NATIONWIDE STRIKE CLOSES BOLIVIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 003014

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL
SUBJECT: NATIONWIDE STRIKE CLOSES BOLIVIA

REF: LA PAZ 2823

Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer, reasons 1.4b,d


1. (SBU) Summary: Spot report, 1400. By coincidence, both
the Santa Cruz airport and the Bolivian ground transportation
unions decided to hold a 24 hour strike on November 14. The
transportation strike, protesting diesel shortages and rising
inflation, has turned confrontational in Santa Cruz and La
Paz, with blockading protesters attacking vehicles and
drivers in some areas. In Cochabamba, the stoppage is nearly
total. In La Paz, a blockade on the road from El Alto near
the gasoline distribution zone has meant travelers coming in
to La Paz face many miles on foot, while fuel to the city is
at least temporarily cut off. The Bolivian government is
providing military transportation between El Alto and the far
south neighborhoods of La Paz. Heightened police presence is
attempting to keep a route open between La Paz and the
international airport in El Alto, however, flights from Miami
into Bolivia have been canceled for the duration of the Santa
Cruz airport strike (currently American Airlines is planning
to run its evening flight into La Paz and Santa Cruz the
night of November 14.) Meanwhile, the eastern indigenous
group CIDOB and various altiplano groups in favor of the
ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party have announced
plans to converge on Sucre in support of the Constituent
Assembly: it is unclear if they will be delayed by the
nationwide transportation strike. End Summary.

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Santa Cruz Airport Closed, Again
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2. At 8:00 PM on November 13, more than 230 workers from the
Santa Cruz branch of the office of airport services (AASANA)
followed through on their threat to strike for twenty-four
hours, despite a full day of negotiations with the national
government. The strike was in response to the freezing of the
branch's accounts by the national branch, leaving AASANA
Santa Cruz employees without salaries for two months. The
full shut down of the airport forced the cancellation of all
flights into and out of Santa Cruz's International Airport.
The strike was just another incident of many involving AASANA
Santa Cruz, including a military takeover of the Santa Cruz
airport after AASANA Santa Cruz employees began demanding
cash (reftel) from airlines. Santa Cruz Prefecture official
Roly Aguilera and Civic Committee member Mario Bruno both
said they were disappointed with the results, citing AASANA
Santa Cruz members for being too impatient and the national
government for not releasing the funds necessary to operate.
As of 11:30 AM on Wednesday November 14, AASANA Santa Cruz
officials had re-entered negotiations with Transportation and
Communication Minister Kinn. If the negotiations are
successful, the strike will end as planned at 8:00 PM
November 14. If they are not, there is a possibility the
strike will be extended. This will mean continued
cancellations of both domestic and international flights in
and out of Santa Cruz, and with Santa Cruz closed, American
Airlines also cannot fly into La Paz.

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Union No
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3. (C) The transportation unions are demanding an increase in
prices they are allowed to charge, due to increased fuel
prices and what they describe as inadequate maintenance of
infrastructure. The government denied the price-increase and
is not supporting the strike, trumpeting instead (via state
media) the fact that some transportation is still moving in
various cities. Despite Evo's history as a strike and
blockade organizer, his government is taking a hard line
against this protest, announcing that the government will not
permit interruption of traffic and accusing the striking
transport workers of protesting in their own interests for
political gain. (Note: The government has also declared that
many of the strikers are drunk. End note.) With a striking
lack of strike solidarity, government scabs in the form of
military vehicles and drivers are crossing the picket lines
to provide transportation options between El Alto and the
far-southern neighborhoods of La Paz (beyond the residential
area of Zona Sur.)

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Police Say "Firmness" Needed
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4. (C) The National Commander of the Police has ordered all
police officers to be on call and has sent officers to the
main roads to eliminate blockades. Commander Vasquez stated,
"What is not permitted is to affect the rights of the rest of
the people, because we have to be able to transport people
from place to place...here authorities who act with firmness
are needed." The police have been mobilized into Santa Cruz
and Sucre. In Sucre, two opposing camps of protesters (one
in favor of continuance of the Constituent Assembly and one
pushing for inclusion of the question of the full capital in
Sucre) and incoming groups of MAS-aligned indigenous groups
have set the scene for potential violence. (Comment: The
additional presence of police forces could serve to lower the
risk of violence in Sucre, or it could serve as backup for
the MAS-aligned groups in the case of confrontation with the
opposition. End Comment.)

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Fuel for the Fire
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5. (C) One of a list of reasons in the call for a strike was
the increasing scarcity of diesel. After the Superintendent
of Hydrocarbons promised that the diesel shortage would be
solved by November 12, he has now announced the "guaranteed"
arrival of 13 thousand cubic meters of diesel destined for
Santa Cruz. The state hydrocarbons company YPFB is
prioritizing imports of fuel from Argentina and Paraguay, and
reportedly approximately 57 thousand cubic meters of diesel
will arrive by Friday to be distributed nationwide.

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Flames Burn Higher?
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6. (C) Comment: President Morales' achilles heel is the
economy. Although still popular in the polls, Evo is
clearly aware of the fact that rising inflation and localized
shortages of food and fuel are hurting him. His attempts to
distract attention away from domestic crises (his accusations
of a USG "plot" against him, the Minister of the Presidency's
recent allegation that the opposition Partido Popular party
in Spain and Spain's ex-president Aznar are also plotting
against Evo) show increasing desperation and, to the extent
that Evo believes his own accusations, paranoia. As things
heat up in Sucre, watch for more wild accusations from Evo
and the MAS.
GOLDBERG