[NYTr] Costa Ricans Rail Against CAFTA
 
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:09:45 -0600 (CST)

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
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Costa Ricans Rail Against CAFTA

Havana, Nov 27 (acn)  Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) workers 
marched Monday against implementation of the CAFTA free trade treaty 
between the United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic, 
under discussion in the parliament.

The labor organizations called on the 20,000 ICE employees to conduct a 
work stoppage and warned they would go on a general strike if the 
legislature approves the agenda of parallel issues needed for 
implementation of CAFTA-DR, reports Granma newspaper.

Among the 11 bills in a fast tracking law to speed through 
implementation of the trade pact is a law that would break the state 
monopoly in the telecommunications industry, opening it up to foreign 
corporations, and another to supposedly strengthen ICE.

The workers argue that by approving the two bills, ICE will become just 
one more operator, reducing its ability to make investments and pay 
salaries, and would oblige ICE to pay income tax, which would mean 
higher rates for the population.

The company would also have to compete with multinational 
telecommunications corporations under new contracting obstacles imposed 
by CAFTA.

ICE unions along with other Costa Rican organizations maintain that the 
projects comprising the CAFTA-DR implementation agenda have the common 
denominator of accepting the main regulations of the agreement itself.
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