Government,
Porteadores
Reach Agreement
The standoff
between the
government and
the Porteadores
(pirate taxis)
ended in
agreement late
Wednesday,
meaning an end
to road blocks
and violence on
the streets, as
the porteadores
fought for their
right to
continue to work
without
reprisals from
authorities.
President
Chinchilla,
government
officials and
representatives
of the
porteadores,
together
announce their
reach of an
agreement to the
press.
[Costaricahoy.info]
The agreement
reached last
night between
the government
of Laura
Chinchilla and
the porteadores
union ends an
eight-year
standoff.
The agreement
calls for the
government to
remove the word
"person" from
the reforms to
the Commerical
Code that would
have prohibited
porteadores from
carrying
passengers, the
main point of
contention by
the porteadores.
The agreement
also means that
the porteo will,
for the first
time, be
regulated.
Although the
full details of
the regulation
were not given,
the main points
is that
porteadores will
have to be
licensed and
carry insurance,
for example.
The licensing
does not mean
they can operate
as a taxi,
picking up
customers at the
curb, rather
their licensed
service will be
limited to
providing
transportation
services
door-to-door.,
Germán Lobo,
head of the
Camara de
Porteadores, was
pleased with the
agreement
reached last
night, ending
once and for all
the "totuguismo"
protests.
Of course, the
deal means
nothing if the
government does
not rally
support by
legislators to
make the changes
to the law.
Presidenta
Chinchilla is
expected to call
on her closest
rivals in the
presidential
elections of
February, Ottón
Solís and Otto
Guevara, to
support the
agreement.
As expected,
there is a group
of porteadores
who are not in
favour of the
agreement.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
