Chile strike off to a violent start

AFP/Santiago

A riot police officer manipulates a smoke bomb in Santiago, Chile, yesterday during a 48-hour national strike, the first to hit Sebastian Pinera’s government, convened by the largest workers union in the South American country with some 780,000 members

A 48-hour national strike got off to a violent start in Chile yesterday, as demonstrators clashed with police around Santiago in the worst unrest of Sebastian Pinera’s 17-month old presidency. Protesters set bonfires to block access to major roads in Chile’s capital city and threw stones at passing buses shattering windows in the vehicles, as the strike got underway. The strike was called by Chile’s leading labour union, the 780,000-strong Confederacion General de Trabajadores (CGT), in support of university students. The students are demanding far-reaching reforms of the education system that would eliminate a voucher system that supports private universities and provide free, higher quality university education at state schools. The protests also include demands for improved working conditions for hospital and emergency services workers. There were clashes early yesterday between protesters and police in impoverished neighbourhoods on the edge of Santiago, while overnight thousands of Chileans filled the streets banging pots in support of the protest. Last week the Pinera government made an offer - the third since the crisis began - to increase grants and reduce interest rates to help students finance their education, but the proposal was rebuffed by student and union leaders. The demonstrations pose a major challenge for President Sebastian Pinera, Chile’s first right-wing leader since the dictator Augusto Pinochet, whose military government created the current education system in the 1970s. Pinera has seen his popularity sink to an all-time low of 26% during the ongoing standoff. “We all want education, healthcare, and many more things for free, but I want to remind them that nothing is free in this life. Someone has to pay,” Pinera said last week, digging in his heels.