Thousands of people march in Chile for better wages and decent pensions

Thousands of people marched this Wednesday through the center of Santiago to celebrate the International Workers Day and ask for decent wages and pensions, among other demands.

With banners with messages like ‘No to precariousness’ It is ‘The caregiver is also a worker’, The main demonstration was called by the Unitary Workers Center (CUT), the largest union in the Pepperand passed without incident through the shopping centermain artery of the capital.

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“Today, many workers, despite having a job, cannot survive. Therefore, we want to propose that before the end of the president’s term Boric one is installed salary scale which allows us to dialogue with all actors“, said the president of CUT at a press point, David Acuna.

The union also asked for the amount to be increased to 603,000 Chilean pesos per month before the end of the mandate (627.9 dollars at today’s exchange rate) the minimum wage, which It is currently at 460,000 pesos ($479).

Last May, the Chilean Parliament approved a law proposed by the current Government that readjust the minimum wage until reaching, gradually in three installments, 500,000 Chilean pesos (US$520) in July 2024.

Chile has one of the highest minimum wages in the world Latin Americaalthough it is still very far from the main member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

“We ask that we grow with equity, with equity in wages and equity in conditions”added Acuña, who also denounced the low pensions received by retiree and Chileans and criticized that the political class hasover 12 years” dealing with remodeling the criticized pension system.

Although all the marches took place in a festive and family atmosphere, there were isolated incidents in some parts of the capital, such as the Central Station, and clashes between hooded men and police. Carabiniers.

Hours earlier, the president of Pepper, Gabriel Boricdefended the gradual reduction of the working day to 40 hours, which is just beginning to be applied in the country and said that “You don’t live to work, you work to live”

“One of the problems we have Pepper It’s just that we lack social cohesion and for there to be social cohesion it takes time (…) People’s right to sharing must be placed at the center, as we don’t live to work, we work to live“, indicated the president at an event in Hospital dos Trabalhadores, in Santiago.

Last week, the first stage of the law that reduces working hours from 45 to 40 hoursan initiative approved with great support last year in Parliament and which makes Pepper in the second country in the region, after Ecuadorby setting the working day at 40 hours per week.

The measure will be applied gradually in a term maximum up to five years for what will be left fully applied until 2029.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.