Uruguay Workers Begin 24-Hour Strike Ahead of Budget Approval

Workers unions in Uruguay began a general strike Wednesday with a massive mobilization bringing together organizations from different sectors of society to put pressure on the government as it discusses a new budget law.

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The strikers demand "respect for the collective contracts in the public and private sector, public investment, 6 percent of the GDP allocated for education and 1 percent for research, the regularization of auxiliary services and better security in the workplace."

Education, health and state workers maintained the 24-hours strike, while workers from other sectors joined for a half-day work stoppage.

Their unions have demanded that 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product to be allocated to the National Administration of Public Education, known as ANEP, and the Universidad of the Republic, known as UDELAR.

Early in the morning, thousands of workers gathered in Montevideo near the president's office, as demonstrators targeted their criticism at the government's decision to send the unfinished budget reform to Congress without speaking with unions, which demand improvements in wages and working conditions.

"It is imperative that the pre-electoral commitments are put into practice and that, in this sense, economic policy decisions are made to allow them to leave the speeches and move to the actions," unions said in a joint statement.

The organizers said there were allegations from student unions that demonstrations had been infiltrated and spied on by police forces and rejected such practices infringing on their freedom to organize.

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"These types of police actions carried out in public and peaceful demonstrations violate fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and association," said the unions.

Teachers strikes are spreading across Latin America as similar actions has been taking place in Colombia for the past month, where teachers have called for higher wages and increased funding.

Economy Minister Danilo Astori said the government would establish a US$172 million increase in public spending over the previous budget, and that US$62 million would go to education.

"Today we are continuing negotiations, the negotiations will continue in Congress," Labor Minister Ernesto Murro said.

The government of President Tabare Vazquez presented a budget proposal to Congress Tuesday, over a week ahead of the deadline for him to present the bill.