[southnews] Latin America marks May Day mostly with protests
 
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 11:20:28 -0500 (CDT)


 Hundreds of thousands of workers on Thursday throughout Latin America 
took to the streets on May Day, protesting against food shortage and 
unemployment, and demanding better labor conditions and wages.

Latin America marks May Day mostly with protests

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-02 11:13:48          

    MEXICO CITY, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of workers on 
Thursday throughout Latin America took to the streets on May Day, 
protesting against food shortage and unemployment, and demanding better 
labor conditions and wages.

    Workers from most labor sectors participated in the march throughout 
Latin America, including peasants, educators, government employees, and 
sex workers, while some people affiliated to labor unions and others 
marched as independent workers.

    In Mexico, about 70,000 workers from 30 independent labor unions 
marched to demand that the government stop food shortage and unemployment.

    In Peru, this day was marked by the death of four workers in a labor 
accident and by complaints against an alleged political persecution of 
human rights defenders.

    Mario Huaman, secretary general of Peru's General Workers 
Confederation (CGTP), criticized enterprises "that murder workers," 
referring to a landslide that buried four workers in a construction site 
in Lima on Wednesday.

    Huaman protested against the high cost of living and Peruvian 
President Alan Garcia's "modernization" process, which, according to 
him, is to "give away" all the natural resources and lands to 
international enterprises.

    In Bolivia, during a Labor Day ceremony held in La Paz, President 
Evo Morales rejected a report published by the United States claiming 
that Bolivia is a country potentially capable of terrorist activities.

    Morales demanded that the U.S. withdraw its troops from Iraq ifit is 
really fighting terrorism.

    In Santiago, capital of Chile, hooded protesters clashed with police 
as a Labor Day march concluded, leaving 96 people arrested.

    In Ecuador, over 15,000 people participated in Labor Day march to 
protest against labor subcontracting and hourly wage work.

    The celebration coincides with the Constituent Assembly's 
elimination of labor subcontracting, which used to allow enterprises to 
contract cheap labor through enterprises.

    Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa criticized state guilds for 
enjoying too many privileges contrary to most Ecuadorians.

    In Guatemala, thousands of workers urged to put an end to general 
corruption and basic food price hikes, and stop the high cost of living 
affecting most of this Central American country's population.

    In Nicaragua, opposition labor union celebrated the day with 
demonstrations and called on the government to stop food price hikes and 
create more jobs.

    In Cuba, half a million people headed by socialist Cuban leader Raul 
Castro show their loyalty to the revolutionary government during the 
main Labor Day ceremony in this Caribbean country.

    Cuban workers urged to continue "the road marked by Fidel (Castro) 
towards a more humane and efficient socialism."

    In Venezuela, thousands of people participated in different Labor 
Day ceremonies throughout this South American country led by President 
Hugo Chavez, who on Wednesday made a 30 percent increase in the minimum 
pay to all workers in Venezuela.

    In Paraguay, President-elect Fernando Lugo participated in the Labor 
Day celebrations, the first time an incoming president in this South 
American country is invited to participate.

    On April 20, Lugo won the presidential elections while running for 
the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC), and his victory has put an end 
to right-wing Colorado Party's 61 years of uninterrupted rule.

    In El Salvador's capital, San Salvador, thousands of people marched 
through its streets to protest against price hikes and the wage and job 
crisis in this Central American country, among other labor problems.