ICE Employees On
Strike Today
Employees of the
Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad
(ICE) will be on
strike today in
protest of the
Ley General de
Electricidad
that is being
discussed by
legislators.
Union leaders
say tha the law
would be the
death of the
state
institution, as
the law would
allow private
companies to use
the country's
natural
resources to
generate
electricity and
selling to the
highest bidder.
Francisco
Aguilar,
coordinador of
the Frente
Interno del
Trabajadores del
ICE (FIT), said
a buyer from
anywhere in
Central America
can come to
Costa Rica buy
electricity and
export it.
The other
objection to the
law is that it
allows the
generation of
electricity in
protected areas,
which would have
a negative
impact on the
environment.
Aguilar says
that the opinion
of ICE experts
were not taken
into account in
the formation of
the proposed
law, as it is a
law that
strictly favours
private
business.
The protest is
expected to be
centred in front
of the ICE
offices in La
Sabana and other
ICE
installations,
where workers on
strike will take
the opportunity
to inform other
workers and the
public on the
dangers of the
passage of the
law.
The protest is
expected to
include mostly
workers in the
electricity side
of the company,
but could spill
over to the
telecommunications
as well.
The government,
on the other
hand, expects
that the law, if
passed, would
double Costa
Rica's
electrical
output in the
next six years,
moving form
2.400 Mega Watts
today to more
than 4.018 Mega
Watts in 2016. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
