Nicaragua

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Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Tue Jul 25, 2017 3:23 pm

The new Nicaragua
With an electoral victory in 2006, returning the Sandinista National Liberation Front to office, the Central American country has made notable progress socially and economically

Author: special correspondent | informacion@granma.cu
july 24, 2017 16:07:24

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Within another 20 years, swimming in Lake Xolotlán will again be safe. Photo: Sergio Alejandro Gómez
MANAGUA, Nicaragua.— A 1972 earthquake left the city in ruins, but the ancient cathedral, like a good boxer, stayed on its feet. Although today we can see the cracks in its columns, and the toll taken on one of its two towers, the building's endurance is a reminder of the nation's mettle.

Prized by pirates and invaded by the U.S. Marines on several occasions early in the 20th century, the Central American country has known few moments of tranquility.

The Sandinista revolution that triumphed July 19, 1979, was the people's response to the inequality and underdevelopment that reigned during the dictatorship of the Somoza family, supported by U.S. administrations from the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt to those of Gerald Ford, with perhaps the honorable exception of Jimmy Carter.

"Somoza is a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch," Roosevelt said, the story goes, when he questioned about backing the regime that betrayed Augusto César Sandino's movement and murdered tens of thousands before being overthrown.

The revolution initiated literacy programs, awarded land to those working it, reformed the police and the army. The young Sandinista guerillas, with broad popular support and the solidarity of countries like Cuba, changed the face of Nicaragua in a short period of time.

The United States, on the other hand, used all possible means to undermine the country's fragile economy, and created an armed resistance, leading to a civil war. When the White House faced Congressional opposition to its funding of undercover operations in Nicaragua, the Reagan administration began selling weapons to Iran - which was supposedly prohibited - and used the money to pay mercenaries in Nicaragua, the "contras." The Iran-Contra scandal ensued.

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Nicaraguans appreciate living in a secure environment. Photo: Sergio Alejandro Gómez
Amidst civil conflict and U.S. intervention, the 1990 elections went against the Sandinistas. Over the next 16 years, neoliberal governments led to a growing gap between rich and poor, and little was done to achieve social stability in the country.

THE NICARAGUAN MIRACLE

A 2006 election victory put the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) back in charge of Nicaragua's destiny, with Comandante Daniel Ortega taking the lead, but in a different historical period.

The results of the FSLN model of national reconciliation, peace, and unity, in place since that time, are recognized not only by the vast majority of citizens and international organizations, but can also be seen and felt in the environment of a new Nicaragua.

The shoreline of Lake Xolotlán, which until a few years ago had become a public dump, now features an urban parkway, dotted with playgrounds for children.

A water treatment program initiated in 2009 has eliminated the rank smell of the water in the past and health threats to the population of the city.

According to experts, if no more residual water is funneled into the lake, and the treatment plan continues, it will still be another 20 years before swimming in the lake will be safe.

Caring for the environment is one of the Sandinista government's basic concerns. Along the country's largest fresh water lake, Cocibolca, 20-some eolic power windmills of the latest technology are being erected and will produce enough electricity to serve 160,000 homes.

The department of Rivas receives some of the most consistent winds in the world and plans are directed toward doubling the amount of eolic energy generated. Potential likewise exists for the development of generating electricity with biomass, geothermic heat, water, and solar power.

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Along Lake Cocibolca, Nicaragua's largest, dozens of eolic power windmills have been erected. Photo: Sergio Alejandro Gómez

In Puerto Sandino, in the central-western region of the country, recently installed was a 12.5 MW solar park with 46,000 photovoltaic panels, the largest of the three in operation within the country at this time.

Ninety percent of Nicaraguans have access to electricity, up from 50% in 2005. The Sandinista government faced a totally collapsed electrical system in 2007, with a capacity of only 500 MW, and entirely dependent on oil. Currently, more than 53% of the electricity used in the country is clean energy and the hope is to reach 90% over the next decade.

The economy has grown consistently at an average of 5% for the last several years, one of the highest rates in the region, bested only by Panama. This growth has benefited the majority thanks to government social programs which serve the most vulnerable.

The Zero Hunger program supports the acquisition of farm animals in rural areas, with female-led households prioritized. The program entered a new phase this year, no longer providing free benefits, but rather offering loans to support eventual self-sufficiency.

A housing program, Plan Techo, has improved living conditions for hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans, including many who lost their homes during natural disasters, while the Zero Usury program provides credit to small and medium-sized businesses at fair interest rates.

According to a World Bank report, in 2005, 46% of the population lived in poverty and 15% in extreme poverty. Over the last several years, the Sandinista government has reduced these figures almost by half, with poverty standing at 24.9% and extreme poverty 6.9%.

The country has likewise achieved some of the best indicators of citizen security in Latin America and the Caribbean, despite the reality that some neighboring countries are among the world's most violent.

CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE

The FSLN won a resounding victory in the November 2016 elections, with President Daniel Ortega and his running mate Rosario Murillo, garnering 72% of the vote.

The old two party system, with alternating liberal and conservative administrations, has not recovered from the discredit it earned running the country from 1990 until 2006. A recent survey by the M&R polling company confirmed their worst fears.

The survey indicated that the Daniel-Rosario team enjoy an approval rating of 70%, while 77.1% of Nicaraguans believe that the Sandinista government generates hope; 77.4 % say it is leading the country on the correct path; and 82.1% think the Sandinista leaders have promoted unity and reconciliation.

With municipal elections just around the corner, coming next November, the FSLN maintains its position as the preferred party with the support of 56.8% of the population, according to the survey, as compared to 38.3% who have no allegiance to any party, and only 4.9% who favor the opposition.

Nicaragua, just like its cathedral, has not only resisted the violence of its volcanoes and earthquakes, but also a history of oppression, war, and neoliberalism, and has retaken the road toward progress following a course charted by the FSLN.

http://en.granma.cu/mundo/2017-07-24/the-new-nicaragua

It ain't socialism despite what that Nicaraguan guy I've been talking to says any more than Venezuela is socialism. Nonetheless a vast improvement over what was which should get socialist support. As we know too well as long as the booj remain in possession of the means of production they will try to reverse the situation by every means possible, Nicaragua flies under the radar for the time being lacking oil or any significant commodities which the norte capitalists desire. Not having full knowledge of conditions 'on the ground' we ourselves are on shaky ground when criticizing these nations groping towards socialism despite our knowledge of the historical record.
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Sat Aug 12, 2017 3:47 pm

The US owes Nicaragua US$17bn:time to pay up!

News from Nicaragua | Tuesday, 1 August 2017 |

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Demonstration outside US Embassy in London demanding US compliance with ICJ ruling

In 1986, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found the US guilty of military and paramilitary aggression against Nicaragua in violation of international law and in breach of a 1956 friendship treaty between the two countries. The ruling refers to mining ports, bombing attacks and encouraging acts of terrorism.

The ICJ rejected US arguments of collective self-defence and ordered the US to cease acts of aggression and pay reparations.

Claiming the ICJ had no right of jurisdiction over the case,the US walked out, and blocked enforcement by the UN Security Council thereby avoiding payment of US$17bn reparations.

A UN General Assembly call for full and immediate compliance was also ignored.

Over 30 years on, the Nicaraguan government has initiated legal proceedings to recover the indemnity for the ‘destructive and illegal interference’ by the US in Nicaragua’s internal affairs

http://nicaraguasc.org.uk/news/article/ ... -to-pay-up
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:29 pm

Cuba condemns legislative initiative of US Act against Nicaragua
In this article: United States , Interference , Political Interference , Nicaragua , Politics
October 6, 2017 | 2 |


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rogelio-sierra

The Cuban government today condemned the passage of the legislative initiative known as the Nic Act, which it described as an interventionist attitude by the United States against Nicaragua.

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra told reporters that the bill titled Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act - known as Nic Act - is an offensive, interfering and disrespectful act against the Nicaraguan people.

The approval of the legislation last October 3 in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress violates the sovereignty of that Central American country and the most elementary norms of International Law, he assured.

From the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, Sierra added that it constitutes a more maneuver perpetrated from US territory "against a sister nation of Our America."

The Nic Act aims to impose conditions on Nicaragua to access financial loans from international institutions or the United States , said the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister.

If it were passed in the Senate and finally sanctioned as a law in Congress, it would amount to imposing an economic and financial bloc against Managua .

In this regard, Sierra stated that it was coercive, unilateral, irrational and harmful action against the Nicaraguan people.

The diplomat reiterated his support for the people and government of Nicaragua and his leadership in Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo and the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Sierra also sent condolences and solidarity to the peoples and governments of Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua for the victims and the substantial material damages caused by the storm Nate.

The Nic Act was retaken by 25 lawmakers - 15 Republicans and 10 Democrats - six months after a first version. It requires the Nicaraguan government to 'restore' democracy, 'fight' corruption and 'respect' human rights.

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http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2017/ ... dfJk_lSztR

Google Translator

Well, a 'seal of approval' if ever I've seen one. A Nicaraguan I was communicating with said his country had had a successful socialist revolution, of which I was dubious. Definitions might vary but clearly something is going on that the imperials don't like, bears looking into.
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:33 pm

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at 80% Approval Rating: Poll

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. | Photo: EFE

Published 19 October 2017

The ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front is ahead in polls for the upcoming municipal elections.
President Daniel Ortega has an almost 80 percent approval rating among Nicaraguans and his party is ahead in polls for the Nov. 5 elections that will elect mayors across the country, according to a recent survey.

Some 77.5 percent say that President Ortega has led Nicaragua correctly, while 77.8 percent said the Sandinista National Liberation Front government gives them hope, according to a recent poll by Consultora M&R published Wednesday.

The poll also showed that 78.6 percent of the people believe the current government works for the benefit of the population.

The report added that 71.5 percent consider the government "democratic" and "that it complies with the laws" and 79.1 percent said that it brings "unity and reconciliation" to the Central American nation.

According to the poll, the ruling Sandinistas have a 57.5 percent approval, while the opposition parties received 6.3 percent. Another 36.2 percent declared themselves independent.

The poll also asked citizens to outline life priorities. Health received the number one spot, with 91 percent, followed by work with 76.8 percent, housing at 70.1 percent, and economic welfare with 60 percent.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 28 through Oct. 11 in 15 departments and two autonomous regions of Nicaragua, with a margin of error of 2.5 percent and 95 percent reliability.

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/ ... -0008.html
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:20 pm

The Nicaraguan government celebrates the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution
The tribute ceremony took place in the Nora Astorga Square of the Chancellery of the Republic, with the presence of the Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dennis Moncada, and the ambassador of Cuba, Juan Carlos Hernández

Author: Digital Writing | internet@granma.cu

January 9, 2018 09:01:45

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Photo: Embassy of Cuba in Nicaragua

Nicaragua celebrated on Monday in Managua, the capital of that Central American nation, the 59th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and highlighted the close friendship and historical ties that unite the two peoples.

The tribute ceremony took place in the Nora Astorga Square of the Chancellery of the Republic, with the presence of the Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dennis Moncada, and the ambassador of Cuba, Juan Carlos Hernández.

Government officials, members of the Sandinista Youth July 19, diplomats and staff of the island's state mission in the Central American nation also participated.

We met to celebrate the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, which became inspiration and example for the revolutionaries of our America and the world, said Moncada when speaking.

Also, the foreign minister stressed that the Cuban Revolution has stood firm against all odds, despite the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States for more than half a century. There it is prevailing with unity and dignity, advancing towards victorious futures, of peace, progress and international solidarity, he emphasized.

For his part, the Cuban ambassador thanked the Sandinista government, the president, Daniel Ortega, and the vicemandataria, Rosario Murillo, for the unconditional support they have always given to the Cuban Revolution.

Cuba, he said, is entering the 60th anniversary of his Revolution, the one that men and women live on a daily basis, which each person does from his uniqueness, a work that many add up, to turn it into infinite wealth that goes beyond the limits of an island.

In turn, he highlighted the endearing brotherhood that has historically united Cuba and Nicaragua and the profound admiration and sympathy that the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and the president, Raúl Castro, have proffered to the Sandinista Revolution.

Two sisterly and profound revolutions, which, according to Fidel Castro himself, had "many things equal and many different things, as all true revolutions must be," he said.

The event also included the participation of the Nicaraguan troubadour Lenin Triana and his group, who set the tribute with testimonial music of the two countries. (PL)

http://www.granma.cu/mundo/2018-01-09/c ... 8-09-01-45

Somehow the Nicaraguan revolution has flown under my radar. Have they expropriated their capitalists? i suspect not as the US hasn't savagely attacked them. I've been in contact with someone from there and he speaks of their revolution too. What's the deal?
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:12 pm

The Peace Agreement that ended the war and murdered Sandino
After almost 7 years of armed struggle against the invading Yankee troops and those loyal to the Nicaraguan government, on February 2, 1933, the Peace Agreement was signed in Nicaragua, which put an end to the armed conflict

Author: Delín Xiqués Cutiño | file@granma.cu

February 2, 2018 10:02:11

After almost 7 years of armed struggle against the invading Yankee troops and those loyal to the Nicaraguan government supported by the guerrilla Army Defender of National Sovereignty (EDSN), led by Augusto César Sandino, on February 2, 1933 the Convention of Nicaragua was signed Peace, which put an end to the war.

It is worth remembering that the Yankee marines invaded that country again in 1926 with all its warlike power: weapons, airplanes and well-trained men, but they could not subdue the ragged and barefoot guerrillas commanded by Sandino and his little "crazy army".

As they could not defeat it with arms, the United States government began a gradual process of withdrawal of its troops, which culminated on January 1, 1933.

But, before, they had organized the elections of 1932, by means of those that left in power a faithful servant: Juan Bautista Sacasa, and the fateful National Guard (GB) was created, with Anastasio Somoza at the head of it.

The Peace Agreement, signed by Sandino and the liberal president Juan Bautista Sacasa, put an end to the armed struggle, among other issues. However, the president broke the agreement by causing a political confrontation with Sandino, which ended the following year with his murder along with two of his generals, ordered by Somoza.

It is said that, on the right side of the Pentagon Historical Hall, in Washington, there are many plaques that recall the military victories of the United States. And, to the left, there are two plates that symbolize their defeats in the 20th century. In one of them we read: Nicaragua-1933, and in the other: Vietnam-1967.

The plaque that says Nicaragua-1933 is for the defeat that the marines suffered before the Army Defender of National Sovereignty led by Sandino and for which, among other reasons, they had to leave the country in early January 1933.

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In mid-1928 the French intellectual Henry Barbusse wrote a letter to Sandino where he called him General of free men.

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At the beginning of that memorable war of liberation, he emphatically declared: I want free country or die.

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General Sandino receives, in San Rafael del Norte, the visit of his father Don Gregorio Sandino, who is accompanied by the journalist César Aguilera. Next to Sandino are two of his lieutenants. Photo: Granma

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A group of the guerrillas of the "mad army" of Sandino, as the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral called it. Photo: Granma

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An officer reviewed the guerrilla troop that kept the invading Yankee marines in check. Photo: Granma

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The Sandino guerrillas are made up of peasants who know each other from the Nicaraguan jungle. They attack, cause casualties and disappear.

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Sandino with a group of members of the National Army Defender of Nicaraguan Sovereignty, as can be read in the photo.

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Sandino accompanied by Sofonías Salvatierra (on his right) and Don Gregorio Sandino, his father, during the conversations about peace in Quinta Guadalupe, Sandino's General Headquarters.

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"We will go to the sun of freedom or to death; and if we die, our cause will continue to live. Others will follow us, "and so it was.

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Sandino with President Sacasa and the delegates who signed the Peace Agreement, in the presidential house of Managua.

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General Sandino with President Juan B. Sacasa, who would not comply with the Peace Agreement and would propitiate his assassination the following year.

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President Sacasa accompanied by officers of the National Guard. On his right Major General Anastasio Somoza, who ordered the murder of Sandino.

http://www.granma.cu/cuba/2018-02-02/el ... 8-10-02-11

Google Translator

Our comrades in Columbia should take note, capitalism does not allow it's wanna-be gravediggers a mulligan.

Person I've been talking to says that Nicaragua has had a socialist revolution, Daniel Ortega is president and the Sandinistas are the ruling party. But seeing as they are only suffering 'level 1' (so far) sanctions, not being bombed or invaded, I have my doubts.

I do not think they have seized the means of production, at least in any substantial way, so the situation there is more like Venezuela. So at the very least something progressive is going on.
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Mon Apr 16, 2018 1:38 pm

The Guardian falsely smears Nicaragua's government yet again
Submitted by tortilla on Jue, 12/04/2018 - 07:09
Tortilla con Sal, April 12th 2018

Under the headline “Nicaragua fires: aid from Costa Rica rejected as blaze destroys rainforest”, once again the UK Guardian has published another badly researched, politically skewed report falsely smearing Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. This time, the pretext is a devastating forest fire affecting the peripheral buffer zone of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. Falsely alleging that Nicaragua has rejected the offer of help from Costa Rica, the Guardian report uses the standard NATO propaganda attack recipe, blending false reports from hostile opposition media and anti-government NGOs.



The article argues that Nicaragua’s government has been negligent in protecting the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve, has not sought international help, and has deliberately facilitated invasion of the reserve by impoverished rural workers families seeking land. Forget about due diligence when reading the Guardian’s foreign news. As usual, in this case too, the reality completely contradicts the report’s main assertions. The Guardian refers to a statement by the Costa Rican government stating that a unit of Costa Rican fire fighters was turned away. But the Guardian report offers neither a link to the alleged statement nor any quote from it.

Here’s the Costa Rican fire service spokesperson on the matter: “We are fully ready to cooperate in any other incident. Fom what we can see, this incident has already been controlled by the army. We were at the border and had to return. We see no problem. In the moment (we offered to help) Nicaragua they didn’t have the personnel to fight the fire, thankfully over the last few hours, it now has the personnel to deal with this emergency and are engaged in controlling and extinguishing the fire”.

In fact, the decision not to use the help offered by Costa Rica was taken jointly by the chiefs of the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican fire services during a meeting in Managua on Sunday April 8th, when they agreed that “the realistic possibilities of controlling the fire by the firefighting services of Nicaragua and Costa Rica were limited due to the characteristics of the fire and that the effective means to control and extinguish the fire is from the air.” In any case, access to the area of the fire was impractical overland, with access being possible almost exclusively by air or sea along the region’s Caribbean coast.

Nicaragua’s Vice President Rosario Murillo noted on April 9th, in relation to coordination with the Director de Operations of the Costa Rican Fire Fighting Service “We have been in meetings with him all weekend, looking precisely at what is being done, the difficulty of reaching the place.” She went on in that declaration to say “There, where the fire has broken out, it’s impossible to reach with trucks or pick ups. What’s really needed, urgently are airplanes equipped with all the technical means to fight forest fires”

Rosario Murillo also explained on April 10th that the Sandinista government led by President Daniel Ortega had “coordinated with Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Mexico, the Russian Federation, the air forces of each one of these countries, requesting Air Resources to fight the fires”. Currently, helicopters from Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador are helping control and extinguish the fire, contradicting the impression given by the Guardian’s report that the government had not sought international help.

The Nicaraguan government has also coordinated support from the United States authorities with a specialist team sent from the Office of Disaster Assistance of USAID and the US Forestry Service. The team leader arrived in Nicaragua on April 10th. The Guardian’s April 11th report includes none of this information which totally contradicts the impression that report gives by citing environmentalists calling on the government to seek international support, as if it had not already done so since the week before the Guardian’s report was published.

The report quotes criticism from the well known Nicaraguan environmentalist Jaime Incer Barquero. Now in his 80s, Incer Barquero has made distinguished contributions to environmental conservation in Nicaragua. However, his pronouncements on the fire in the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve demonstrate obvious ignorance of the measures taken by the Nicaraguan government to control the fire. The Guardian report also quotes a representative of the Fundación Río NGO, who “noted ‘relations between the countries have not been the best’ due to a long-running border dispute.” But as Costa Rica’s cooperation with Nicaragua makes clear, diplomatic relations take a back seat in the context of a major regional ecological threat like the Indio Maiz forest fire.

The Fundación Río NGO has solicited funds supposedly to support community authorities and fire fighters in the Indio Maiz area, a function well beyond the organization’s statutory objectives. It has now been warned by the Nicaraguan government not to solicit funds for purposes it was not estabished to carry out, functions which are the government’s responsibility and which the government is fulfilling. The self-serving propaganda of this kind of environmentalist NGO is no doubt the fact-free basis for the Guardian’s allegation that “the fires are believed to have been started by illegal homesteaders, who were attempting to clear land for planting crops.”

In fact, the fires began in a marshland area completely unsuitable for agricultural activity, either arable farming or pasture for cattle. One of Nicaragua’s leading environmental scientists, Efrain Acuña, has dismissed the accusation that the area was set on fire so as to facilitate arable or cattle farming, saying “the soils in this zone do not lend themselves to those activities, among other reasons because the acidity is high, the fertility percentages for grazing are very low and so the nutritional value for cattle is insufficient.”

The Guardian quotes Gabriel Jaime of Fundación Río as saying that the government has encouraged rural workers and their families to encroach on land belonging mainly to the indigenous Rama people. But the Guardian report gives no context to that allegation. Jaime’s solution is “removing people and telling them ‘you can’t live in a protected area’ ”. Jaime also criticizes the government’s provision of health and education services in the area as if these did not benefit the local indigenous population. This is another example of a neocolonial NGO patronizing local indigenous people, who own their land and have a strong say in how it is used.

The same false neocolonial argument has been used to misrepresent the potential displacement of indigenous people should Nicaragua’s interoceanic canal go ahead. The canal company HKND and the Nicaraguan authorities consulted with local indigenous people who agreed terms for canal’s construction across their land. But that fact has been systematically omitted or misrepresented by environmentalists in the same way as the complex issue of migration by rural workers families to areas of the Caribbean coast has been.

Western NGOs and the local organizations they fund around the world obviously undermine the role and functions of sovereign national governments. That is why Western corporations finance them. It is also why the foreign news coverage of Western corporate media systematically distorts and misrepresents the reality of events around the world. The Guardian report on the Indio Maiz forest fire categorically demonstrates that fact one more time.

http://tortillaconsal.com/tortilla/node/2474
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Sat Apr 21, 2018 6:52 pm

What is the reform of Social Security in Nicaragua about?

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Sectors of the population have demonstrated against and in favor of the measure that, according to the Government, seeks to strengthen the pension system for all. APRIL 20 2018

The Government of Nicaragua has ensured that its main objective is to guarantee the rights to social security for the less favored population.
The government of Daniel Ortega approved on April 16 the reform of the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security ( INSS ), after several negotiating tables during 2017 to strengthen the system of pensions by distribution of responsibilities between enterprises and workers.

According to the authorities, the main objective of this decision is to prevent the privatization of the service provided to the beneficiaries, improve medical care for all and guarantee social security for the population.

What are the benefits for pensioners?

The reform published in the Official Gazette last Monday maintains the age of retirement in 60 years, as well as the time worked for its granting: 15 years or 750 weeks, one of the lowest in the world.

In addition, it establishes a 5 percent decrease in pensions and increases the amounts of contributions progressively, which implies a greater contribution by companies (from 19 to 22.5 percent) with respect to workers ( 6.25 to 7 percent).

The president of the INSS informed that this decision is necessary to clean up the finances of the entity and thus counteract the risks of a possible lack of liquidity in the fulfillment of payments.

For ten years (2006-2016) the minimum pension went from C $ 1,212 to C $ 4,680; a restitution of the benefit was made to 42,946 citizens and the health system includes all the services provided in the Central American nation .

Likewise, patients with any type of cancer are treated and open heart surgeries, cardiac catheterization, radiotherapy, ophthalmological treatments, hip replacements, kidney transplants, among other specialized procedures are performed.

What happened in previous governments?

Before the arrival of the Sandinista government of President Ortega, the INSS was used for acts of corruption by state officials to the detriment of the people.

1993: President Violeta Chamorro (1990-1997) approved the acquisition of a Negotiable Investment Certificate (CENI) for nine million dollars in the name of the US mining company Rosario Mining, despite the fact that its real price was three million.

1994: The INSS makes a loan of 14 million dollars to the Housing Bank to execute buildings, but the money was never returned.

2000-2003: The INSS assumes debts of about ten million dollars in an attempt to privatrizar the retirements.

Among the consequences of these efforts were created fictitious clinics that received contributions without providing services, there was a freeze on minimum pensions as well as wages.

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PHOTO: EFE


What does the right propose?

In contrast to government decisions to guarantee social protection, discussed in a Technical Commission with the Higher Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep), the right wing of Nicaragua has proposed policies that harm the pensioner.

Some of the measures are: Increase the retirement age in several sectors and the weeks of contribution (1,500 or 30 years of work); eliminate the minimum pension; that the INSS sells the care centers under its charge and raise the contribution amount by 2 percent more than the employers.

Reactions of Nicaraguans

The beneficiary Hidelbrando Reyes Quintero, retired four years ago, said he agreed with the reform because "as we were we did not fully enjoy the right to health, while now we will have it as if we were active workers."

On the other hand, sectors of the population have expressed their dissatisfaction with protests against the decision, which has generated violence that has led to the death of two young people and a policeman and more than 30 injured.

Vice President Rosario Murillo said that the country "is being tainted by bad children, petty people and small souls who do not think that we have worked so hard to achieve peace."

https://www.telesurtv.net/telesuragenda ... -0058.html

Google Translator

Plain as day, the chamber of commerce types, proly with no little help & encouragement, are making a color revolution gambit. Looks weak so far.
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:23 pm

Relevant tweets from he homie eli in the cut @cholo_commie

The Frente Nacional de Trabajadores (FNT; National Workers Front), the largest (and most staunchly left-wing, advocating for the same "Christian Socialist Society of Solidarity" advocated by FSLN) union org in Nicaragua, on social security reform

Under the FNT are 9 union (con)federations: FETSALUD (health workers); CGTEN-ANDEN (education workers); CTCP (self-employed workers; sex workers); UNE (public sector); CST-JBE (construction); FESITUN (university workers); FEPDES (uni lecturers); CTAI (agroindustry);

and lastly the CTMLAC (coastal workers). The FNT is objectively the largest voice for the working class of Nicaragua. You should listen to them instead of students (and imperialists) on issues that principally effect WORKERS.

Additionally the right-wing unions (of which about 15–20% of union workers are part of, whereas about 80% are FNT) are involved in negotiations on precisely the issue of social security.

You can read more about the FNT, their work, and their structure here http://www.fnt.org.ni/ and here http://www.nscag.org/trade-unions/ Let's not believe bullshit lies about "repression" thanks the United States does not and will never care about actual repression in Latin America

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HARD MESSAGE FROM THE FNT
Posted By Informe Pastrán on April 17, 2018

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"The right is opportunist is cynical and manipulative. If it were not for the struggle of the workers and the FSLN and Comandante Daniel we would not even have Social Security today, "said the National Workers' Front in a communication this afternoon ..." From the government of Doña Violeta they began to loot the INSS and they eliminated the reduced pension. Major Daniel restored this right. Then the governments of Arnoldo Alemán and Enrique Bolaños created the AFPs to get their hands on the funds of the pensioners, allowing the private sector to use the INSS Reserve Funds for their businesses. And we prevent it with the mobilization of workers, "he says.

... NOT A STEP BACK ...

"There should be no doubt that we have Social Security for the workers' struggle and for the measures taken by the United Government Nicaragua Triumph led by our president and leader Daniel Ortega Saavedra and compañero Rosario. We must remember that the recalcitrant right cries because the people do not recognize them and they will always try to destabilize the country and attempt against the conquests of the workers. So not a step back, "said the FNT in its communication.

http://www.informepastran.com/index.php ... e-del-fnt/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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blindpig
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Re: Nicaragua

Post by blindpig » Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:24 pm

Trade Unions in Nicaragua
The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group (NSCAG) works with Nicaraguan trade unions from various sectors, all of whom are members of the FNT (National Workers' Front).
Since 2007, when the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) returned to power, Nicaragua had undergone a remarkable transformation and the trade unions have seen the restoration of their rights following 17 years of right-wing government. This period saw the decimation of the labour and trade union movement, with thousands of public sector workers sacked and the trade unions severely weakened. The legacy of the neo-liberal period is that Nicaragua remains the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti. Some 65% of Nicaraguans work in the informal sector, for example selling goods at traffic lights and as ambulant market sellers and street sellers, and unemployment remains high at around 800,000 out of an economically active population of 3.2 million.

The trade unions see the fight against poverty as one of their main tasks. They have prioritised employment creation and the improvement of working conditions for their members. A tripartite agreement between Government, the private sector and the unions was put in place at the beginning of 2014. Although there were some concerns that this would weaken the unions, it has in fact enabled the unions to gain significant increases in salary an an increase in the minimum wage for workers in the public sector. They have also successfully fought against a proposed increase in the age of retirement. The right to organise and the right to strike are enshrined in the constitution, although there have been only 3 strikes since the FSLN came back to power (as opposed to almost 500 during the neo-liberal years).

The unions are also represented in the National Assembly and have a seat at the table at almost all levels of commerce and government.

In January 2014, a 50/50 law was introduced as part of Nicaragua's constitutional reforms. This law requires there to be a quota of at least 50% women standing as candidates for public office and party political posts. The law is being fully implemented in the trade union movement and has led to huge advances in terms of gender equality and women's empowerment, with women playing a much more active role in union work and putting themselves forward for leadership roles.

In May 2013, the Nicaraguan Labour Code was reformed. The unions saw this as a very important step, as it succeeded in reducing the backlog of cases waiting to be heard in the labour courts by 50%. The new Code allows for trials to be conducted orally and for workers to file their application before a judge verbally. There is also a fixed time limit and workers now have the right to be accompanied in court by their trade union representative. Processes which previously took four years to complete can now be done in just over an hour. Most demands relate to redundancy payments and reinstatement in the workforce. Since the reform was introduced, there has been a notable increase in cases being resolved through Conciliation Audiences, which was not previously an option.Unions have praised the new system as something which needs to be supported and continued.

Unions affiliated with the FNT hold 80% of trade union membership in Nicaragua. There are a number of other federations representing different political views and ideologies - these are CAUS, CNT, CUS and the CUT - but they are very small. However, they do take part in collective bargaining and co-ordinate at national level with the FNT to discuss matters such as social security and the minimum wage. Trade unions operate freely in Nicaragua - unlike some other countries in Latin America, not a single trade unionist has been oppressed, imprisoned or killed.



FNT: National Federation of WorkersFNT: National Workers' Front
www.fnt.org.ni

The FNT (National Workers’ Front) was setup on April 28th 1990 in order to coordinate the work of the different Sandinista unions in defending the gains made for workers under the revolutionary government of1979-1990.

During the 1990-1994 period thousands of workers lost their jobs. For example, UNE the public sector worker’s union went from 40,000 members to 6,500 members. Between 1990 and 1994 there were 396 strikes aimed at defending workers rights which were under heavy attack from a government determined to impose neoliberal economic reforms and to eliminate the legacy of the Sandinista revolution.

In 1997 the FNT changed its structure and a proper coordinated, unitary and autonomous strategy was developed alongside a unified training system for trade union activists. As part of this the FNT developed a new strategy of municipal organisation. As a result the FNT became a truly national organisation with some 137,000 members. Thanks to the strategy of municipal organisation the FNT developed local-level projects and strengthenedd municipal level trade union organisation. In many areas the FNT became part of the Committees of Local Develpment. In 2004, 121 trade unionists were elected in municipal elections, 11 of them as mayors. The FNT continued to grow during this period and by 2005 had reached 161,000 members. Since 1999 more than 6,500 trade union leaders have been trained in the new organisational strategy.

Today the FNT has a membership of 270,000 and includes 9 trade union federations and confederations. These are:-

FETSALUD - Federation of Health Workers. The health sector workers’ union.
CGTEN-ANDEN – The General Confederation of Education Workers of Nicaragua.
CTCP – The Confederation of Self Employed Workers. Since the neoliberal reforms of the 1990s, the informal sector has been the largest in Nicaragua, and the CTCP was set up in 2005 to organise these workers.
UNE – The National Union of Employees. The Public Sector Workers’ union.
CST-JBE – The Jose Benito Escobar Union Confederation of Workers. This confederation organises workers in construction and industry.
FESITUN – the Federation of University Workers of Nicaragua. The higher education workers union.
FEPDES – University Lecturers Union.
CTAI – The National Confederation of Agroindustry Workers.
CTMLAC – The National Confederation of Workers of the Sea, the Coast and Linked areas.
The FNT attributes its steady growth to the development of a new kind of ‘socio-political’ trade unionism which seeks to organise within civil society at local level in order to be able to influence economic, social and political processes where they most affect workers.

The existence of a Sandinista government favours this vision since the Sandinista government has established 'Gabinetes' (cabinets) at local level in order to implement its vision of direct local democracy. The FNT and the Nicaraguan trade unions support the construction of this model of political organisation and see their role as making changes within it that favour Nicaraguan workers.

This role in society as negotiators with both government and business means that the FNT has developed activists who understand how these spaces function, and who are well versed in the issues in order to negotiate as effectively as possible. So, in addition to focussing on workplace issues, the FNT and its members are also concerned with social, environmental, economic and political problems such as housing, health and access to education and social security. By concentrating on this broader role, the FNT hopes to help the government build a more equal society where all Nicaraguans can live in peace and with dignity.

It is this society that the FNT and the Sandinista government define as a “Christian and Socialist Society of Solidarity”. Whilst this may sound strange in English, in Nicaragua, a country with a largely religious population where the 1980s revolution was heavily influenced by ‘Liberation Theology’, the emphasis on the religious and the political is quite natural. The overall aim of the FNT is to promote direct democracy and strengthen social coordination between all the different social organisations in order to achieve more social justice and development.

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UNE: Public Sector Union
UNE has its origins in the struggles of the Sandinistas to overthrow the brutal Somoza dictatorship. After the Sandinistas came to power in 1979, the union started organising in government ministries representing workers in communications, energy, water and the municipalities. From 1979 to 1990, the union set up collective bargaining agreements and promoted a Civil Service Law to guarantee job security for workers regardless of the political party in power.

In 1990, the Sandinistas lost the elections and a US-backed right wing coalition came to power. The neo liberal years lasted until 2007, during which time the public sector was brought to its knees. Over 100,000 state sector workers lost their jobs - 66% of the workforce - including 2,500 union leaders. Partly because of the privatisation of previously publicly owned services and in part because of attacks on unions, the membership of UNE fell to 5,000.

One of UNE's priorities is to strengthen the image of the public sector, which was hugely tarnished by corruption during the 1990s. The emphasis is on providing quality and efficient public services and on transparency. UNE is also keen to recruit and train more women and young members. 56% of UNE members are women and it has active Women's and Youth Committees.

The return to power of the Sandinista government in 2007 saw the restoration of the public sector and of trade union rights. UNE now has around 40,000 members and its members have seen vast improvements in working conditions and salary levels. UNE organises in central government (social security, tax collection) and local government (municipalities) and in the electricity and water industries.

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CTCP: Confederation of Self Employed Workers


The latest union to be affiliated to the FNT is the CTCP Self Employed Workers' (informal sector) Union. Formed in May 2002, the union currently has a membership of 60,000. Members are organised into 152 trade union branches which are affiliated to eight federations. 48% of the union's members are women and 52% men. Of the total membership, 65% are young people between the ages of 16 and 36.

The union brings together people who work in the streets selling all kinds of cheap goods and services. They produce food such as tortillas, soft drinks and traditional sweets. Some are the owners of small and micro-businesses, while ohers have workshops for mechanics, carpentry and tyre repairs. Others work as money-changers, artisans, tailors, seamstresses, barbers, grocers, porters with handcarts, litter pickers and hawkers, taxi drivers, rickshaw tricyclists, lottery sellers and mobile phone sellers. Some work in people's homes as plumbers, labourers or electricians; others are professional people and craft workers.

The informal sector is characterised by different relations between employer and employee than those that exist in the formal sector. These workers work in very difficult conditions and were often socially marginalized in the past, particularly during the years of neo-liberal government. They represent a large percentage of the Nicaraguan work force, comprising 60 to 65% of the economically active population. Around 90,000 of them work in the streets, very many of them for up to 14 hours a day in all weathers and without any personal protection or access to social security. More often than not, their earnings are not enough to meet basic subsistence needs. The Sandinista Government has now developed a strategy to incorporate those working in this sector into the Government's social programmes and the union continues to campaign for full access to social security.

The sector contributes around 44.4% to GDP, 80% to food production and 75% to transport. In 2007, the National Assembly removed the law which had banned working in the streets and had subjected workers in the sector to the threat of eviction by the police. Today, these workers have a chance to build a better life for themselves, with access to welfare and social security. Sexual harassment and crime, previously major problems for vulnerable workers such as these, have been significantly reduced.

The process of organising self-employed (informal sector) workers is ongoing; its fundamental objective is to transform and institutionalise their work in order to guarantee a better future for these workers and their families. The CTCP is now represented in various government institutions, including the health and social security ministries, minimum wage commission and national labour council, and has become a productive force in the country.

The union's current priorities include: developing and strengthening the union, fighting for the rights of its members, investing in people and raising the self-esteem of those working in this sector, promoting the active participation of women and young people and empowering them to take up leadership positions, promoting decent work and social cohesion, improving education and training for members (many of whom have no formal education), improving health and safety, lobbying for all workers in the sector to have social security cover and protection of their political and cultural rights, working to eliminate poverty and marginalisation among workers in this sector. The union has its own credit and savings cooperative, as its members are unable to get credit from banks. It has also established an education and training programme, which includes courses on food preparation, hairdressing, managing finance and studying the market.

One significant issue is the fact that women working in this sector do not tend to pay great attention to their health. This is due to two factors mainly - lack of education and lack of time. The CTCP is currently working with the Ministry of Health and four universities in Nicaragua to complete a health study on the effects of working in the street.

The union recognises that there is a problem with child labour, largely caused by high levels of family breakdown. The union has established a programme to address this issue; so far, the programme has reached 1000 children working at traffic lights, but it is hoped to extend this programme in the future.



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FETSALUD: Health Workers' Union
FETSALUD: Health Workers' Union

FETSALUD organises doctors, nurses, administrative staff and auxiliary workers in the health sector. The trade union was set up in 1974 under the Somoza dictatorship. During the 1980s, there were 35,000 health workers, but savage cuts imposed by neoliberal governments after the 1990 elections meant mass sackings. Many health workers lost their jobs. In spite of this, thanks to the resistance of health service workers,the full privatisation of Nicaraguan health care was avoided.

However, after 1990, despite free health care being a constitutional guarantee, the realisty was that the health service was terribly underfunded and suffered from acute shortages. For example, a law was passed in the 1990s that obliged the Nicaraguan government to buy expensive branded medicine from multinational pharmaceutical companies through the private sector. The FSLN put forward a proposal to try to change this, but was unable to do so. Until 2007, Nicaraguans in effect ceased to have access to free and affordable health care.

Today FETSALUD represents 28,000 - 30,000 health workers including both medical and non-medical staff (cleaners, gardeners, catering staff, administration, security etc.) Since 2007, the Sandinista government has been committed to transforming the way the health service works. Free health care has been introduced for all (this includes breast screening and ultrasound). The government is once more building community health facilities so that there is access to primary care with at least one doctor and one nurse in each community.

Health service workers are again valued for their work. In January 2014, the Government announced wage rises of around 7% for some 30,000 health workers including doctors and nurses. The 2015 National Assembly budget has given priority to health and education, and provides for 600,000 new health workers to be hired. Wages for health workers remain low but are significantly subsidized by government programmes such as ‘Zero Hunger’ and the ‘Solidarity Bonus’ which all low paid workers have right to, as well as government subsidies to energy and transport. As well as improvements to salaries and insurance payments, workers receive a free uniform annually and pregnant women now have the right to pre and post natal maternity leave. Children also now have free healthcare until they are 18.

As a union FETSALUD is prioritising the recruitment and organisation of women and young people and the strengthening of their structures within the union. Eighty per cent of FETSALUD's members are women. The biggest policy priorities for FETSALUD are members' working conditons and and improving the health service for the population.

FETSALUD's work focuses on health education and preventive medicine and a large part of their work as health professionals involves visiting communities to carry out vaccination programmes and/or to visit people in their homes who are suffering from chronic illness. In March 2014, the Government launched a week long national vaccination campaign aimed at adults and children. The campaign included vaccinations against polio (which has not been seen in the country since the 80s), diphtheria, tetanus and pneumonia.

One of the more serious problems faced by health workers over the past few years has been the incidence of the mosquito-transmitted illnesses Dengue fever and Chikungunya. FETSALUD members have continued to carry out work in the communities which involves carrying out fumigations and eliminating sources of standing water, which are breeding grounds for the mosquitos.

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ANDEN: Teachers Union
ANDEN is one of the biggest teaching unions in Nicaragua, representing over 80% of primary and secondary school teachers. It has 27,000 members, organised into 24 federations and 122 local branches. It organises in the public and private sectors, although only 5% of the country's schools are in the private sector.

Since the election of the Sandinista Government in 2007, there have been significant improvements in the education sector, with better working conditions and salary increases for teachers. During the seventeen years of neo-liberal government, teachers earned on average 90 dollars per month, now the figure is around 250 dollars per month. The national budget has prioritised education (as well as health) and has allocated 7% of the national budget to education.

The union's focus is on improving the quality of education and changing attitudes, so that more children will stay at school. Efforts have been made to strengthen areas such as tehcnology, gender equality and training trainers for community development. The union has also introduced a programme of capacity building and continuous professional development. Teacher training has been introduced in the whole of the country in an effort to motivate young people to become teachers. The union strongly believes that education is a right, and not a privilege that you pay for.

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FESITUN: Federation of University Workers of Nicaragua
FESITUN was established in 2001. It organises non-teaching staff in universities, which includes administrators, gardeners and maintenance staff. It has 4000 members, 56% of whom are women. During the 1990s, the union was involved in a huge campaign to demand a 6% salary increase - there were regular marches and demonstrations and many confrontations with the police. Since the election of Daniel Ortega in 2007, the union has seen salaries increased by around 120% for its members. Around six percent of the national budget is now earmarked for universities. There are 10 universities in Nicaragua - 4 at state level, 4 private (Jesuit, Dominican, Orthodox and Baptist) and 2 community (Atlantic Coast). Two of the state universities are in Leon and Managua; the other two are new and are specifically for engineering and agriculture. All of the universities allow trade unions, with the exception of the Orthodox university, and each university faculty has a trade union representative.

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FEPDES: Union of University Lecturers
The Federation of Professional Higher Education Teachers of Nicaragua (FEPDES) was created in April 1990 and recognised as a Federation in 2001. However, it has a history stretching back to the 1970s. FEPDES grew out of the Association of Teaching Workers (ATD) which was set up in 1979 and had branches in all the public universities. This in turn grew out of the Ruben Dario Association of University Teachers which was formed in the mid 1970s. In 1990 the different branches of the ATD joined together to form a national federation and in 2001 it changed its name to FEPDES-ATD.
Most FEPDES members work in Nicaragua’s public universities because it is more difficult to attract teachers working in private universities as they tend not to have permanent contracts and mostly work on an hourly, quarterly or six-monthly basis. However, FEPDES has managed to form two branches in private universities. Even though they don’t have many members from private universities, the union still fights for their rights. In 2008 they managed to get Law 671, which relates to special working conditions, passed by the National Assembly. This allows for the wage rises that public university lecturers secure to be passed on to private university teachers on a pro rata basis, as well as stipulating that part time lecturers must be registered with the social security system (INSS).

The FEPDES has 5,109 members of which 2,649 are full time workers and 2,460 are part time or hourly workers.

FEPDES sees its main achievements to date to have been:

Establishing the FEPDES as the only union of hourly and permanent university lecturers.
Securing benefits such as laws that protect trade unions, a highly favourable collective agreement and regular salary increments.
Ensuring their representation in all bodies to do with university education such as the National Council of Universities, the National Council of Education, the National Council of Economic and Social Planning and observer status on the National Council of University Rectors.
Since 2007 FEPDES has been able to work hand-in-hand with the FSLN government. Education sector unions have not had to fight for the 6% of the annual national budget which is legally theirs as they were forced to under previous governments, and they have received $18 million dollars in technological equipment for university laboratories. The government has also announced a $2 million dollar programme of grants to enable poor students to go to university. With the government guaranteeing university budgets salaries have improved. There is also a new house building project for university lecturers and administrative workers that will be administered by the FNT using public and international funds.

The support of the education sector unions is part of the FSLN government’s National Plan for Human Development, which underlines higher education’s role in resolving “economic, productive, social and cultural problems, especially those that reproduce the vicious circle of exclusion and poverty.” It thus includes an important role for the universities with regard to scientific research and the provision of academic services.

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CST-JBE: Jose Benito Escobar Union Confederation of Workers
The CST is a nationwide union and was established in 1979. It mainlyrepresents workers in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Affiliated unions include those representing workers in the construction industry and in the Free Trade Zones. Currently Nicaragua is seeing a boom in construction as the government invests in infrastructure projects such as extending the road network, and as economic growth promotes construction in the private sector.

Since the Sandinista government was elected in 2007 the CST-JBE has participated in the tripartite agreement between unions, government and business to establish the bases of stability and economic growth for Nicaragua. This agreement has resulted in improvements to labour laws, to the enforcement of these by the Ministry of Labour, and the freedom to organise in industry and in free trade zones. This has seen the CST-JBE grow by 20,000 members in three years, and today they have around 97,000 members organised in 19 federations and 150 trade unions branches.

The CST-JBE is organised in federations by sector and by region in order to be closer to their affiliates.

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Free Trade Zones (FTZ)
Although free trade zones have existed since 1970, the number of people employed within them has increased rapidly since 1990. There are now 85 factories, predominantly foreign owned, operating within the free trade zones, employing 80,000 workers directly and a further 200,000 indirectly. However, some of these companies have threatened closure and relocation outside of Nicaragua as a reaction to recent minimum wage increases under the FSLN government. The CST-JBE now has 15 federations organised within the FTZ in Nicaragua.

Union repression was formerly common in FTZ factories. Conditions in the factories were generally poor, with long working hours and workers were expected to meet high production targets and were often compelled to work extra hours if their quotas weren’t met. Today the CST-JBE organises 15,000 of the 80,000 workers in the free trade zones. The freedom to organise within the FTZ, together with the tripartite agreement between business, government and unions since the Sandinista government came to power has yielded “excellent results” with the FTZ’s providing 5,000 new jobs in the last half of 2010, and a predicted increase of another 5,000 in early 2011. Moreover, the introduction of ‘Mixed Commissions’ means that health and safety regulations are now implemented, and various emergency contingency plans have been introduced. The Ministry of Labour regulates this process and through the application of sanctions ensures that companies abide by their legal responsibilities.

The CST-JBE has worked hard to minimise the potential negative effects that trade agreements such as CAFTA and the Association Agreement with the EU might have. In this sense the CST-JBE has been able to get the government to sign laws on workplace security that regulate the rights and duties of employers and establish heavy industry workers' rights to medical check-ups.

http://www.nscag.org/trade-unions/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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