On the night of Jan. 11 state police agents in full riot gear attacked some 300 striking workers who were guarding the Kuk Dong Internacional SA de CV factory in Atlixco in the central Mexican state of Puebla. Police agents hit, pulled, pushed and insulted the strikers, including teenagers and pregnant women, even though the workers were already retreating to the exits.
On the night of Jan. 11 state police agents in full riot gear attacked some 300 striking workers who were guarding the Kuk Dong Internacional SA de CV factory in Atlixco in the central Mexican state of Puebla. Police agents hit, pulled, pushed and insulted the strikers, including teenagers and pregnant women, even though the workers were already retreating to the exits.
At least 15 workers were taken to a hospital for treatment; all but two were released by the morning of Jan. 12. Judicial police detained and threatened two strike leaders, Claudia Ochoterena and Josefina Hernandez Ponce, but released them later.
All 800 workers at the Kuk Dong plant went out on strike on Jan. 9 to protest the firing of 20 workers who had complained about rotten food in the cafeteria and low wages ($30 for a 45-hour week), and to demand recognition for an independent union, the Kuk Dong Workers’ Coalition. The workers charge that their current union–whose leader, Rene Sanchez Juarez, led the police agents during the Jan. 12 attack–does not represent their interests.
Kuk Dong is a Korean-owned plant which produces sweatshirts for the US-based Nike Inc. sportswear company, some with the logos of US universities.
Author:
News Service: Weekly News Update-Nicaragua Solidarity Network Of Greater NY
URL: http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html
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