Union officials believe that if a contract is not in place on February 17, when classes start, the authorities will try to delay negotiations and declare any strike illegal. The inhabitants of Armenia and La Tebaida, in the Colombian coffee region, blocked main roads to demand government relief last week. Many of the victims are still living in temporary shelters, a full year after the tragedy. Those in shelters report that conditions are deteriorating. The temporary structures no longer protect against the rain and are unbearably hot in the summer.
Many victims also complain about the lack of jobs and adequate medical care.
Unrest due to layoffs in Nicaraguan special economic zones About 50 maquiladora workers, fired from the Mil Colores factory for attempting to organize a union, rallied at the entrance of the special economic zone to demand their jobs back. Jose Domingo Esquivel, former general secretary of the Mil Colores union, indicated that the company began a victimization campaign as soon as the existence of the union became known. Esquivel was fired along with another 50 workers. The government sided with the company on the firings. Esquivel declared that most of Mil Colores workers support the union and that if the company persists, there will be a strike.