More  Social Unrest, Union Leaders Promise
Union leaders of public sector employees announced a period of "altísima agitación social" - highest social unrest - in the face of a number of legislation that will be facing Congress, laws that they believe are against the social good.

The union leaders have declared "war" against such projects as the Plan Fiscal (tax plan), the laws to strengthen public institutions like the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), and of course the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States, which is now before the Comisión de Asuntos Internacionales (commission on international affairs).

A number of proposed laws that includes the aforementioned were sent to the Legislature by the Arias government and will be debated by Legislative Deputies beginning tomorrow (August 1) in a session that is due to end on April 30, 2007.

The current legislative session will be nine months of "hot" debates which many believe will be a period of political tension.

"I can't say when we will take to the streets, could be September or November, but we will", said Albino Vargas, secretary general of the Asociación de Empleados Públicos y Privados (Association of Public and Private Employees).

Vargas added that all the social sectors have been preparing for the culminating moment when the legislative discussions begin.

The union leaders assure that they will accept only those tax changes that will force those with large capital to pay up and in under no circumstances will they permit the privatization of the INS or ICE.

On the subject of the TLC, Vargas said there is nothing to talk about, said the union leader.