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Frontera
NorteSur |
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by Alma Jiménez Rodríguez and Doris Acevedo Barajas Updated Every Weekday |
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Frontera
NorteSur |
|
by Alma Jiménez Rodríguez and Doris Acevedo Barajas Updated Every Weekday |
|
January 30, 2001 Of the 6,823 Beta interventions, 6,035 were in the form of verbal advice and direction giving to migrants. This is in line with Beta's job of helping migrants to avoid dangerous situations such as river crossings and relations with human smugglers. The other 183 interventions by the Beta group involved giving migrants food and/or legal assistance. Beta also helped some of the 183 get to migrant shelters known along the border as "casas migrantes." Spokesperson Reyes also noted that Grupo Beta had received
water-rescue equipment from the Instituto Nacional de Migración
and the Dirección General de Grupos de Protección
al Migrante en el País. January 26, 2001 The disturbance lasted at least four hours as police allegedly stood by and watched, refusing to intervene. Material damage appears to be significant and the investigator in the case has yet to finish evaluating the damage. At least ten complaints have been filed relating to damaged homes and businesses and stoned and burned cars. The mayor of Matamoros spoke with the people that had been affected by the riot and has promised to pay them reparations. While with the mayor, Modelo residents demanded the firing
of the Secretario de Seguridad Pública (local police chief)
and the commander of the Cuerpo de Bomberos (firefighters) because
their employees did nothing to intervene in the disturbance.
Neighborhood residents also asked for the termination of the
head of city military recruitment because the same violence broke
out last year, although to a lesser extent, when recruits were
brought together in the neighborhood. January 24, 2001 Carrillo highlighted the good conditions that Matamoros offers for investments of this type including good urban infrastructure and public safety. According to Carrillo "mega" investments like that
of Wal-Mart will create endless employment over the next years
in Matamoros and will offer new options for buying food and goods.
Abraham Ventura, president of the Villa Las Torres neighborhood
and member of the Frente de Derechos de Propietarios de Casas
de Infonavit (Infonavit Homeowners' Rights Front), blames government
for the homes' deficiencies. He said that government does not
watch over builders and that some homes are inhabitable after
only one year. On January 16 alone Beta helped 10 victims of human traffickers in Matamoros, according to group spokesperson María de la Paz Reyes de Díaz. Three migrants from Tabasco sought Beta help after a "pollero" (human trafficker) tried to rape a woman in the group. The pollero was arrested by Beta. A group of three people from Guerrero had to flee a pollero's house where they were being hidden after they were robbed of their belongings and all their cash. The migrants pointed out to Beta the exact house where they were kept in the Modelo neighborhood. A third group of four people from Oaxaca were about to be robbed on Alvaro Obregón Avenue when Beta intervened. [FNS note: It is widely acknowledged in Mexico that a only
a fraction of the migrants that receive abuse from human traffickers
or law-enforcement agents file complaints or take any sort of
legal action. This lack of action on the part of migrants is
due to a number of reasons including the migrants' lack of desire
to remain in Mexico and follow through on complaints, fear of
retaliation from law enforcement, and a belief that nothing can
be done by Beta and other organizations to help migrants recover
lost goods or money.] January 16, 2001 The workers are also upset that a strike against the company was called off by the SJOIM. Workers are now threatening to march against city hall if their demands are not met. Juan Ramírez Aguilar, speaking for the union, said that the Intermanum facility had been closed and that workers had only asked for their unemployment benefits. This differs from reports in the newspaper that has workers asking for three weeks back pay (approximately US$150 per worker) in addition to possible unemployment benefits. Workers complained that they were not paid for one week's work in December and that the holiday season was very hard for them as they did not receive paychecks. Source: El Mañana, January 12 &15, 2001. Articles by Efraín Martínez Félix. January 11, 2001 The fare in Matamoros is 4 pesos per passenger and 1.5 pesos for students with proper identification. Uriegas said that fares will increase only when there is a radical improvement in the quality of service. Public transportation in Matamoros is the most expensive in Tamaulipas and is in the worst physical and mechanical shape as well, according to Julian Alvarez, Matamoros transportation director. Alvarez also stated that only 20% of the city's busses passed mechanical inspection this year. All other busses will be taken from service beginning next week if they are not brought up to standards. Source: El Bravo, January 9, 2001. Article by Victor
Manuel Villegas. Local Customs administrator Adrián Gallardo Landeros said that the exemption increase will not take effect until it is published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación. The new exemption will be cumulative, up to a maximum of US$400, for three or more family members together in a vehicle. Source: El Mañana, January 4, 2001. Articles by Mauro de la Fuente Loayzat. January 5, 2001 José Guzmán Montalvo, general customs administrator for all of Mexico, confirmed that the Fox administration is taking strong measures against illegal imports into the country, especially against toy imports during the Christmas and Reyes Magos (January 6) holidays. Mexico's toy-making sector feels threatened by illegal, untaxed toy imports. Guzmán also stated that customs will continue its constant fight against contraband in all its forms, including "hormiga" or smuggled contraband and contraband that is passed with false documents. In Nuevo Laredo, in the first of week of November, eight trailers
were seized containing 40,000 boxes of toys that had been undervalued
on import forms. December 15, 2000 For business to remain competitive Reyes said it cannot authorize
wage increases greater than 13%. Larger increases, he said, would
not only be dangerous for owners and workers but for the economy
as a whole. [FNS note: previous FNS articles quoted Matamoros
labor unions as wanting 20%-30% increases in wages.] [FNS note: perhaps Reyes is referring to a labor set-up in
Matamoros like some of those that already exist in the neighboring
state of Coahuila. FNS contributor Elvia Rosales Arriola described
one such worker in her October, 2000 article for FNS: "Amparo
was hired at Dimmit to work sitting down for long hours sewing
on the waistband to a minimum 1200 pairs of expensive dress slacks
per day in order to receive the base weekly wage of 300 pesos
and 200 pesos in bonus (US$50 per week). But to make a more livable
wage she produced for about six years at 150% of the expected
quota or about 1800 slacks per day (that sell in the US for $45-$120
per pair). Of course, at the end of the day her face was blackened
completely by the lint and dust that escaped the poor ventilation
system in the plant. She remembers the terrible coughs she endured
almost all of the time as a result of the fibers distinctly visible
in the surrounding air and settling on her skin and in her lungs.
And of course there is the incredible exhaustion because in the
maquiladoras a 10-12 hour workday is typical as is only a half
hour break for lunch and a ten minute break in the morning."
You may access this article at http://www.nmsu.edu/~frontera/oct00/feat5.html
] Thousands of workers who have desired for years to own their own home feel cheated when their new purchase begins to fall apart. This is due to corruption which has reigned for years in this arena. Infonavit and city authorities in charge of supervising building do not comply with codes because they receive part of the projects' profits. Houses are supposed to last at least 30 years--the length of time a worker will pay on the home--but the first rain or drought begins to show the buildings problems, according to Quezada. In Matamoros up to 20% of the cost of the house goes to corrupt public servants so that they will look the other way on building short cuts. In Mexico City 6 to 10% of the cost of housing is the bribe it takes to get an Infonavit award to build 500 homes. María de Jesus Montoya who lives an in Infonavit home in the Buenavista neighborhood says that Quezada is correct and that the homes are low quality. She had to put wooden stairs in her house because the cement ones began to crumble. Alfredo Bazán Serrata, general secretary of the Regional Federation of Workers, says that while there have been some little problems Infonavit has taken care of them. Bazán added that it is a privilege for workers to get the homes because they do not have to be affiliated with the Regional Federation of Workers to apply for the program. The homes cost the equivalent of about US$20,000. Quezada says that some positive changes are taking place. His Colegio is now allowed to supervise some small building programs but not the large ones with hundreds of homes. Source: Translated from El Mañana, December 12, 2000. Article by Efraín Martínez. December 8, 2000 According to Carlos Lozano, member of the PRI, as soon as Madrazo joins the party's national executive committee (CEN) Madrazo, "will take out the trash," by applying internal party rules of honor and justice. Lozano also stated, "We have been criticized for supporting Fox, that we help him, but our president is the president of all Mexicans and as Mexicans we will support him in our wave of democratic renovation. We are going to get rid of all the dinosaurs that are cut from the same cloth, that are daddy's kids [hijos de papi], that have always lived off of the party [que siempre han vivido de la línea] . . . " Source: El Mañana, December 7, 2000. Article by Norberto Lacarriere. December 6, 2000 Matamoros store owners expect to obtain 50% of the 1.5 billion pesos (approximately US$150 million) which will be distributed in December bonuses and vacation pay in Matamoros in the coming weeks. Jorge Almanza Armas, President of the National Chamber of Commerce (Cámara Nacional de Comercio, Canaco) stated that local sales should be higher this year than last when merchants captured 40% of the total December bonus flow. On a separate note Almanza indicated the four most important factors in local commerce: national and foreign tourism, the maquiladora industry, other businesses and people from the Texas Valley who visit their families in Matamoros. Almanza indicated that neighbors in Brownsville, Texas also go to Matamoros to purchase various products. This shows that trade between the two cities is reciprocal and not limited to Matamoros citizens shopping in Brownsville. Source: El Mañana, November 30, 2000.
Article by: Mauro L. de La Fuente Loayzat. The General Secretary of the Matamoros Maquiladora Workers' Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores en Plantas Maquiladoras y Ensambladoras, SITPME), Leocadio Mendoza Reyes, announced that companies in the industrial sector that have labor contracts with the SITPME will not shut down temporarily this holiday season. During this part of the year when programs and budgets end, SITPME members will not be laid off or even partially laid off. There will also be no firings in hopes of not paying out the December bonus. Any worker that is fired will receive a portion of the "aguinaldo" or Christmas bonus based on how many days of the year that the worker was employed. FRTM Pushes for Higher Wages Alfredo Bazán Serrata, General Secretary of the Regional Federation of Matamoros Workers (Federación Regional de Trabajadores de Matamoros, FRTM) says that workers' salaries must be raised urgently. At the beginning of the FRTM's contract negotiations he believes that wages should be increased 30% to regain ground against inflation and to better reflect the costs of basic necessities. Source: El Mañana, November 28, 2000. Article by Blanca Isela Martínez Mendoza. |