Dominican Republic showdown: Big business v. country’s owners

Santo Domingo.- The head of the powerful busowners grouped in FENATRANO on Thursday said the National Business Council (CONEP) is "conspiring to break the order and social peace" in the country.

Juan Hubieres, one of the union bosses the media dubs "the country’sowners" for their often violent strikes and feared by the government, saidsome 86 CONEP member companies seek an injunction at the Supreme AdministrativeCourt, which he affirms will leave more than 600,000 people without a job.

He said the CONEP is demanding that theGovernment deploy troops and police to the streets to confront drivers.

He said the CONEP is calling for another coup"just as they did with Juan Bosch in 1961," in reference to the overthrowof the elected president. "The CONEP which doesn’t satiate its ambitions iscalling for a bloodbath and conspires against the country’s stability when triesthat a court hears the legal monstrosity filed by them."

The union leader demanded the government tolegislate for all sectors equally, noting that if there’s no subsidized dieselfor transporters, there cannot be for CONEP companies.

He said the CONEP gets RD$39 billion (US$ 847.0 million) in subsidized fuels. "Ifthere is for them there must be for carriers as well."

President of FENATRANO spoke during a meetingwith the heads of national transport organizations, which studied the CONEP’srequest for an anti-monopoly injunction filed at the high court.