DOMINICAN POLITICS III #28: NATIONAL WORK STOPPAGE

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001626 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, DRL, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD; TREASURY FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS DEPT OF LABOR (INTERNATIONAL); DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC FOR 3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: DR ASEC ELAB PGOV SUBJECT: DOMINICAN POLITICS III #28: NATIONAL WORK STOPPAGE PROTEST MONDAY JULY 9 ¶1. (U) This is the 28th cable in our series on Dominican politics in the third year of the administration of President Leonel Fernandez. NATIONAL WORK STOPPAGE AND PROTEST, JULY 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Radical neighborhood associations have called for a national strike in the Dominican Republic on Monday, July 9. The strike is led by leftist community organizations such as the Foro Social Alternativo, or Alternative Social Forum. Their most articulate spokesman is Fidel Santana, who emphasized the groups' peaceful intentions. These groups have coordinated to launch other smaller, localized strikes in other parts of the country in recent months. at least two occasions they attempted to coordinate with powerful drivers' unions and less powerful labor unions to launch strikes in Santo Domingo, too. Both strikes failed to take place for various reasons. Contacts between the authorities and the strike leaders over the weekend failed to move either side. In a suburb of the second city, Santiago, three men were wounded by an explosion that appears to have occurred as they were putting together a homemade bomb for use in the strike. Police officials identified them as neighborhood organizers associated with the hotbed city of Navarete, north of Santiago. Strikers are protesting a wide range of problems that most acutely affect working class Dominicans, such as gas prices that have risen 57 pct over three years, the failure of salary increases to match inflationary losses for private and public sector employees, evictions of squatters in the capital region, etc. The July 9 strike is scheduled to last 24 hours. It was originally scheduled for July 10, but the organizations elected on June 23 to move it forward by a day in order to accommodate "school exams," which begin on July 10. It could have been moved in accordance with the Dominican tradition of holding strikes on Mondays, which effectively prolongs the weekend for those who heed the call to strike. The strike has received the full support of the PRD, the main opposition party, and its presidential candidate, Miguel Vargas. The PRD if probably providing logistical and financial support, with the aim of embarrassing the Fernandez government. The powerful three main transportation unions held an assembly at 4:00 pm on Saturday, July 7 but made no public pronouncements. Although they are not endorsing the strike, it is likely that many of their operators and vehicles will stay off the streets, avoiding any possible confrontations. The Armed Forces and National Police said they would post additional policemen and soldiers on the streets to "guarantee order." Small groups of military were visible on street corners in Santo Domingo on Monday morning. These threats to strike have come and gone in the past. They are often cancelled at the last minute in response to modest concessions from the government. However, unlike the situation in past strikes that were planned by labor or transportation unions, the organization that appears to be in the driver's seat this time, Foro Social Alternativo, seems more interested in scoring a political point than in winning concessions. This would also appear to be the primary motivation for the PRD. That said, transportation unions are still probably feeling a little gunshy after the public outcry in the wake of the last minor transportation strike, where a molotov cocktail was hurled at a bus full of passengers, as a result of which several pregnant females were seriously burned. - - Drafted by Ted Bryan ¶2. (U) This report and extensive other material can be consulted on our SIPRNET site, http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/ BULLEN