ECUADOREAN UNIONS TO CALL GENERAL STRIKE
ecuador's union federations called a
general strike for next wednesday to press the governent to
suspend austerity measures adopted recently to grapple with
losses from a recent earthquake.
    The 500,000-strong unitary workers' front (fut) and the
100,000-member general union of workers (ugt) have protested
the measures, which include a rise in petrol prices of up to 80
per cent and budget cuts of as much as 10 per cent.
    President leon febres cordero imposed the measures after a
march 5 earthquake cost an estimated one billion dollars in
losses. About 1,000 people are dead or missing.
    The leftist-led fut said it was also backing a call by the
maoist popular movement for democracy (mpd) party, to have
congress impeach and oust febres cordero, a conservative, for
having adopted the austerity measures.
    Congress needs to muster two-thirds of the votes in the
71-seat congress to censure and oust the president, whose
four-year presidential term ends in august 1988.
    The congress last january 22 voted 38-29 to approve a
non-binding resolution asking the president to resign for
having allegedly violated laws and provoking his 12-hour
abduction by air force paratroopers on january 16.
 Reuter
