Protests, strikes cause traffic gridlock in the capital

Teachers’ unions from Buenos Aires City and Province mobilised members Thursday, marching from the former Education Ministry to Congress in the midst of a 48-hour national strike, with protesters demanding a larger education budget and a better offer for teachers in ongoing wage negotiations.

CTERA, the largest national teachers’ union, called the strike amid ongoing talks over salary adjustments, in the wake of rising inflation. It called on members to march first on the former national Education Ministry, which was recently downgraded to a secretariat in President Mauricio Macri’s move to slash the number of government ministries, before following onto Congress.

Coming just days after a brutal attack on a teacher in Moreno, Buenos Aires Province, a slogan of “We are not afraid” became a rallying cry for demonstrating teachers and unionists.

“In front of the Congress, the representative of the people, and with the Government House behind us, two symbols of democracy, we say: ‘We are not afraid! Struggle! More struggle!” declared Mirtha Petrocini, the head of the Federation of Educators of Buenos Aires Province (FEB).

In a speech, Petrocini paid tribute to Sandra Calamano and Rubén Orlando Rodríguez, the deputy principal and teacher’s assistant who were killed when a gas supply system exploded at Moreno’s Public School 49 “Nicolás Avellaneda” back in August.

She also asked for justice for Corina De Bonis, the teacher who was kidnapped and tortured in a brutal attack in the same municipality just days ago.

Olga De Bonis, the mother of the victim, said today her daughter “is very hurt and scared” after the assault. She said the teacher was attacked just four blocks from her home, adding that a hood was placed over her daughter’s head and that words were cut into the skin of her belly with a sharp implement.

At the march, CTERA chief Sonia Alesso warned the government to put aside more money for teachers and education supplies and services in Argentina.

“This is a strike to tell the Macri government that we want a greater budget for Education,” she declared, adding that she supported legislative attempts in Congress to “defend the education budget” and deliver more money to teachers and children.

The demo came just one day after tens of thousands of people staged a demonstration to protest the government’s austerity measures and demand solutions to the country’s economic crisis. Demonstrators, led by trade unions and social organisations, gridlocked traffic on some of the main avenues of the capital Wednesday. Social organisations, striking teachers, students campaigning for the “defence of public eduction” and laid-off shipyard workers were among the varied groups that took to the streets.