September 29, 2004

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - When the bells sounded in Protestant and Catholic Churches on September 22 4,000 people linked hands in the street, joining the Parmalat plant with the Fundadores Square in the Colonia Suiza, Uruguay.

This "Human Chain of Hope" was 3.5 kilometers long and congregated nearly half of the local population.

Participants then marched to the main square where a message was read that affirmed the will of all sectors and institutions from Colonia Suiza, together with the workers guild, to not allow the main source of work in the area to be badly sold or closed. One out of every four people in this city of 9,000 depend on the Parmalat factory for work.

The mobilization was organized by the permanent working group to defend sources of work, with the active participation of Pastor Ruben Yennerich of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate, Catholic the Rev. Edgardo Rodriguez and Pastor Fernando Rodriguez of the Baptist Church.

The Italian transnational Parmalat suffered a multi-billion financial collapse last year. As a result, the Italian state assumed the debt and has put the plants up for sale in several countries including Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The objective of the "human chain for hope" was to raise the awareness of the Uruguayan government to intervene and defend work. Moreover, to ask the Italian government to be aware that a group of people in Uruguay depend on the plant for their livelihood.

ALC News Service