Strike leaders deserve jail time, Chavez says
CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez threatened yesterday to jail the thousands of oil workers fired for leading a two-month strike against him. ''Fired is nothing! Many of them should go to prison for sabotaging the Venezuelan economy,'' Chavez said of the more than 9,000 workers dismissed from the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. Chavez's threat came one day after more than 100,000 Chavez opponents protested in Caracas in support of the fired oil workers. Thousands more held a similar protest yesterday in the state of Carabobo, 66 miles west of the capital. The nationwide strike was called Dec. 2 to demand Chavez's resignation or early elections. But its leaders - business groups, labor unions, and leftist and conservative politicians - agreed to end the protest last week in all areas but the crucial oil industry. (AP)