Public servants take to the streets

RIGA 's More than1,000 people took to the streets outside Latvia'sParliament to demand higher wages in Rigaon Tuesday.

The majority of participants were teachers from Latvia'sregional cities and towns. There were also representatives of the State Fireand Rescue Service and medics, State Environment Service among theparticipants.

Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia(LBAS) chairman Peteris Krigers addressed the participants of the picket,saying that more than 100 trade unions of other countries supported them andthat the presence of so many protesters proved that they were not indifferentto the situation in Latvia.

LBAS has prepared a statement on the draft budget, saying that the tradeunion regards the government's work on the draft budget as unsatisfactory,underscoring that there was no true dialogue with social partners held and nodetailed information on the planned revenues and expenses has been submitteduntil the last moment.

"This decision is significant not only for publicsector employees, but also for thousands of workers in the private sector whowill receive a slight raise of their monthly wages," said the statement.

Participants of the protest campaigns were carrying various posters, reading"Workers produce cream, others are taking it," "The frozen oneswant to live," "Increase of wages should be at least 17 pct" and"Respect teachers! They were teaching you as well."

The trade unions also want the government to stake steps to clamp down onillegal employment and wages, to increase support to local businesses, creationof new jobs, especially in regions, and to cut bureaucracy, among other measures.

The demonstration marked the final protest in a series ofthree staged by public sector workers following a government announcement thatit would be forced to freeze wages in 2009.

On Saturday, hundreds of police officers held a picketoutside Parliament. Ono Sept. 26, approximately 1,500 medics, teachers and policepicketed in the same location.