Guatemala's Capital
Still on Strike
Guatemala's capital
transport workers
stopped their works for
the second day to
protest against a rise
in fuel prices and the
tariffs demanded by bus
owners.
Neighborhoods located to
the north and west of
the city are almost
without access to the
city center, and some
media have recommended
to parents not to send
their children to
schools.
The strike continues,
although businesspeople
promised to the
government on Tuesday to
normalize their
services, starting on
Wednesday.
Drivers have asserted
that business owners
demand that they pay the
necessary diesel to
circulate, although the
government receives a
monthly $3.4 million
subsidy to maintain
2,925 buses running.
Besides this expense,
drivers must pay between
$30 and $40 to their
employees and extortions
demanded by gang members
to enter some
communities of the
capital.
As a consequence of that
situation, their income
for working days of up
to 12 hours is less than
$5, which is not enough
to keep their families,
the workers denounced.
In the capital, at least
one million people use
public transportation to
get to work or schools.
Faced with the crisis,
the National Civil
Police and the municipal
government put public
buses at people's
service, but they are
not enough to meet the
transportation needs of
all users. |
