MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

More than 200 arrested in Chilean general strike.

The first general strike in Chile since the restoration of democracy was deemed a success Wednesday by labor unions, although the government labeled it a failure.

At least 200 people were arrested, two people were injured and serious damage to public and private property resulted from the day's confrontations.

Protests were held in Santiago, Arica, Iquique, Talca, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Temuco and Valdivia, where serious confrontations with police occurred, authorities said. Strikers protesting the government's economic model and demanding greater respect for labor rights blocked streets and damaged some commercial centers.

The day's activities began early with attacks and minor incidents that intensified after midday, when downtown Santiago became the scene of a half dozen demonstrations infiltrated by groups of hooded protesters who clashed with police.

As of mid-afternoon, more than 100 people had been arrested in Santiago and other cities, according to police officials.

President Ricardo Lagos said he was concerned about the incidents and the damage his country's image had suffered worldwide.

This strike was definitely partial." The strike was called by the CUT union, Chile's largest labor federation, whose president, Arturo Martinez, said the labor stoppage had been a success and called on the government "not to minimize" the union's achievements. "They say the cities are functioning normally, that people and cars can move freely on the streets, but you can see that's not so. Movement of pedestrians and vehicles was down by 80 percent," said Martinez, who like Lagos and Insulza belongs to the Socialist Party.

The strike was supported by the Catholic Church, whose workers' vicar, Ignacio Muñoz, said social discontent "is undeniable," mainly because of long-standing unemployment, which is at 9.1 percent, "and profound instability in the job market." CUT organized the general strike - the first since 1986 during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet - to protest the existing free-market economic model and demand respect for workers' rights.

According to union leaders, the strike was heeded by all public school teachers and civil service employees, 90-95 percent of health workers and 92 percent of municipal employees.

Authorities said government services, as well as medical care offered at public hospitals and clinics, were unaffected by the nationwide strike.

Education Minister Sergio Bitar estimated that 68 percent of teachers and 23 percent of students attended school Wednesday.

According to the results of a survey of members of the Association of Manufacturing Exporters, absenteeism in the private sector totaled 13 percent. Early Wednesday morning, strikers blocked some streets leading to downtown Santiago and in the provinces barred access to large copper mines.