MEXICO

-	Power strike set for March 16 in Mexico City

Some 35,000 members of the Mexican Union of Electrical Workers plan to strike the Mexico City Electric Company on Friday, March 16th at 12 Noon. The union is demanding a 29 percent salary increase and the company is offering nothing. The two sides are not even talking. The union is concerned that the government may try to force the electrical workers to stay on their jobs or bring in replacements. The union is also opposed to the privatization of the electric company and its leader has charged that privatization would bring higher electric rates to meet the profit demands of foreign investors. The company principally provides electrical service to Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Morelos, Hidalgo and Puebla. It may be prudent to begin planning for possible power shortages in these regions. (Pinkerton, March 14, 2001)