World Economy

Apr 28, 2008

coca cola

The leadership of Coca-Cola made Monday morning unblock access to the plant Grigny (Essonne), on strike since April 17 for salaries, it was learned source of association and with the direction.

A dozen cadres site Grigny, which produces plastic bottles, have released the access blocked by cans, using forklifts, while a dozen employees were picketing since the morning of Monday is usually a half-day working week, according to Hamid Benahmed, central CGT delegate. There was no incident, "it was not in our mind to go to physical contact," he continued. In addition, invitations to interview prior to redundancies have been issued, said the same source, who was unable to specify the number. Management has confirmed these summonses. The latter confirmed that access to the site was now free, after 11 days during which "we were very ready to listen, and we have tolerated an illegal blocking of the site by a minority". A spokesman insisted that the right of strikers as non-strikers should be respected. "For us, there will be no agreement to end the conflict", told AFP M. Benahmed, who believes that the signing of an agreement tantamount to "surrender". He said there is "little hope" that the movement continues, strikers must meet in the afternoon. The CGT denounced increases "at the mouth of the customer", while the direction of its claims that its proposals later lead to an increase in average wages between 5 and 6.5%. Employees of the production site Coca-Cola de Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine) did strike last Wednesday to Friday and obtained an overall salary increase of 4.5%


More than half of adolescents between 14 and 17 years removed from a polygamous sect of Texas (south) are already mothers or are pregnant, reported Monday social services of that State.

Since early April, 463 children 5 to 17 years (250 girls and 213 boys) have been withdrawn from a huge ranch where recluse living in the community of followers of a sect (FDLS), excluded from the Mormon church and suspected d 'Sexual abuse of minors. According to social services, girls were conditioned to accept from puberty to have sexual relations with their "husbands spiritual" mature and boys of the sect were indoctrinated to perpetuate such practices. The protection services and family have identified 53 girls apparently 14 to 17 years. "We believe that 31 out of 53 already have children or are currently pregnant", told AFP Patrick Crimmins, spokesman for the Department to protect the family from Texas (south). All children removed from the ranch, with the exception of six of them who are sick are now in facilities in Texas, he added, noting that social services were trying to leave all the brothers and sisters and focus on large groups of children. A host has been reserved for 17 women with children under one year. Teenage mothers are not separated from their children and others have a right of access. Further hearings of children should begin in mid-May and no long-term decision has yet been made for their placement. In addition, the Police said the call for help from a teenage girl explaining be pregnant with her second child, who had been behind the raid on the ranch, April 3, could have been a hoax. Investigators say, however, have discovered in the ranch compelling evidence of sexual abuse of minors.


The Argentine government announced Monday the signing Tuesday of contract award, amounting to nearly four billion dollars for the realization of the first high-speed train in Latin America between Buenos Aires and Cordoba, located 700 kilometres north-west.

The signing will take place on Tuesday at mid-day in the presence of the Argentine president Cristina Kirchner and representatives of Veloxia consortium led by the French firm Alstom, which had won this award in January, said the Ministry of Planning in a statement. The Argentine government announced in January have chosen this consortium, the only candidate nominated for this high-speed link, through the pampas, between the Argentine capital and two of the largest cities in the country, Rosario and Cordoba. The corridor Buenos Aires-Rosario-Cordoba is the axis of communication the most important in Argentina. These three cities, with some 15 million people are at the heart of the agro-food Argentina, booming the past five years thanks to the sharp rise in agricultural raw materials. Alstom planned to travel on this route up to eight double-decker trains per day.

by erectusplus at 7:09 PM |