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On
Oct. 10, the government of Felipe Calderon in Mexico, served by police and army,
occupied the installations of Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LFC), which
provides electric service to 25 million users in Central Mexico, and ordered its
“extinction.” Some 44,000 workers were left unemployed, and 21,000
pensioners were left helpless—in an open violation of the constitution,
the Federal Labor Law, and basic human rights.
The
pretext is that the enterprise is ineffective or insolvent—caused by
the government for years, but with the real goal of destroying the
Mexican Electricians Union (SME) and its collective agreement, and to
advance privatization of the electric industry. A huge demonstration of
popular support for SME, in which more than 350,000 people
participated, was held Oct. 15. And the National Civic Strike carried
out on Nov. 11, involved about 2 million people. The government and its
media apparatus have ignored these actions and continue their slander campaign
against SME.
The
regime seems prepared for repression, while the SME is ready to take
its defense to the end. The coming weeks will be critical. This is why
we are making a call for trade unions, social and civil rights
organizations in the world, and also to defenders of workers, labor and
human rights and democratic freedoms, to:
•
Participate in International Day of Solidarity with the SME on December
the 3rd, performing protest acts in Mexico ’s embassies in your country.
•
Send international missions in order to testify about what happens in
our country in this chain of injustices against the electrical workers
and the people of Mexico , to spread this in your
countries and to plead for a just solution. You could join United States and Canada trade unions that are
coming in the first days of December, or instead come about December
the 14th, the day on which the SME is celebrating its 95th anniversary
and there will be acts of great importance.
• Send
financial contributions. Contact Fernando Amezcua,
SME Relations Secretary: samezcuacf@sme.org.mx
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