2022 to Witness Resistance To Neoliberalism: Ecuadorian Workers

On Tuesday, the Popular Front (FP) and its 24 social organizations began preparations to carry out a national mobilization on January 19 against the neoliberal agenda promoted by President Guillermo Lasso.

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Besides demanding that the State pay the debt it owes with the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS), social organizations reject increases in fuel prices, the privatization of public companies, the dismissal of workers, and the new labor code.

On January 8, the organizations of workers, farmers, teachers, and retirees will install a large assembly to prepare the actions to be carried out in the national mobilization, as announced by FP President Nelson Erazo.

During a press conference, Jose Villavicencio, the president of the General Union of Workers (UGTE), pointed out that the FP organizations declared 2022 as the “year of resistance” against the Lasso administration.

The union leader also criticized the government’s political propaganda, which aims to generate the idea that the macroeconomic leadership has been successful. On the contrary, Villavicencio highlighted that 1.2 million jobs were lost over the last two years, which makes the supposed creation of 200,000 new jobs a very unsatisfactory achievement.

The National Union of Educators (UNE) President Isabel Vargas said that her organization will oppose the 2022 budget because it allocates only 3.1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to the education sector, while the Constitution orders that this amount be equivalent to the 6 percent.

In order to join forces during the upcoming protests, the Popular Front requested a meeting with the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) President Leonidas Iza. So far, however, Indigenous organizations have not announced whether they will join the national mobilization on January 19.