Oruro bus drivers launch 24 hr strike

On 15 April 2009 bus drivers in Oruro will organize a 24-hour strike to protest several recent incidents of vandalism and attacks against buses. The incidents occurred after drivers announced plans to raise transportation prices in the midst of the economic slowdown. On 14 April residents of several zones of Oruro blocked streets and prevented the buses from running their normal routes, while on 13 April residents in a northern zone of the city attacked a minibus after refusing to pay the increased rates. Authorities warn that the strike will severely impede the normal flow of traffic on 15 April.