Schools close in Argentina as teachers lead national protest

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 9 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Hundreds of Argentine teachers are leading a strike, with protests in several cities, in solidarity with several colleagues repressed during a demonstration in the province of Chubut.

Both public and private schools were closed Friday, as from the early hours members of the Confederation of Education Workers (CTERA), one of the largest unions in the country, rallied in several areas.

Dressed in their traditional white smocks(uniform that identifies public education), a group of teachers was set to march to the headquarters of the Provincial House of Chubut, in this capital, while another headed to the emblematic Corrientes Avenue and July 9th Avenue.

The strike action was adopted after Chubut teachers gathered around the seat of the Governor of that Patagonia province to demand payment of overdue wages, and were repressed by security forces.

In a statement, CTERA described the repression as brutal and demanded the provincial government immediately release Santiago Goodman, general secretary of Atech (Association of Educators of Chubut), arrested at the demonstration.

‘We demand an urgent solution to the educational conflict in that province and the return of illegal reductions as well as the payment of all debts in the sector,’ the trade union stated.

Less than a month before the end of the school year, Chubut teachers continue to demand their outstanding salaries.

Today classes were suspended in almost all the national territory, as organizations such as the Argentine Union of Private Teachers (SADOP) and the Argentine Teachers Union (UDA) joined the strike action.