[R-G] Lebanon Transport Unions on Strike

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5482689.html>
Jan. 24, 2008, 11:53AM
Lebanon Transport Unions on Strike

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press Writer
(c) 2008 The Associated Press

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon was hit by a transport drivers' strike
Thursday that led to the blockade of some roads across the country
while traffic flowed normally on others, reflecting the deep political
divisions in the country as well as the unions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora warned against taking labor
disputes to "the street," saying unions should not seek to "score
political gains."

The drivers' strike over rising costs was mostly peaceful, but troops
moved in to prevent rioting.

Soldiers in armored vehicles and trucks were deployed by early morning
on some Beirut intersections where the routine army presence was
beefed up. The military said security forces were under orders to
prevent any road closures or rioting.

Workers complied with the strike differently from area to area,
according to their political affiliation and whether they support
Saniora's government or the Hezbollah-led opposition. Some unions have
also broken away from the labor union federation and opted not to join
the strike.

In areas where support for Hezbollah is strong, such as in south
Beirut, southern Lebanon and the northeastern parts of the
impoverished, mostly farming Bekaa Valley inland, union activists
closed roads and some set car tires ablaze to block roads before
security forces moved in.

But in coastal cities like Sidon and Tripoli, with strong
pro-government backing, life seemed normal. In Tripoli in the north,
dozens of protesters gathered at the central Tal Square, only to
disperse peacefully half an hour later. Traffic on highway entrances
to Beirut also flowed normally.

In the Bekaa village of Nabi Othman, a 9-year-old boy was slightly
wounded by a bullet in the shoulder when a gunshot went off from a
security agent's gun as he tried to clear a closed road to pass
through, security officials said speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

An angry mob set the agent's car on fire after the shooting, according
to Aljadeed TV station.

On a major road intersection in south Beirut, some youths tried to
block the road but were confronted by troops. Security officials said
about 40 youths threw stones at soldiers before fleeing.

By mid-afternoon, union leader Abdul-Amir Najdeh announced the strike
was over and urged all supporters to clear the streets. He said the
unions would meet Monday to decide the next step.

Strikes have always presented a threat to Lebanon, embroiled in a
yearlong political deadlock between the government and the opposition.
The country has also since November failed to elect a president, which
further deepened the crisis. A year ago, a similar opposition-backed
strike to bring down the government degenerated into the worst rioting
since the country's 1975-90 civil war.

Thursday's strike, which agriculture and transport unions insisted
would be peaceful, was called to protest the rising cost of living and
fuel prices and to demand fuel subsidies for taxis and customs
exemptions for imports of public transport vehicles.

The unions said the strike had no political affiliation, but
pro-government groups dismissed it as another attempt by the
pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian opposition to bring down the U.S.-backed
government.

Some unions decided not to join the strike after the government met
some of their demands. The government said schools would remain open
and pro-government unions called on members to ignore the strike. But
many families kept their children at home, as parents were told by
some schools there would be no bus service and pupils would have to
make it on their own to the schools.

The pro-government majority has blamed the opposition for a faltering
economy, saying a 14-month opposition sit-in in Beirut has paralyzed
the capital's center. In turn, the opposition has blamed Saniora's
policies for the economic troubles.

--
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>