Puño de Fuerza, Paro Nacional - Fist of force, National Strike - By Clayton Conn

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The weight for real social change - for better and for worse - has become much heavier.

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Nov. 14 2009, D.F. México

"¡Aquí se ve la fuerza del SME! - Here they see the force of SME!”
could be heard echoing throughout Mexico on November 11th. Hundreds of thousands of workers, students, campesinos, retirees, the elderly, the young, and just about every sector of civil society (minus those that were the cause of this conflict) demonstrated their power against a presidential decree, that in the middle of the night on October 11th, liquidated the national electric company called "Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC)" and vanished the work for some 44,000 plus workers. The Méxican Union of Electricians (SME in Spanish), the Union that consists of the 44,000 workers of LyFC, initiated the"Paro Civico Nacional" or "civic national work stoppage." “The Pao Civico Nacional” was a show and a demonstration of force, not only by the laid-off workers, but by the population as a whole.

In the Distrito Federal (D.F.), the capital of the country, all major highways, as well as main avenues, were blockaded. Demonstrations and protests, coordinated and uncoordinated, erupted throughout all parts of the city. Groups or "brigadas" of workers, with informational leaflets, blanketed every other corner; and a major demonstration, with more than 100,000 people, marched to the governmental palace in the Zocalo. Along with SME were other unions, such as “The Union of Telephone Workers of the Mexican Republic,” or "Telefonistas" (STRM in Spanish), the union that represents the workers of the Autonomous National University of México (UNAM in Spanish), workers of the Autonomous Metropolotin Univeristy (UAM in Spanish), workers of the Nuclear Industry, part of the National Teachers Union (SSNTE in Spanish), and many social and civic organizations, including groups that are adherents to the otra campaña, student collectives from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Autonomous University of Chapingo (UAC), UNAM, and UAM, the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO), and many more.

Apart from actions in the capital, major actions took place throughout the entire country - especially in Oaxaca, where members of APPO, and other organizations, occupied the offices of the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE), the other state owned electric company, which has closer ties to government officials and is taking over the facilities of LyFC. Also, the telefonistas turned off all land telephone services. There were incidents in which the Federal Police (FP) used tear gas, wielded batons, and fired live rounds into the air, violently repressing SME members and supporters who were blockading highways near the city of Puebla, arresting 11. Yet, with all of the day's actions, there was relatively little violence.

The Liquidation

Around midnight on October 11th, by presidential decree, over 6,000 armed Federal Police took over all of the facilities of the state electrical company, Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC). LyFC, one of two state electric companies (CFE is the other), had installations in and serviced all of the central states of México - Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla, México. The reason for the violent takeover was the liquidation of the company - a company that, according to the government and president Felipe Calderon, had "…operating expenses that exceeded those of other state-owned companies."

The government argued that the company and its operations were too inefficient and costly, especially amid the economic crisis. The government also argued that the union SME was one major roadblock towards updating the technology of the electric infrastructure, and that its defense of the "high" salaries of its workers and retirees was too costly. But underneath this excuse, one could see that this was an attack of privatization and a direct attack against the union, which has been a major force in stopping the political and economic policies of the Calderon government.

Sindicato Mexicano de Electrecistas (SME)

The Mexican union of Electricians (SME) was founded in 1914, in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, and since that time has been one of the few unions in México that has both shown its militancy and been active in social justice struggles. SME is one of the few unions in the country that is independent, meaning it doesn't have direct ties to any government party. Because of its militancy and independence, and due to it's strong resistance towards neoliberal economic policies and privatization, SME has been a thorn in the side of the past several governments of Salinas, Zedillo, Fox, and Calderón. Of course, SME is not the only group to be opposed to such political and economic moves. In 1994, SME sent brigadas to Chiapas in support and solidarity with the indigenous and campesino uprising of the Zapatistas, who were (and continue to be) opposed to neoliberal policies. Then, in 1999, SME supported the student strike at the UNAM. The UNAM is considered the largest and arguably most important public university in the country, that was under threat of becoming privatized.

The strike lasted months. In that struggle, SME provided free electricity to the students occupying the university, and was also one of the few unions to be in the streets with the students. Also, in 2006, SME was a large presence and voice in support and solidarity with the campesinos of San Salvador Atenco, who were violently repressed by Federal Preventative Police (PFP in Spanish).

Brewing Storms, water for the flowers or floods?

The movement of the Electricians Union is not by any means isolated, and their immense popular support is not solely for their cause. Within the past political regime of Felipe Calderón, and the now recently past U.S. regime of George Bush (and the regime’s remaining elements), the weight for real social change - for better and for worse - has become much heavier. Globally, but with greater intensification in México, the economic stratification has deepened and widened. Neoliberal economic policies continue to be reformulated and reimplemented with greater exploitation of labor and environment.

Basic natural resources, such as water, are increasingly scarce. The government of México City predicts the city - one of the most populated in the world - will be dry within the next 5 years.
Anti-immigration policies of the U.S., the militarization of the border, the war against narco trafficking - all of these actions have militarized the streets, have terrified the population, and have increased the violence and corruption.

This mixture of elements is producing a concoction that is fermenting widespread discontent. Across the spectrum, groups are getting involved: from armed insurgency, such as the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR in Spanish), to the peaceful Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO) that spawned out of a teachers strike in 2006, to the many campesino and indigenous organizations struggling for autonomy, to women's organizations fighting for greater recognition of equal rights. Next year, México will mark the 200th anniversary of its Independence, and the 100th anniversary of the Revolution. The government is planning celebrations to recognize these "achievements of democracy." For many, this is a facade. It is meant to cover of the lack of democracy and justice that actually exists.

"¡SME no estas solo! - SME you are not alone!" is a chant that can be heard echoing throughout the country. This chant illustrates the belief that just about everyone is engaged in the struggle.
And what is the next step of SME? There is talk of an intensified version of the National Strike...we shall see.

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