Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, January 20,  2004

OPPOSITION continues: Union leaders yesterday announced plans for more marches against the Central America Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, such as the one they led through the streets of San José last November. Tico Times/Jeffrey Arguedas

Get The Tico Times Daily News Updates automatically every morning (Monday-Friday) in your e-mail. Just give us your e-mail address below.

I National Sculpture Symposium
Thirteen artists will each make a sculpture in the Central Park of Barva, Jan. 20-25, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Barva, Heredia. Info: 237-3143.

Acting Workshop
For teens ages 13-17, Jan. 20-23, 2-4 p.m. at the Costa Rican Art Museum, La Sabana Park. Info: 222-7734.

Animal Face Painting
Parents are invited to take their children ages 4-7 to the zoo and let them learn about animals and wear some "wild" makeup, 9 a.m.-noon, Simón Bolivar Zoo, Av. 11, Ca. 7 in San José. Info: 256-0012.

Return To Top Of Page

Unions Prepare Coalition to
Defeat CAFTA 'In The Streets'
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

As the final week of bilateral trade talks between Costa Rica and the United States began in Washington D.C. yesterday, leaders of the country's main workers' unions met to prepare a joint strategy aimed at "defeating the Central America-U.S. Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) on the streets."

"We had a meeting where we unified the positions of the country's different union groups. We have a solid joint position - a definite 'no' to the free-trade agreement," said Albino Vargas, Secretary General of the National Association of Public Employees (ANEP).

The bilateral meetings being held this week are part of an effort by both countries to include Costa Rica in CAFTA. Following the ninth round of negotiations in December, the United States concluded negotiations with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Costa Rica also took part in the negotiations, but backed out at the last minute, requesting more time to negotiate unresolved issues. Both countries agreed to hold two week-long bilateral meetings in January to resolve remaining issues. (TT, Dec. 19, 24, Jan. 9).

Union groups' main argument against CAFTA is that it will require Costa Rica to open its telecommunications and insurance monopolies to private competition (TT, Oct. 31, Dec. 19). To protest CAFTA, union members, university students and other groups took part in marches across San José on Oct. 20 (TT, Oct. 24) and Nov. 24 (TT, Nov. 28).

Union leaders have yet to announce the date of the next protest march. In the meantime, anti-CAFTA groups plan to hold seminars and conferences to inform the general public of the "truth about CAFTA" and how it will negatively affect the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), the National Insurance Institute (INS), Social Security System (Caja), farmers and consumers.

"We are organizing ourselves and preparing the largest joint effort possible in order to defeat the trade agreement in the streets," Vargas said. "We're creating a national front. We are accumulating strength. We need to work on something big, something gigantic -- the likes of which has never before been seen in this country."