Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Costa Rica: massive protests and strikes take over the country

Not everything is alright in Costa Rica anymore, especially since the government began privatizing everything and making outlandish concessions to multinational corporations. 

Schools, harbors and health services have been paralyzed in total or partial manner. 

In the capital, San José, thousands marched peacefully but shouting out their anger: "We are not sheep", "no more chorizos [thieves]", "death to the sell out by the government", "no to suppression of the right to strike". 


There were also large marches in all the other provinces of the small country, as well as road blockades and worker strikes. 

In the main port, Limón, workers closed the docks altogether and blocked the only road access to the harbor.

President Chinchilla has made some very unpopular decisions in the last months, selling out the country's wealth and utilities to the private sector, while also falling to many corruption scandals. 

One of these highly controversial decisions is the concession to a Dutch company (ATM) of a new harbor in Limón, which would ruin the publicly-owned current one. Another is the preparation of a law that would severely restrict the right of strike. The corruption scandals are so widespread that the opposition talks of "looting the country".

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

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