----- Original Message ----- From: heikki sipilä <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2000 8:33 PM Subject: Colombia: 700,000 Join General Strike >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Rick Rozoff) > >STOP NATO: °NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM > >[Now you know who Clinton's and Albright's Huey and Blackhawk helicopter >gunships will really be used against.] >_____________________________________ >BBC >Thursday, 3 August, 2000, 18:38 GMT 19:38 UK >Tight security for Colombia strike >Security forces are on full alert in Colombia where 700,000 public >sector employees and transport workers are staging a 24-hour national >strike. >The unions are protesting against government austerity measures, and >want a freeze on petrol prices and an end to the privatisation of >Colombia's state banks. >Army and police units have set up checkpoints in the main cities to >prevent any outbreaks of violence. >The authorities have also restricted the carrying of weapons and have >banned the sale of alcohol. >This strike is a protest strike and a political act... we're no longer >prepared to carry the weight of the rich on our shoulders >Wilson Borja, union leader >The Colombian Interior Minister, Humberto de la Calle Lombana, told the >BBC that the government respected the rights of employees to strike, but >the trade unions should also respect the rights of people who wanted to >work. >Indian and peasant protesters have reportedly blockaded a >road through the central coffee-growing region, and suspected Marxist >rebels bombed a high voltage power pylon in Medellin. >Disruption >Local media said demonstrators had also blocked a main route from Narino >province into neighbouring Ecuador, and tried to halt traffic on a >highway near the southwestern city of Cali. >Throughout Colombia, there have been reports of widespread disruption to >public transport. >In districts of Bogota, the lack of transport forced many people to >improvise, piling in pick-up trucks and cycling or walking to get to >work. >However, despite these sporadic incidents, protesters have seemingly >failed to disrupt key sectors of the economy. >Most public schools were closed for the day, but production at >Colombia's oil fields and refineries was reported to be running >normally, as were telephone services. >Despite the Medellin pylon bomb, the threat from Marxist rebel factions >to mount a series of co-ordinated attacks has also seemingly failed to >emerge. >Unpopular policies >It was the sixth strike against President Andres Pastrana's unpopular >economic policies, which some critics blame for creating the highest >unemployment rate in Latin America. >Andres Pastrana: Economic policies unpopular >The strike follows the announcement by Colombia's new Finance Minister >Juan Manuel Santos, that he would introduce a series of belt-tightening >measures. >The minister has pledged a 2001 budget of "sweat and tears", cut 5,000 >public-sector jobs and frozen wage increases below the rate of >inflation. >However Colombian unions believe the policy is designed to soften the >impact of recent economic problems on the country's middle class. >"This strike is a protest strike and a political act designed to send >the message to the government that we're no longer prepared to carry the >weight of the rich on our shoulders," said the leader of the main public >sector union, Wilson Borja. >Economic slump >Colombia's traditionally buoyant economy shrank 4.5% last year, its >worst performance since records began in 1905. >The economy grew in the first quarter this year, but this was partly due >to public spending cuts imposed following a loan from the International >Monetary Fund (IMF). >The loan was intended to help Colombia introduce free market reforms and >modernise its economy. >But unions say that Colombia's unemployment rate of 20.4% - the highest >in Latin America - is proof that the government's economic strategy is >not working. > > >______________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >FREE SHIPPING OR FREE SUNGLASSES at wonderfulbuys.com! We're giving >free shipping on all our great buys plus get free sunglasses. Also, >register to win a Total Gym 3000 ($1000.00 retail value). Click now, >limited time offer. > >http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/wonderfulbuys __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________ _______________________________________________ Marxist-Leninist-List mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/marxist-leninist-list
