On October 10, Mexican Federal Police seized the plants of the Central Light and Power Company of Mexico (LyF), which provides electricity to Mexico City and several states in central Mexico.
The government of President Felipe Calderon also announced the liquidation of the company, the termination of the workers, and thereby the elimination of the Mexican Electrical Workers Union (SME). The union has opposed the government's policies.
The government's action has two goals. First, the government wants to eliminate the SME, which has been the main force opposing the government's economic policies, particularly the plan to privatise the electrical industry.
Second, the government plans to eliminate the LyF and eventually sell the facilities.
Pivotal moment
This is not just one more incident in the Calderon's attacks on unions and massive use of military and police force. This is a turning point.
The SME is central to building labour and social movement coalitions and is located in Mexico City, the centre of political opposition.
The attack may turn out to be a watershed event.
Luis Hernandez Navarro wrote in the Mexico City daily La Jornada: "The police and military attack against the electrical workers represents a serious setback in the precarious democratic life of the country. It provokes a huge short circuit. It establishes an unfortunate precedent.
"By attempting to use violence to solve a conflict created by the government itself, it takes us back to the darkest stages of authoritarianism."
An SME statement said its 65,000 active and retired members would defend the nationalised electrical industry, their union, and their constitutional rights.
A union statement issued early Sunday morning said: "They have declared war on us and we are going to respond, always exercising our Constitutional rights and guarantees, of that there is no doubt."
On October 15, more than 50,000 electricity workers and supporters marched in Mexico City.
Union spokesperson Humberto Montes de Oca said the SME had three demands: the revoking of the decree liquidating the company; the immediate removal of police from the plants; and discussions with the government over financial and administrative issues.
The union said that with the military occupying the power plants, it could no longer ensure the delivery of electrical power in the region.
Some SME members have called on the union to declare a general strike, which would shut off power to Mexico City and surrounding states, affecting tens of millions of people. So far, the union has not decided to take such action.
The government's move to seize the plants was no surprise. It has often expressed its desire to merge the LyF with the Federal Electrical Commission, which provides power to the rest of the country, and to privatise electrical power generation.
Labour secretary Javier Lozano said in September that the SME elections were invalid and union officers would not be recognised by the government. Without legally recognised officials, the union could not engage in contract negotiations or other activities.
Members of a dissident group in the union, tacitly supported by the government, carried out an armed attack on the union hall and robbed union documents and cheques.
The government justified its actions by arguing that the LyF was inefficient and exorbitantly expensive. The government said it was prepared spend about US$2 billion to pay workers severance and retirement.
State violence
Five hundred federal police officers have taken control of more than 100 LyF plants, reportedly roughing up some workers in the process. While so far there has been no serious violence, in the event of union resistance, the police — possibly backed up by the army — will use force to suppress the union.
In past cases of government-union conflict in Mexico, such repression has led to beatings and deaths. The government has then jailed union leaders.
Federal police have been used in the last three years to attempt to break strikes of miners and steelworkers, as well as to try to crush popular social movements. This has involved deaths, rape and beatings.
Police have been used to occupy the facilities of telephone workers and others to break strikes.
The government used the police and army to crush militant movements of workers in 1959, of students in 1968 and electrical workers in 1975.
The SME has asked for international solidarity. To protest the government's actions, write to President Felipe Calderon at
[Reprinted from . Dan La Botz's website is .]