Since April 1st the Bolivian Trade Union Congress (COB) has declared a national and indefinite general strike. Bolivia is ruled by the new government presided by Ex-General Hugo Bánzer. He was the man who made the coup that smashed the People’s Assembly in 1971 and established a seven-year bloody dictatorship, a model which was immediately copied by Pinochet and the Uruguayan and Argentinian juntas. The Bolivian workers and peasants are fighting for better wages. Currently a Bolivian worker or teacher is only earning £30 ($50) not per day or per week … but per month! With that amount of money it is impossible for a family to pay for half a week for the most elementary subsistence goods. However, the majority of the Bolivians are unwaged! There is no social security or welfare state.

The government is privatising the few sectors (like education, health or petrol stations) which are in public hands. Bolivia is South America’s poorest and least literate country. Nevertheless, the government is heavily attacking the teachers and cutting the education budget. Currently there are more than 100 trade union prisoners. There is no information about where they are located for around half of them, just like during the dictatorships. More than one hundred peasants and workers were injured with bullets or other military weapons. Twelve civilians (including one child) have been killed. The Chapare, located in Cochabamba (Bolivia’s granary and heart), is under military rule and curfew.

Every hour military planes fly over the rural communities with the aim of terrorising them. The government is proud to declare that at least 90% of the country’s road are under direct police or army control. The government didn’t respect the parliamentary immunity. They have arrested a United Left MP and are threatening to put in jail Evo Morales, a peasant MP who is leading the Chapare union and struggle. Bánzer is threatening to suspend the constitution’s guarantees and to impose a state of emergency. This would be the fifth one declared since the introduction of the neo-liberal model in 1985. In the past Bánzer persecuted the unions under the accusations that they were "reds". Today he is making a more fashionable accusation: that they are drug-dealers. This is because the peasants are against the violent eradication of the coca leave. This crop had been cultivated for many centuries, is used for religious reasons and has very good medical and nutritional qualities. Just as potatoes can be used to produce vodka, several kilos of coca could be mix with modern chemicals to produce a few grams of cocaine.

However, it is imperialism and big business that produces and distributes cocaine, not the impoverished and persecuted peasants. In fact, it has been completely proved that all the parties that are in the government and the military are totally involved with drug Mafiosi. The USA accuses Paz Zamora, Bolivian former president (1989-93) and the most important Bànzer’s partner, because of his links with a well-known Bolivian Drug Tsar. We are calling all democrats and trade unionists:

To participate in pickets and events in support of the Bolivian strikes.