Bid to crack news ban

Press, 24 June 1983, Page 6

Bid to crack news ban

NZPA-Reuter Santiago

Chilean trade unions have tried to break a ban on news about an iridefinite general strike by circulating thousands of leaflets calling on the work-force to join the protest against the military Government.

The unions’ umbrella organisation, the National Workers’ Command, also called on Chileans to bang saucepans at 8 p.m. (local time) every evening of the strike to demonstrate pe?‘ sonal opposition to the Government.

Saucepan banging has been a traditional form of

protest in Chile since the unrest that led the military to oust President Salvador Allende in 1973.

Many middle-class supporters of President Augusto Pinochet banged saucepans during two national days of protest against his rule on May 11 and June 14. The workers’ command renewed its strike call after a magistrate ordered the detention of Jose Perez, the ninth leader of the Confederation of Copper Workers (C.T.C.) to go to prison over the past week. The detentions sparked a strike by copper workers

and led to the call for a general stoppage.

While Mr Perez went to prison, a magistrate released the truck owners’ leader, Adolfo Quinteros, on bail. He had joined the workers’ command in calling for the general strike and, like Mr Perez, was charged with breaking internal security laws.

The C.T.C. said, meanwhile, that it had printed 40,G410 copies of a leaflet seeking support for the strike. It was headlined “Chile arise” and had a picture of the jailed C.T.C. president, Rodolfo Seguel. The leaflet explained the

reasons for the strike and carried pledges of support from university students. Some posters calling for the strike were being circulated. The association of journalists put out a fourpage leaflet carrying the strike call as well as a statement by a group of young politicians demanding General Pinochet’s resignation.

Leon Villarin, president of the Confederation of Truck Owners when it went on strike against Mr Allende, has told reporters: “The present situation is much worse than during the Allende Government.”