Global Union: Free Ecuador Activists

Date: 02 February 2001

In a letter sent to the President of Ecuador, the world's largest trade union body, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), has demanded the immediate release of three activists, including the Vice-President of its affiliate in the country, Mario Morales Parra.

The ICFTU also sent an appeal to its Committee for the defence of Human and Trade Union Rights.

Along with Mr Morales Parra, of the CEOSL, the ICFTU asked for the release of Luis Villacis, President of the Popular Front, and of Antonio Vargas, President of CONAIE (National Confederation of Indians) - a major indigenous
group in Ecuador.

The three have been actively participating in the mass rallies taking place in the country over the past weeks to protest against the harsh economic measures announced by president Gustavo Noboa.

Demanding immediate halt of the government's repressive tactics, the ICFTU also "asked that guarantees be given so that the physical and moral integrity of Ecuador's social leaders be guaranteed."

In the afternoon of January 30, police forces dispersed protesters with teargas and arrested the three social leaders. They have remained in
detention since then.

Early January, protests started after the government hiked the price of the most widely-used gasoline by 25 percent to $1 per gallon and raised municipal bus fares by 75 percent.

The government upped fuel prices to try to stabilise the 2001 budget, which relies heavily on an international oil price of $20 a barrel, and to comply with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund, with which Ecuador signed a $300 million standby agreement in April 2000.

Ecuador labour unions and Indian groups later intensified their protests against government-mandated hikes in transportation fares and fuel prices, with marches and strikes.

The National Confederation of Indians, or CONAIE,
organised a nation-wide march on January 22 to mark the first anniversary of a coup, led by Indians and military officers, that overthrew former President Jamil Mahuad.

Ecuador, an Andean nation of 12.4 million people, is struggling to recover from an economic crisis. It has annual inflation of 91 percent and an $11 billion government foreign-debt burden equivalent to more than 80 percent of GDP.

The Brussels-based ICFTU has 221 affiliated national trade unions in 148 countries and territories, representing 156 million trade unionists around the world.

For further information

Contact:	ICFTU Press Department
Union:	Labor Council of NSW
Phone:	+32 2 224 0210
WWW:	http://www.icftu.org

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]