A-Infos (en) 26 DAYS OF THE STRIKE AGAINST PRIVATIZATION

[Jose Fortuno <jfortuno@icepr.com>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
 ________________________________________________

26 DAYS OF THE STRIKE AGAINST PRIVATIZATION

José Fortuño
for a-infos

After 26 days of the telephone workers strike, to which broad sectors of
the people have united, the FUETE, the United Front of Telephone Company
Employees, that groups members of both unions in the company, had an
Informative Assembly, where the state of the strike was discused. The
assembly reafirmed the will to continue firm in the struggle against the
sale of the company, it was clear that there is the disposition of
certain sectors in the unions to terminate the strike.

This position, hold mostly by the leadership of both unions, is based
mainly on the development of the sale process. As another offer is being
considered, that of the Spanish TISA, that betters in several ways the
already accepted from GTE-Banco Popular, the time t hat all this will
take will be, some say, indefinte. Another element is the wear that is
observed among some workers.

To turn off the strike in moments that the goverment is divided in front
of the workers, and when the people was in the streets just seven days
ago during the General Strike, is, for other, an error.

Last Saturday, confronted with that situation, the members of the
Greater Committee of Trade Unions, CAOS, resolved ot follow the strike
and aproved a work plan to step up the struggle.

PRIVATIZATION COLLAPSES IN THE EAST - CAOS CALLS FOR A REGIONAL STOPPAGE

The Humacao sub-regional Hospital, and the Yabucoa, Naguabo and Las
Piedras clinics are closed since last Friday, when the company that had
privatized those centers found itself unable to run them. A fight
between that company and the one that manages the health plan on debts
has caused the situation.

This worsens even more the health care for low income people in the
eastern area, as the Fajardo regional Hospital is closed after the
privatizing company went broke. Also, the situation of the workers
remains uncertain, because the government has not hired them, and nobody
knows what is going to happen.

This crisis shows the falacy of privatization as the great solution that
the neoliberal government tries to impose.To demonstrate this, CAOS and
the health industry unions called for a regional stoppage, to be held
next Thursday, July 16. With it the collapse of the neoliberal scheme
and its nefast consequences for the working people.

POLITIZICED POLICE

Although the confrontations among police and strikers have slowed down
during the last days, yesterday, the Tactic Operations Unit members that
guard the entrance of strikebreakers to the company displayed a pin with
Governor Rosselló's photo in their vests. Also, they made obscene
remarks to the women in the picket line.

This is another sign of the neofacist politization of the Puerto Rico
Police. It has been admitted before that in the trainings they march
chanting slogans for the party in power, like "Rosselló stay calm, the
force is with you". It is also known that, in the past, they used photos
of leftist leaders as targets for their shooting practices.

JULY 25, A CENTURY OF USA DOMINATION

This July 25 marks a century since the invasion of Puerto Rico by USA
troops, during the spanish-american war. As a consequence of that war,
Puerto Rico was looted by the USA. This has conditioned Puerto Rican
politics since then. The political spectrum is divided in three sectors,
one that defends total anexion to USA as a state, other that promotes a
government with some autonomy, but under the USA flag, and the
independence sector, with a large quantity of tendencies.

The three sectors will hold activities on the ocassion. Those that favor
present status will concentrate in the premises of the El Morro Castle,
in old San Juan. The New Progressive Party and the government, in
another event that demonstrates that for this sector both are the same,
will meet to celebrate the USA invasion in the town of Guanica, where
the invasion took place.

In the same town will demonstrate the independetistas, in an activity
organized by the Puerto Rican Inependentista Party, that will be
attended by all groups. In Washington, Jornada 98 has called for a
concentration  (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/6098
E-mail: Jornada98@aol.com)

As the date nears, and in front of the striking movement in the country,
and that constitutes one of the most important social movements in this
century, it seems that July 98 had been marked to have a crucial meaning
for this Caribbean Island.

________________________________________________
More information at:
Huelga del Pueblo • Puerto Rico • People’s Strike
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/9169/





	***A-INFOS DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE***

A-Infos disclaims responsibility for the information in this message.


			********
		The A-Infos News Service
			********
		COMMANDS: majordomo@tao.ca
		REPLIES: a-infos-d@tao.ca
		HELP: a-infos-org@tao.ca
		WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
		INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org