Forwarded message:
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 18:02:29 +0000
Reply-To: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: LabourNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Appeal - Three peasants killed by the police in Chiapas
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mexico DF, January 8, 1997
Three peasants killed by the police in Chiapas
Appeal to all progressive forces by Chiapas maize producers
A deep economic crisis is affecting Mexican workers in the cities and the
countryside. This is specially true since the December 1994 economic collapse, 5
times worse than the one in 1982 and the deepest in the country since 1932,
which meant losses worth USD70 billion and the so-called "tequila effect" in the
rest of Latin American countries. The purchasing power today is only a third of
what it was 20 years ago. 158,000 children die every year of hunger and curable
diseases, and the percentage of undernourished children equals that of
sub-Saharan countries with a GDP only a tenth of Mexico's.
But the main aim of this appeal is not to make an in depth analysis of the
Mexican situation but to publicise the struggle of poor peasants and
agricultural workers in the maize production in Chiapas.
Maize has been traditionally a fundamental component of Latin-American diet. It
is the basis for the domestic economy of 50% of poor peasants and agricultural
workers in Mexico. What they produce they eat themselves during the year, and
any surplus they have they sell it. Due to poverty and technological
backwardness, most peasants in Chiapas still use the same agricultural
techniques they have been using for thousands of years, with the better off of
them using a couple of bullocks. As a result every hectare of land only produces
2.5 tones.
Before the present production cycle, because of the lack of maize and bad
weather conditions, the government announced that there was going to be shortage
of maize and that the guaranteed price for it would be between USD250 and USD312
per tone. This created false expectations amongst peasants in Chiapas who then
proceeded to cultivate maize in every single plot of land. But at the same time,
the Mexican government is buying US maize for industrial and animal consumption
at a much more lower price, between USD62 and USD100 per tone, without any
tariff barriers, and they use it for human consumption, thus provoking a fall in
prices of Mexican maize. The current price of first quality maize, for human
consumption is USD155 per tone. As a result of all these policies, the price of
production is higher than the guaranteed government price. If this situation is
maintained in 1997, 5 hectares will be left uncultivated and 1.5 million poor
peasants and agricultural workers would be left without work. Millions of
Mexicans in the countryside would be dying of hunger because it is not
worthwhile to cultivate the land while at the same time we would be eating maize
for animal consumption from the US. At the same time big multinationals, like
Maseca or Nestle, will be buying maize from Chiapas at a very low price.
In the first half of 1996 the prices of agricultural products rose by 23% while
prices in general rose by 40%. Electricity rose by 200% and there was also a big
increase in the prices of fertilisers. The 1995 economic collapse meant an
accumulation of unpaid (and non-payable) private loans worth as much as the
whole budget for agriculture in 1996. This problem of unpaid debts affects
mainly poor peasants. All these factors put an enormous strain on peasants,
especially in Chiapas.
In November 1996 a group of peasants in Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, organised
a road blockade demanding better prices for maize. The police intervened killing
three maize producers. As a reaction to the killing of these three comrades
there were road blockades all over Chiapas for 14 days. The state governor was
in a difficult political situation (as he was only provisional governor and
wanted to became a permanent one) and therefore in November 1996 he signed an
agreement with the peasants promising them an increase in the price of maize to
USD312 and a program of temporary jobs for peasants. This was supposed to be put
in practice 5 days after the agreement but to these date (January 8) it has not
become reality.
As the state government did not apply the agreement the maize producers
organised again roadblocks on January 6 in 10 different towns in Chiapas,
declaring that they will continue with their civil disobedience actions "even if
they kill 15 or 20,000 peasants, because we prefer to die fighting rather than
die of starvation".
Up to now repression and lack of information have important weapons used by
Julio Cesar Luis Ferrero, governor of Chiapas. 331 comrades had been arrested
and more than 200 "disappeared", apart from the 3 killings on November last. But
after today's demonstration of more than 40,000 people in Tuxla Gutierrez,
Chiapas, all those arrested were released and all those "disappeared" reappeared
alive, although the peasants were brutally removed from the roads leaving
hundreds of injured peasants.
The government has made some concessions, but we do not trust its word any
longer. We are ready to set up roadblocks again and take even more serious
actions if needed. If we want to avoid any more deaths we rely mainly on
international solidarity. We would like to circulate this appeal and to send
faxes demanding the implementation of the agreements and an end to repression
to:
Julio Cesar Ruiz Ferro
Gobernador de Chiapas
+ 52 961 20917
+ 52 961 25618
Yours in solidarity,
for the Chiapas maize producers:
Nabor Estrada, Chiapas Maize producers Council
Federico Valdez, president, Association of Debtors to Credit Institutions,
Tapachula, Chiapas
Jonathan Lopez, National Trade Union Committee of the PRD
Letters of solidarity to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
faxes to: + 52 965 21540
