Monday, A Day For Protests
Come Monday May 16, the workers of the Frente Interno de Trabajadores (FIT) del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y la Asociación de Profesores de Segunda Enseñanza (APSE) will go on strike in support of the call made by the Comisión Nacional de Enlace (CNE) who is opposing the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States.

What this means is that most public institutions, including the ICE, AyA and school teachers will be off work, as well as many other public institutions.

More than 12.00 public sector workers are expected to take part in the walk out.

ICE won't shut it's doors, but there will be limited staff available to attend to telephone problems, though management is assuring that they will attend to providing emergency repair service.

The AyA, who operates the water and sewer service will be almost paralyzed with the walk out. And though schools will remain open, and students are expected to attend classes, there will be few teachers in the classrooms to give the lessons.

As usual, the group will gather in La Sabana in front of the ICE offices. The protest will then make it's way through Paseo Colon, onto Avenida 6, in front of the Sala Constitucional (Sala IV) and make their way to the Asemblea Legislativa (Legislative Assembly).

Organizers say that the marchers will stop for a few minutes outside the the Sala IV court to read the charges of irregularities against the court that allowed re-election of a president, which has paved the way for former president Oscar Arias to run in the 2006 presidential elections, who the union leaders charge is the main push behind the approval of the TLC.

Organizers are emphatic that the protest march will be a peaceful one, calming concerns of remarks made over the last month that future marches and protests could be marked with violent acts.

The protest march coincides with the commemoration of the Día del Agricultor - farmer's day - which, according to union leaders, is the group most negatively affected by the free trade agreement.

Sergio Saborío, one of the organizers, said "the approval of the TLC will mean Costa Rican farmers - campesinos - will be condemned to misery, losing his right to survive, as large national and international corporations will take over with heavily subsidized products."