World Notes NICARAGUA

The day he conceded the election in Nicaragua's presidential vote last February, Daniel Ortega promised supporters that his Sandinista party would "rule from below." Last week Nicaraguans got a taste of what that means, and President Violeta Chamorro learned that even out of office, the Sandinistas are far from powerless.

Encouraged by leaders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), nearly half the country's 150,000 government employees staged strikes for salary increases of 200% and, more important, job security. When Chamorro took office last month, she suspended a Sandinista-passed law that prohibits firing government workers, most of whom are FSLN supporters. With public buses idle and the airport closed, the government gave way by Thursday, agreeing to a 100% pay hike and promising not to dismiss anyone. Said union leader Lucio Jimenez: "I hope the government learned something from this."