It's six hours to the General Strike of the people against privatization, and the words of trade-union leader Annie Cruz seem like a prophecy fulfilled. Cruz, the spokesperson for the Greater Committee of Labor Organizations(CAOS) said that the General Strike had to be seen as an approaching hurricane.
The mood among the people is of expectation. For the majority of the people, those who are for the strike, there is a sense of confidence and victory.
As soon as the CAOS announced its intentions to picket the entrances, the main commercial mall in the country and the largest in the Caribbean, Plaza Las Americas, announced that it will close on Tuesday and Wednesday. PLA has 190 stores.
All the other large malls will close, including Plaza Carolina, Montehiedra, San Patricio Plaza, Plaza del Caribe in Ponce, Santa Rosa Mall in Bayamón, and Plaza Caribe in Vega Baja.
Banco Popular, the main bank in the country, and the local partner in the Telephone Company sale, announced that it will close all its branches. The Bank Association has allegedly called its members to close operations.
Cruise ships which were scheduled to be in the port of San Juan during the next two days canceled, a blow to the tourist economy of Old San Juan. LIAT, a medium sized airline with 7 daily flights from San Juan, announced the cancellation of all flights.
Police vigilance has increased at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, and FBI agents are present. Employees at all government agencies are expected to picket the entrances to their workplaces. Employees of private companies, prohibited from engaging in solidarity strikes by the infamous Taft-Hartley law, will refuse to cross picket lines.
Every minute we hear of new adhesions to the movement, as well as condemnations against the repressive and intransigent attitude of the government. The government insists on reducing the problem to one of police security, and refuses to engage the real issues at stake.
Last night, in several telephone company centers, management personnel and strikebreakers entered the facilities aided by aggressive SWAT police teams. They are not expected to be able to exit the facilities until after the General Strike. In Cellular Plaza, the student leader Natalia Fortuño, this writer's daughter, was struck with a club by a policeman. The policeman, in violation of the law, was not wearing his identification tag. The scene in which Natalia questions the policeman on why he beat her, was reproduced in the front page photograph of El Nuevo Dia.
It can be seen today at: http://www.endi.com/frente/
During the night , we will be sending updates on the situation, and also in the coming days.
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LUCHA SI - ENTREGA NO
Find more information at http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/9169/