[sustran] Santiago: Bus Strike Hits, then Ends

Christopher Zegras chris at mailnet.rdc.cl
Wed Oct 22 22:41:23 JST 1997


Courtesy of Chipnews www.chip.cl

October 21
HEADLINE:  BUS STRIKE AFFECTS 5 MILLION
Eleventh Hour Negotiations Fail To Avert Strike
KEYWORDS:  ECONOMY; LABOR
SOURCE:  LA EPOCA
SOURCE:  EL MERCURIO
TEXT:    Public bus companies and bus drivers abandoned their
vehicles Tuesday on the first of a two day of a strike intended to
dramatize their opposition to government transportation policy.
        Ignoring warnings from the Transportation Ministry of stiff
penalties, public bus companies and the unions which represent
36,000 drivers, united forces to bring public transport to a halt.
Although negotiations continued around the clock last night, an
agreement averting the strike could not be reached.
        Taxis, collectivos, vans, and trucks were doing a brisk
business this morning as residents of Santiago and Region V were
compelled to find alternative means to get to work.  Government
officials lifted vehicle restrictions, temporarily suspended car pool
lanes, doubled subway service, and authorized tourist vans and
other vehicles to carry passengers.
        Transportation Minister Claudio Hohmann urged companies
not to strike and lauded the decision of the National Federation of
Urban and Interurban Buses, which operates in the provinces, not
to adhere to the movement.  "We will not be held hostage to the
unilateral and nonsensical decisions of the bus companies,"
Hohmann commented.
        Transportation companies and bus drivers object to a new
set of regulations the Ministry has proposed, bus fares that vary
according to the hour and distance traveled, permits issued for
five years instead of two or three, and stringent adherence to
labor laws.  The Ministry would also restrict the numbers of buses
circulating at any given time.
        Bus owners and drivers oppose the new rules and the
present system of safety inspections.  They also want stiffer
regulation of taxis, which bus owners say receive preferential
treatment.
        Bus drivers, whose salaries are based on a percentage of the
fare collected, have their own concerns - including demands for a
set monthly salary, uniforms and improved benefits.
        Government Secretary General Jose Joaquin Brunner said the
government has not yet decided whether to apply the harsh
sanctions of the Internal Security Act, as it did during public
transportation strike in 1992.  "We shall see if we need to apply
the law or not," he said.
        Demetrio Marinakis, president of the bus companies'
Transportation Board, declared that the strike will continue until a
favorable agreement is signed. He added that the companies will
assess the success of Tuesday's strike and determine whether to
extend it another day.

Oct. 22
 --  BUS STRIKE CONCLUDES.  Originally called for 48 hours,
the public bus strike came to an end 12 hours after it was
launched Tuesday, but not before causing massive traffic jams.
Although an estimated 8,500 buses stayed off the streets in
support of the strike, the government's decision to lift vehicle
restrictions for the day brought more than half a million cars
circulating in the city.
        The strike ended without a concrete agreement in hand, but
with a commitment on both sides to return to the bargaining table.
Bus drivers initially objected to the protocol agreement bus
companies made with the Transportation Ministry and threatened
to continue the strike on their own.  The drivers' position changed
after reassurance from Transportation Council President Demetrio
Marinakis and they agreed to participate in the new round of talks
scheduled to resume Thursday.
 Christopher Zegras       http://www.iiec.org                 /\   /^\
 Instituto Internacional para la Conservacion de Energia /^\ /_o\ /   \
 General Flores 150, Providencia, Santiago, CHILE       /^^^/_\< /^^^^^\
 Tel: (56 2) 236 9232 Fax: 236 9233                    /   (*)/(*)      \



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