WE MUST BUILD UP THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE BELOW, THE WORKERS, PEASANTS, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE WHOLE BOLIVIA!

FOR A REVOLUTIONARY PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF WORKERS AND PEASANTS!
Only with this government can all our demands be fully met!
Long live the workers' and peasants' alliance throughout the Americas! Bolivia and Latin America are not for sale!
Out with the IMF, US imperialism, and their military bases from Latin America! Down with Trump's “Shield of the Americas” and its subservient governments!

Socialist revolution or US colony!

Liga Socialista de los trabajadores internacionalistas (Internationalist Socialist Workers' League)(LSTI) of Bolivia, affiliated with the FLTI