Former GM Autoworker on Hunger Strike for Over 70 Days with Lips Sewn Shut

Amien Essif

Last week, Take Action News named Jorge Parra “activist of the week” for his work with the organization ASOTRECOL, the Association of Injured Workers and Ex-workers of GM Colombia. The organization was formed over a year ago to represent General Motors workers fired from a Columbian plant after suffering job-related injuries. GM has been reluctant to negotiate with the group, but Parra and his fellow activists are hard to ignore: Many have sewn their lips shut as part of a hunger strike that, for Parra, has lasted over two months.

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Amien Essif is a regular contributor to Working In These Times and maintains a blog called The Gazine, which focuses on consumerism, gentrification, and technology with a Luddite bent. His work has also appeared on the Guardian and CounterPunch. You can find him using Twitter reluctantly: @AmienChicago
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