International News International News International News CONFRONTATION IN ECUADOR

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PACIFIC OCEAN • Sucre 500 km CHILE o larya " PAR A demonstration against Uncle Sam - and against local capitalists A month 10 MARA LA TERAN pala de CON *. 41 874% Ania se TRABAJADORES" Patrin ERRA d ERA CEDALENCIA, LA - FENOI 3l CAMPAporador TENIE • TIERRAS The September 22-23 general strike was the 1975

Last week Ecuador was paralysed by massive 48

reports are filtering out

armed clash between strikers and state forces In an unstable region of the world Ecuador states heading most obvious ly towards a major crisis In these articles we trace the ba strike since 1975.

THE GENERAL strike was called by the FUT - Workers' United Front - which consists of the three leftwing trade union federations, CEDOC, CTE, and CEOSL. Between them these three include the majority of Ecuador's organised workers.

Of them, CEDOC is the most interesting and most dynamic, and the political revival of CEDOC over the last year is one of the most important signs of the workers' and peasants' determination to organise against Government attacks.

The Communist Party and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PSRE) led by Telmo Hidalgo operate in the CTE. However, CEDOC is the base of operations for several left-wing parties -the PSRE-Venceremos (which is larger than the PSRE-Hidalgo), the MRT (Revolutionary Workers' Movement), MRIC (Revolutionary Movement of the Christian Left), MRT Cuarta (a sister group of the IMG in Britain), and the MIR (Revolutionary Left Movement).

CEDOC was founded in 1938 as a Catholic movement. But in the early '70s an increasingly militant and class-based movement grew in strength within CEDOC. In 1976 the Christian Democrats lost control and split. Under the leadership of Emilio Velasco, CEDOC developed as a socialist movement.

From 1978 it suffered a period of precarious existence and lost prestige. But at the CEDOC congress in July this year, a unified left opposition succeeded in defeating Velasco.

The opposition was not of party nature. Velasco himself is in the PSRE, but other sections of the PSRE played a large part in the formulation of the opposition platform and slate for the leadership, together with the MRT.

Pushing for CEDOC to operate more democraticfifth since 1 UNVERSORE ally and be more active, they got a new executive entirely composed of opposition leaders.

New statutes and strategy documents were drawn up, which stressed the anticapitalist and anti-imperialist nature of CEDOC, expressed support for left party unity, supported the FUT and looked forward to a united union movement, stressed the need for internal democracy, stressed the need for trade union action and mutual support, and stated its independence from the parties as such and the state.

Fears The success of the left at the CEDOC congress was the crucial factor in overcoming hesitations and fears in the FUT - especially on the part of the PSRE - about the effectiveness of the national strike. IN THE month since Parliament began sitting on August 10, the government of President Oswaldo Hurtado has plunged from a position of apparent security to one of grave crisis.

Before the session began the government spent some time negotiating with the different blocs in Parliament to ensure a majority. As the session got underway, it seemed that this had been achieved.

But the first debate in the present parliamentary session, on the exploitation of Ecuador's oil and natural gas, led to several ministerial resignations. Further debates on economic policies threaten to be just as troublesome.

Ecuador's economy is in 110 Oberans.

Puerie very serious trouble, with a large and growing national debt, rising imports and lack of demand for agricultural exports and oil. The currency was devalued by 33% on May 13 and has fallen drastically against other currencies.

Abolition The crisis in the economy has resulted in a political offensive by finance, industrial and agricultural capital. Among their objectives

Santa Marta Barranquilla n

Cucuta

Bucaramanga°

• Medellin oManizales •Bogotá

Cali

COLOMBIA o Pasto Quito ECUADOR • Riobamba Guayaquil Cuenca Loja Chiclayo • Cajamarca p Trujillo Chimbote Taz ° o Huanuco • Cerro de Pasco Limá PERU * Huancayo Ayačucho o Cuzco Iquique/o Population: 8 million. National income per head (1980): $1270 (less than one-fifth Britain's) Main exports: oil, bananas, cocoa, coffee, rice. Labour force: 52% in agriculture.

Population: 10% white,

Caracas

VENEZUELA

BRA Pung o& Lake Titicaca La Paz Arequipa Cochabamba Oruro Arica BOLIVIA ° Santa Cruz Potosio ARG. 30% Indian, 40% mesti-. zo, 20% mulatto or black Average food supply per head: 10% below the minimum for health.

Infant mortality rate: 82 per thousand (Britain's is 12 per thousand).

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TON TENGE PRESOPESTI Amenaza

hour general strike, and

ground to Ecuador's fifth general

Contra la Agresión, mnerat