Puerto Rico: reprisals after general strike id CAA29632; Thu, 9 Oct 1997 02:25:52 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Tue, 7 Oct 97 12:03:27 CDT source:socappeal@easynet.co.uk Puerto Rico: Reprisals after the general strike This week there have been reprisals against workers who participated in what is the island's biggest ever march against privatisations. SAN JUAN.- The participation in the General Strike of last wednesday against the sale of the Telephone company brought the employees of the Fomento Bank unwanted and unpadi holidays starting today. The Bank sent a series of letters to the 138 unionised workers announcing that they are suspended from employment and pay for two days as a result of them not going to work without authorisation on the day of the General Strike The president of the Fomento Bank, Marcos Rodriguez-Ema, said that disciplinary action was taken because the employees did not go to work thus breaking the collective agreement between the management and the employees. "All employees were warned last week of the consecuences they would face if they did not go to work in order to participate in the strike. Nevertheless, on the day of the strike, all bar one were absent from work" said Rodriguez-Ema. Maria Teresa Rodriguez, president of the Union of Employees of the Government Fomento Bank, said that tehy are going to appeal against Rodrigues-Ema using the collective bargaining agreemnt. The president of the union said that the suspension of employement without pay is a break of the General Labour Rules Book. This says that after the first non-authorised absence the employee will receive a verbal warning. The march had been called by the main trade unions, and supported by political, civic, religious, community and student organisations, which waved the Puerto Rican flag and shouted loud slogans against Pedro Rossello. The discipline of the marchers meant that the presence of the police was useless. The police had displayed air and maritime units plus the Mounted Unit and the Shock Forces, historically used against students and the labour movement. (Pr/YZ/Au-Po/Cs-Pep/mc) (c) 1997, Pulsar, All rights reserved Translated by La Red Obrera (laredobrera@socappeal.easynet.co.uk) Agencia Informativa Pulsar Email: pulsar@pulsar.org.ec http://www.web.net/amarc/pulsar.html Tel: +(593-2) 501-180 Fax: +(593-2) 501-180Atahualpa 333 y Ulloa, Casilla 17-08-8489, Quito, Ecuador info about the strike can be found at LabourNet's web site: http://www.labournet.org.uk ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytlab-10.09.97-02:26:09-16972