SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has expressed his deep regret at the tragic death of the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez.

“I want to express my deep regret at the death of Hugo Chavez whose passing is a tragedy for the Venezuelan people and the oppressed and downtrodden of Latin America and the wider world.”

“His vision of an egalitarian society for which he strove so earnestly offered a humane and radical alternative to the collapsing edifice of the neo-liberal project which has wreaked such havoc across the globe.

“His death from cancer at such a young age is a sad loss for all progressive people and movements that aspire to fairness and justice in society.”