Mexico Students Won't End Strike


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit


Mexico Students Won't End Strike 

Tuesday, June 15, 1999; 1:34 a.m. EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Students at Latin America's largest university have
refused to end their strike despite administration concessions over a
tuition hike, a news agency reported.

Students launched the strike, which has shut down the 280,000-student
National Autonomous University, in April after the university council
decided to raise annual tuition from a symbolic 2 cents to $145.

On June 7, the council met again and voted to make the new tuition rates
voluntary and declared an amnesty for most strike actions. 

But the students' General Strike Council decided Monday to continue with
the strike, saying the university had failed to meet all of their six
demands, Mexico's Notimex news agency said.

Among the other demands is the reinstitution of the ``automatic pass''
under which students at the university's prep schools almost automatically
can move on to the undergraduate program.

The rejection came despite warnings from officials that the current school
semester would have to be scrapped if the strike does not end soon. 

University authorities have not increased tuition since 1948 to avoid
confrontations.  Inflation has gradually eroded tuition to a technicality.

The federal government says it cannot afford to increase funding because
of a drop in world crude oil prices, one of Mexico's main exports.

(c) Copyright 1999 The Associated Press
 
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