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ordering, and other record keeping and
and management and (c) enhancing the contractor's authority to maintenance activities. Bilateral discussions on contract are ongoing.
functions
supervise the new
to
A U.S. effort was begun in the fall of 1986 reinvigorate the eradication program and to provide special assistance to the GOM for the 1986-1987
This special
assistance consisted
consisted of the assignment of up to five Turbo Thrush to the PGR with the objective of eradicating the maximum amount of poppy during the growing/harvesting season. It ended in March when the primary poppy season was drawing to a close and the last aircraft was reassigned to Central America for continuing operations against marijuana. Mexican resistance to the introduction and effective use of the Thrush was noted by most observers during the special program and it is believed that there is no future role for the aircraft in the PGR
program.
A shortage of PGR pilots, mechanics and navigators has impeded the drug eradication campaign. The best pilots and mechanics have quit because of declining real wages.
Even those who remain have slowed the pace of their work to compensate for this situation. The NAU has had only limited success in convincing the PGR to raise salaries of pilots, navigators and mechanics. The PGR granted a 40 percent pay raise in May. However, with 100 percent-plus inflation, it is unlikely that this limited raise will be sufficient to end resignations of skilled personnel, or the obvious work slowdown. While the NAU has offered to supplement PGR wages in order to ameliorate the problem, the PGR has argued that
salaries must be a Mexican issue.
The loss of helicopter pilots has been most serious. The PGR lost 18 pilots in the first six months of 1987 (12 resigned and six died--not all work related). The PGR has partially offset these losses by hiring nine new or former pilots and by retraining several fixed-wing pilots for rotary-wing duty. According to the PGR, sufficient pilots are
available to
fly the 15 pairs of spray and support helicopters available for Pacifico VIII. Pilots must
must be recruited and trained for the seven additional spray and support pairs to be formed from 14 new Bell 206B helicopters recently purchased by the PGR. NAU funds training activities at the PGR flight school in Acapulco.
An April 1987 Letter of Agreement increased U.S. funds for base maintenance by $500,000. Some of these funds were used to improve PGR bases in Acapulco, Culiacan, and Oaxaca in advance of Pacifico VIII. Improvements include providing potable water and electricity, building helicopter landing pads, installing