Chilean Teachers Begin 48-Hour Strike

On Wednesday, the Chilean College of Teachers began a 48-hour strike to demand a response to the requests submitted to the administration of President Gabriel Boric.

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The Chilean teachers presented an 8-point petition to the Education Ministry. So far, however, the authorities have not responded to these demands, said Carlos Diaz, the president of the College of Teachers.

Among their demands is the payment of late retirement bonuses, the end of labor burden, the creation of better working conditions, and the solution to student violence in schools.

Diaz explained that hundreds of professors will travel from various regions of the country to Valparaíso, where the headquarters of the Chilean Congress are located. In this port city, teachers will hold a protest rally.

The Chilean teachers ask the Boric administration to resolve the so-called "Historical Debt" as well. By this term, Chileans refer to the salary loss suffered by thousands of teachers during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990).

During this period, the administration of public schools was transferred from the central government to the municipalities. As a result of this decision, professionals did not receive salary readjustments for several years.

According to the College of Teachers, the Chilean State owes some US$7 billion to 65,000 affected teachers, the newspaper La Nacion reported.

If the Chilean authorities do not reach an agreement with the education workers before August 17, the teachers will discuss the start of an indefinite national strike.