The new laws promoted by right-wing parties represent a setback for labor and social rights.

ttOn Friday, President Daniel Noboa faced the first wave of social unrest since beginning his second term in May, as labor and civil society groups marched Friday recently approved laws backed by the ruling party’s majority in the National Assembly.

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The protests were organized by the Unitary Workers Front (FUT), the Popular Front (F), the National Union of Educators (UNE), and the Federation of University Students of Ecuador (FEUE).

In Quito, demonstrators departed from “The Tearcher’s House” (La Casa del Maestro) and marched toward the Constitutional Court. Among their main demands was that the court declare the Public Integrity Law, the Intelligence Law, and the Solidarity Law unconstitutional.

Workers and students argued that the legislative package represents a setback for labor and social rights, claiming it criminalizes protest and undermines historic gains made by Ecuadorian workers.

The text reads, “A country cannot sustain itself by ignoring the demands of its workers and teachers. The mobilizations of July 2, 11, and 16 are more than protests: they are a measure of institutional erosion and the political direction that will be defined.”

FEUE leader Nery Padilla announced that a national mobilization is scheduled for July 16 to protest the government’s US$712 million debt to public universities. Students will also demand improvements in university infrastructure, increased scholarships, reforms to the Higher Education Law (LOES), paid internships, and adequate public funding.

Nelson Erazo, a leader with the Popular Front, said that public sector workers, including those in the electricity sector, teachers, and civil servants, will soon file a formal lawsuit with the Constitutional Court challenging the Public Integrity Law’s constitutionality.

Teachers emphasized that Ecuador’s education system is in deep crisis and called for a state of emergency to secure adequate funding and effective public policy. Their union stressed the need for increased budget allocations to improve school infrastructure, enhance safety, and support the thousands of students who have dropped out due to violence and lack of opportunity.

Educators also criticized the government’s school safety initiative, “We Take Care”, arguing that the program is not new and includes measures originally proposed by teachers themselves. They insisted that it must be implemented with full participation from the entire educational community and backed by comprehensive policies—not just isolated regulations.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Primicias – UNE – FUT

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