From: Barry Stoller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [L-I] Romania: 10,000 protest capitalism AP. 22 November 2001. Romania Workers Protest Poverty. BUCHAREST -- About 10,000 workers marched through Romania's capital on Thursday to protest poverty, low wages and corruption in national politics. Some protesters claimed times were better under communism. "More than a decade since the (1989) anti-communist uprising, Romania is among the last in Europe in living standards and attracting foreign investment," said Bogdan Hossu, head of the Alfa Cartel, a large union that organized the demonstration. The protesters stopped in front of the government headquarters in downtown Bucharest to call for the government to resign. They chanted "thieves"; "down with corruption," and "Ceausescu, where are you?" in reference to former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The government raised utility prices last month as part of a plan to bring them up to international levels. Monthly utilities now can cost up to $50, a strain on budgets in a country where the average monthly salary is about $100. After three years of recession between 1997-2000, about 35 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, defined as a monthly wage of $40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews with continuing coverage of WWIII _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
