[PEN-L:3845] Mexico's CTM To Split? (fwd)

[D Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>]

> /** labr.global: 208.0 **/
> ** Topic: Mexico's CTM To Split? **
> ** Written  6:04 PM  Apr 16, 1996 by labornews in cdp:labr.global **
> From: Institute for Global Communications <labornews@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>      MEXICO CITY (Reuter) - Mexico's monolithic labor movement
> threatened to split Thursday after the semi-official Labor
> Congress said it may expel nine unions that plan an unauthorized
> march to protest government economic policies.
>      The Labor Congress has cancelled its traditional May 1 march
> to celebrate international labor day, fearing unrest as Mexico
> suffers through one its worst economic crisis ever.
>      ``For the disloyal there is no pardon,'' Congress leader
> Rafael Rivapalacio told the state-owned news agency, Notimex.
>      An independent labor group, called the Union Forum for the
> Nation, said Wednesday that it would take part in the planned
> march.
>      Included in that forum are the nine rogue unions, which
> include powerful groups of teachers, telephone workers and
> electricians. They made up about 12 percent of the labor
> congress's membership.
>
>      ``We cannot speak of a challenge, nor about confrontation,
> nor about division, what we are doing is in favor of unionism
> and in favor of the workers,'' said the leader of the telephone
> worker's union, Francisco Hernandez.
>
>      The Labor Congress has more or less evolved into the union
> wing of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has
> been in power for 67 years.