The General Strike, convoked by the Broad Committe of Trade Unions, will begin today at midnight. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of workers unite the movement, with a stoppage of the government opperations and several sectors of the economy.
Speaking on the General Strike, Annie Cruz, spokesman for CAOS, said that the members of over 60 trade unions would be stopping their work and picketing their work centers from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 m.
Between 12:00 m. to 1:00 p.m., there will be automovile caravans and demonstrations all over the island, and between 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. there will be concentrations in 45 places around the island. Those include hospitals, government offices, ports, the bank zone, malls and several campuses of the University of Puerto Rico.
We are going to make pressure on the industry, the banks, and commerce, because those are the ones that identify with the interest of the governor, and they are whom we have to press so the governor, at least, accepts to celebrate a referendum, said the leader of the telephone workers, and stressed that we will not let the employees get to their work places.
Cruz said that in citites like New York, Tampa, Dallas and in the state of California there will be picketing and recollections in front of Banco Popular branches and GTE offices, that, to this moment, are the buyers for the Telephone Company, as well as the Citibank, the financing entity for GTE.
On Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., a news comference will be staged, and then the demonstrations will go on.
Although Cruz did not rule out that the basic services could be affected, she said that this is a strike of the Puerto Rican people, and not against the Puerto Rican people, and, in that way, they do not approve the sabotage to governments faccilities that, are contradictory and, instead of helping the cause, get it backwards.
She used the opportunity also to clarify her sayings on a similarity between the stoppage and the coming of a hurricane, saying that when I was comaring this to when a hurricane is coming, I was talking about the government and the big interests, those tht are pressing on the working people and are for privatization policy.
On Wednesday, the strategy will differ a little, because they will concetrate large quantities of people in just five places, in San Juan, Caguas, Arecibo, Ponce and Mayaguez.
On the possibility that violent acts may occur at the picket lines and concentration places, Cruz said that we dont want violence nor blood. We are going to make our activities without violenco, but, if they want violence, we are going to have to respond in some way, because we have to defend ourselves... we are not going to do as Jesus Christ, to give the other cheek.
On the aggenda after the General Strike, she said that on Thursday, they would evaluate the results, in order to establish new strategies, to know if we can go on with the Telephone workers strike, of will stop it at some moment.
Cruz will go on a five minutes TV message tonight, to call the people to unite to the General Strike.
In the last few days, the popular support for the strike has been growing. In opinion polls, the majority is for the stoppage. At every moment, hundreds of cars pass by the picket lines and the people express their support. This is in sharp contrast with a traditional negative attitude of the public opinion towards the strikes and the trade unions.
The only other general strike in Puerto Ricos history was on 1934, when the countrys economy was mostly agriculture.
This Puerto Rican workers struggle is not for more money or for working conditions. It is a struggle to stop the neo-liberal policy that gives up the states companies to the big transnational capital.
LUCHA SI - ENTREGA NO
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