Dominicana_1965
15th November 2006, 20:25
Union leaders unswayed, Dominicans brace for strike
SANTO DOMINGO.- Organizers of the "civic and pacific" protest today ratified their call to strike for 48 hours, beginning at 6:00 AM Thursday, and denounced the arrest of some 30 popular leaders in Villa Vásquez township (northwest), as Dominicans brace for potential traffic snarls and possible violence.
CNTU drivers’ union president Ramon Perez Figuereo and spokesman for the strike’s organizers said that a series of aggressions and searches with more than 30 arrests took place in Villa Vásquez, where 6 people were wounded when they protested for the lack of drinking water and electrical energy.
However, National Investigations Department (DNI) director Sigfrido Pared affirmed that strike’s organizers will not be detained. "That to arrest, raid houses and persecute unionists because they organize a strike or protests, are surpassed stages," said the DNI chief.
But Perez Figuereo last night described president Leonel Fernandez’s speech as "empty, because it didn’t contribute solve the country’s problems, and centered his speech in the tax package.”
The drivers’ union leader said that the strike will be with vigils, the lighting of candles, with black banners, the sounding of empty kettles, marches, penalizations and closing of some businesses.
He added that the government is speaking of 18 billion pesos, while Fernandez said that they’re 35 billion, "to supposedly sacrificing itself with half, but the Government is not going to have any plan of savings, because he has wasted money in the reelections campaign, taking people to rallies."
Perez Figuereo said that the nation expected that the government would not increase the tax on processed goods and services (Itebis), and that the chief executive wasn’t clear on the increase of that tax, adding that it was criminal to penalize insurances with a 10 percent levy.
He called on drivers to paralyze their vehicles, to colmado owners to close their doors, for teachers to not give classes and workers and industrialists to stage walkouts from 6:00 AM Thursday.
"We feel that the President’s speech was empty because it didn’t fill the expectations, because he didn’t speak about the power crisis, the blackouts, nor spoke of the amount money which has been spent on the metro (subway) and only limited himself to disguise the tax package and in the end lied to the country," Perez Figuereo.
For its part, the Fenatrado transport union today rejected the call to strike, because in his view the conditions for a stoppage of transit don’t exist. "Fenatrado considers that the national economic and social situation is serious, especially for the poorest sectors. Nevertheless, it considers that a general transport strike merits a deep dialogue with the Government and other authorities, and invites the postponing the call to strike," said its president Blas Peralta in a document.
He feels that the legal means, via a dialogue and agreement must be resorted to before calling a general transit strike, and called on the parts to engage in a dialog to solve the population’s problems.
Moreover, the leftist leader Narciso Isa Conde affirmed that the Government deserves a general strike, "before its privatizing and impoverishing betrayal," in addition to the tax “packet.”
"The patience is exhausted, the people are sick and tired of the so many abuses, impoverishment and unpunished corruption of the present administration" said Isa.
No arrests
The DNI chief stated that he will not order the arrest of the leaders of the protest’s organizers.
In statements for the newspaper El Nacional, the official said that the citizens have a right to protest, but within the law, pointing out however, that the DNI, the Police and other Law enforcement agencies will be ready to intervene in case of attempts against the public order.
"The country has advanced much, that to arrest, to raid houses and to persecute unionists because they organize strike or protests, are surpassed stages, a person has the right to protest; but to avoid lamentable incidents, we will be ready," said the DNI director, repeating that as far as his entity is concerned, “there will be no arrests."
http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=19703
SANTO DOMINGO.- Organizers of the "civic and pacific" protest today ratified their call to strike for 48 hours, beginning at 6:00 AM Thursday, and denounced the arrest of some 30 popular leaders in Villa Vásquez township (northwest), as Dominicans brace for potential traffic snarls and possible violence.
CNTU drivers’ union president Ramon Perez Figuereo and spokesman for the strike’s organizers said that a series of aggressions and searches with more than 30 arrests took place in Villa Vásquez, where 6 people were wounded when they protested for the lack of drinking water and electrical energy.
However, National Investigations Department (DNI) director Sigfrido Pared affirmed that strike’s organizers will not be detained. "That to arrest, raid houses and persecute unionists because they organize a strike or protests, are surpassed stages," said the DNI chief.
But Perez Figuereo last night described president Leonel Fernandez’s speech as "empty, because it didn’t contribute solve the country’s problems, and centered his speech in the tax package.”
The drivers’ union leader said that the strike will be with vigils, the lighting of candles, with black banners, the sounding of empty kettles, marches, penalizations and closing of some businesses.
He added that the government is speaking of 18 billion pesos, while Fernandez said that they’re 35 billion, "to supposedly sacrificing itself with half, but the Government is not going to have any plan of savings, because he has wasted money in the reelections campaign, taking people to rallies."
Perez Figuereo said that the nation expected that the government would not increase the tax on processed goods and services (Itebis), and that the chief executive wasn’t clear on the increase of that tax, adding that it was criminal to penalize insurances with a 10 percent levy.
He called on drivers to paralyze their vehicles, to colmado owners to close their doors, for teachers to not give classes and workers and industrialists to stage walkouts from 6:00 AM Thursday.
"We feel that the President’s speech was empty because it didn’t fill the expectations, because he didn’t speak about the power crisis, the blackouts, nor spoke of the amount money which has been spent on the metro (subway) and only limited himself to disguise the tax package and in the end lied to the country," Perez Figuereo.
For its part, the Fenatrado transport union today rejected the call to strike, because in his view the conditions for a stoppage of transit don’t exist. "Fenatrado considers that the national economic and social situation is serious, especially for the poorest sectors. Nevertheless, it considers that a general transport strike merits a deep dialogue with the Government and other authorities, and invites the postponing the call to strike," said its president Blas Peralta in a document.
He feels that the legal means, via a dialogue and agreement must be resorted to before calling a general transit strike, and called on the parts to engage in a dialog to solve the population’s problems.
Moreover, the leftist leader Narciso Isa Conde affirmed that the Government deserves a general strike, "before its privatizing and impoverishing betrayal," in addition to the tax “packet.”
"The patience is exhausted, the people are sick and tired of the so many abuses, impoverishment and unpunished corruption of the present administration" said Isa.
No arrests
The DNI chief stated that he will not order the arrest of the leaders of the protest’s organizers.
In statements for the newspaper El Nacional, the official said that the citizens have a right to protest, but within the law, pointing out however, that the DNI, the Police and other Law enforcement agencies will be ready to intervene in case of attempts against the public order.
"The country has advanced much, that to arrest, to raid houses and to persecute unionists because they organize strike or protests, are surpassed stages, a person has the right to protest; but to avoid lamentable incidents, we will be ready," said the DNI director, repeating that as far as his entity is concerned, “there will be no arrests."
http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=19703