More than 10,000 former workers of Coca-Cola's subsidiary in Venezuela are blockading bottling plants and depots. They say a Mexican-based subsidiary of Coke owes them a large amount of money in unpaid social benefits. But Coca-Cola representatives in Mexico have roundly condemned the blockade as an illegal act. The protesters are being backed by a special parliamentary commission consisting of leftist legislators loyal to President Hugo Chavez.
See "Venezuela workers in Coke dispute", Greg Morsbach, BBC News Online, October 23, 2006