/** labr.global: 208.0 **/
** Topic: Mexico's CTM To Split? **
** Written 6:04 PM Apr 16, 1996 by labornews in cdp:labr.global **
From: Institute for Global Communications <labornews@igc.apc.org>
MEXICO CITY (Reuter) - Mexico's monolithic labor movement threatened to split Thursday after the semi-official Labor Congress said it may expel nine unions that plan an unauthorized march to protest government economic policies.
The Labor Congress has cancelled its traditional May 1 march to celebrate international labor day, fearing unrest as Mexico suffers through one its worst economic crisis ever.
"For the disloyal there is no pardon,'' Congress leader Rafael Rivapalacio told the state-owned news agency, Notimex.
An independent labor group, called the Union Forum for the Nation, said Wednesday that it would take part in the planned march.
Included in that forum are the nine rogue unions, which include powerful groups of teachers, telephone workers and electricians. They made up about 12 percent of the labor congress's membership.
"We cannot speak of a challenge, nor about confrontation, nor about division, what we are doing is in favor of unionism and in favor of the workers,'' said the leader of the telephone worker's union, Francisco Hernandez.
The Labor Congress has more or less evolved into the union wing of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has been in power for 67 years.