“The strike goes no matter what,” David Acuña, head of CUT, declared after a meeting at the Palacio de La Moneda with President Gabriel Boric, the Minister of Labor, Jeannette Jara, and the Undersecretary of the Treasury, Heidi Berner.

Acuña affirmed that social and structural changes are required in the country and the Government must talk with the social movement.

Eric Campos, general secretary of the CUT, denounced that the right wing in the Congress and businessmen are playing at obstructing reforms for the benefit of the people, and cited the case of the pension reform to increase pensions, and that is still pending in Parliament, where the opposition is pushing to reject the main articles.

“We have expressed this concern to the president, a project that only ends up approving the title, is of no use to us, but one that changes the quality of people’s life. We hope that the Government does not continue to give in to the right and the blackmail of businessmen rather than to listen to social movements and workers,” Campos said.

The CUT also expressed its disagreement with the Executive’s decision to convene the National Security Council (COSENA) to address insecurity issues. “We do not like the call to COSENA because we believe that there are many other more effective instances of dialogue to be able to solve the problem,” Campos added.

COSENA was created back in 1980 during the dictatorship, although it was modified during subsequent governments. It opens the possibility for the army to support the police on the streets. The measure, announced the day before by the president, generated concern among some politicians and the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH).

“We are always concerned that due to greater security, there will be restrictions on rights and freedoms,” said INDH director Consuelo Contreras.

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