the so-called cooperatives, was abolished, except nothing was done to facilitate direct contracting between workers and their employers. so a few scheme has popped up called simply filing joint stock companies, or s.a.s., goodbye cooperatives, meet the new boss, worse than the old boss. the government has done little to help, unfortunately. when i asked vice president car zahn about the port workers he promised to meet again with the union leader. mr. speaker, it's not the workers he needs to meet with and convince to negotiate, it's the presidents of the port associations. oil workers showed me photographs and documents describing poor living conditions and working conditions. unfair contracts, and how the canadian, venezuelan oil company acts like a sovereign government on colombian soil, destroying public roads, firing workers for organizing, and calling in security forces to tear gas striking workers. i'm not it's not the whole picture, but once again striking workers returned to work because the government promised to open talks with the company. again all the -- get all the workers are asking for is the right to negotiate directly with the company about their contracts and their living and work