Truckers were strong in the demands that the government annul the Riteve contract that gave the company the monopoly on vehicular inspection, creating roadblocks in attempt to choke the Central Valley. A police action was required to re-open the roads.

Many public employees joined the truckers in protests and marches. Their contention also included the recent salary increase for this half of the year and the free trade agreement - Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - Costa Rica and neighbouring Central American countries signed with the United States.

Over the weekend government and union and trucker representatives sat down to a dialouge.

Yesterday it was announced that the parties had reached an agreement. So, what did the parties agree to?

The government agreed that it would undertake to review the Riteve situation and make the changes necessary, though it would not, nor could it annul the contract as was being demanded.

The government also added a 0.5% increase to the 4.5% increase it announced last month. This action by the government produced the resignation of Revenue Minister, Alberto Dent, who felt he wasn't consulted before the decision, and goes against the Minister's firm stand in his attempt to put the country back into a positive financial position.

Some claim the government was the winner in this national crisis, while others say the people won. The debate will go on for some time.

Political analysts point out that civil order was disrupted and that is worrisome for the future.

Protestors used pressure tactics to force the politicians to listen, a tactic that could be commonplace in the future.

Others say that the flow of information is a problem. The "system" does not manage it well, union organizers can easily manipulate the people in to participating in events which are totally clear to them.

Costa Rica saw it's first public demonstration back in 2000, when the "ICE Combo" was the hot debate of the day, when the Rodriguez administration wanted to split up and private the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).

Protestors took the streets, marching on Avenida Segunda. The government gave in to public pressure. The Combo was scrapped.

Rogelio Ramos, Minister of Public Security, said in his opinion, the country and democracy are the winners in this crisis. "A fundamental obligation of the government is to listen to the people. In this case, the governmnet listened to this group, as it will with others in the future", Ramos told the Spanish daily Diario Extra.