Massive teachers protest in Buenos Aires challenging austerity measures

Thursday, March 23rd 2017 - 11:50 UTC

Full article 14 comments

Demonstrators blocked some of the main avenues in Buenos Aires and gathered in front of the presidential palace.

Macri has criticized the strike, calling it a politically motivated move ahead of October's congressional elections.

Tens of thousands of Argentine teachers marched in the capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday as part of a nationwide strike challenging the administration of President Mauricio Macri. Unions for private and public school teachers are demanding a pay increase of 35% to compensate for Argentina's high inflation in consumer prices.

Last year's inflation rate reached 40%. Provincial governments are offering raises of roughly half the teachers' demand, varying by region.

Teachers first began striking March 6, delaying the start of classes for millions of children and hitting public schools particularly hard. Some walkouts have ended, lasting only four days in several provinces that have resumed classes.

Demonstrators blocked some of the main avenues in Buenos Aires and gathered in front of the presidential palace. Macri has criticized the strike, calling it a politically motivated move ahead of October's congressional elections.

Macri compared the ongoing nationwide teachers' strike to the Hiroshima bombing and called on protesters to come back to work. The president posted on his Facebook account a photo of what seems to be a classroom in ruins after the bombing in Hiroshima. He added a caption saying that for a nation to rise, schools must not stop.

The president criticized protesters for abandoning their duties as educators.

Macri has fired tens of thousands of state workers and slashed utility subsidies to cut government spending and contain a huge budget deficit. His austerity measures have stoked labor unrest in a nation with a long tradition of the state providing jobs and benefits. Argentina's largest union is calling for a nationwide strike for April 6.

Categories: Economy, Politics, Argentina.

Tags: Argentina, Mauricio Macri President, teachers protest.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

imoyaro
Given the results of their “work,”it's not really clear what they are getting paid for other than “marching.” Maybe a new asado for Baradel?

http://www.thebubble.com/macri-reveals-results-of-aprender-tests-the-verdict-is-painful/
Mar 23rd, 2017 - 12:32 pm +5
ElaineB
@ EM

You are talking nonsense about me again. Why do you have to take the infantile approach of putting people into gangs? “You are for us or against us!”. I do not 'cheer' for Macri as it is way too soon to judge his term in office, especially given the dire state of the economy left by the Kirchners. Unlike you, I want the best for Argentina. What the Kirchners did, especially CFK, was criminal. If you love that country so much why are you not wanting justice too? Or is it that you are enamoured with CFK?
Mar 25th, 2017 - 10:26 am +5
imoyaro
As always, you get it wrong, Kamerad/Komrade Rique. Macri is not the issue here, the ultra Peronism you, the Narcokleptocrats, and of course, the obscenely overweight Baradel and his followers certainly is. Let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Menem, still the most hated president in Argentine history, gutted the economy, not to mention the gunrunning with a factory explosion to cover it. This resulted in a UCR candidate winning, naturally enough. The economic crisis and widespread unrest like you are crowing about today forced him out of office, and he resigned to be replaced by (you guessed it,) another Peronist shill. Fast forward to today. I see little difference here, The Peronists gutted the country for over a decade, and after an opposition party won, we see the same Kabuki show, the ending of which is supposed to be Macri being driven out of office. You even claim he will be the most unpopular president ever, no doubt a strategic aim, since the current holder of that title is a Peronist, who incidentally is under house arrest even as we speak. So you see, I consider Macri to be nothing more than an Argentine politician, with all that that implies. But you? You are a devotee of an individual who expanded a hospital as a PR move, in order to install a torture center complete with cells, and made the doctors complicit, while he cycled Union leaders, educators, and students through it, again and again. You can't go back to Argentina, but I sincerely hope that you someday get your just desserts. As I have often said, I look forward to reading your obituary... ;)
Mar 25th, 2017 - 04:52 am +4

Read all comments

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!