From: "Curtis Price" <cansv-AT-igc.apc.org>
Date:          Mon, 17 Feb 1997 20:47:54 +0000
Subject:       (Fwd) [73] WORKERS THREATEN GENERAL STRIKE IN HONDURAS


------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Thu, 13 Feb 1997 19:11:00 -0500
From:          NewsHound-AT-sjmercury.com (NewsHound)

Subject:       [73] WORKERS THREATEN GENERAL STRIKE IN HONDURAS

Selected by your NewsHound profile entitled "STRIKES". The selectivity score was
 73 out of 100.

Workers threaten general strike in Honduras
Reuters

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras' leading labor unions on Thursday threatened a
 general strike as the government struggled to end a public sector workers' 
stoppage and stem growing labor unrest.

Leaders from the country's three largest labor unions met with government 
officials to negotiate on workers' demands that the government tame public 
sector price hikes and raise wages.

``If we do not receive a satisfactory answer from the government, we plan to 
launch a general strike,'' EfraDin Aguilar, vice president of the Honduras 
Unitary Confederation of Workers (CUTH), told reporters.

In mounting labor unrest, 7,000 workers marched in three cities on Wednesday to 
demand higher wages and 14,000 hospital workers went on strike, treating only 
the seriously ill.

The government of President Caros Roberto Reina, 70, has faced unrest and 
strikes by the country's 70,000 public sector workers, who want higher wages and
 cuts in costs of transportation, fuel, electricity and water.

Reina on Thursday blasted the hospital workers' strike as ''inhumane'' and said 
a wage hike would be an unwise departure from the country's efforts to shore up 
its public finances.

Officials were upbeat on Thursday about reaching a settlement with the workers 
and have said the labor unrest does not represent a threat to political 
stability.

``We expect to reach an agreement this week and produce the first accords on the
 prices of public sector goods,'' Fernando GarcDia, the Minister of Commerce and
 Industry, told reporters.

But the talks hit a snag when business leaders, who were also at the meeting, 
walked out and told the government they could not be asked to raise wages and 
also face higher costs for public services.




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