Violence Mars May Day March in Chile Protesting Labor Regulations

Tens of thousands of Chileans took to the streets of the capital Wednesday in a violence-marred rally to commemorate International Workers Day and press demands for tax reform, a new pensions system and an overhaul of labor regulations.

Organized by the CUT labor federation and backed by grassroots and student groups, the demonstration drew 100,000 people, according to organizers, while police put the number at 25,000.

Almost from the outset, hundreds of youths sought to create disturbances and became involved in clashes with police that resulted in at least 60 arrests and 19 officers injured.

“We’re ready to have an impact on the national stage, taking up these three great banners: an ambitious tax reform, a new pensions system and a new labor institutionality,” CUT President Barbara Figueroa said in a speech at the end of the march.

The tax overhaul must be aimed at reducing high levels of inequality in Chile and raising funds the government can use to finance education and health improvements, she said.

Chile’s current pension system, a legacy of the 1973-1990 Pinochet dictatorship, is managed by private funds that are seen by many Chileans as providing insufficient retirement income to workers while raking in huge profits.

Figueroa, 33, who in September became the first woman to lead the CUT, also called for new regulations that provide workers with a decent wage and job security.

She again demanded a minimum salary of 250,000 pesos ($530) a month, compared with a government proposal to raise the monthly minimum from the current $408 to $434.

“That’s the big story being played out in our nation: that despite having work, we remain poor,” Figueroa said.

While she was speaking, some groups of young people were destroying public property on Santiago’s La Alameda thoroughfare, throwing rocks and sticks at police, setting fire to barricades and trying to loot stores.

Published in Latino Daily News