- Title: Chile braces for more protests, strikes as Pinera's pleas fall on deaf ears
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS OF SANTIAGO WALKING, WAITING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS THEY COMMUTE VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS OUTSIDE METRO STATION COMMUTERS ENTERING AND EXITING METRO STATION COMMUTERS INSIDE METRO STATION STANDING AT TURNSTILES GENERAL VIEW OF PASSENGERS ON METRO PLATFORM WAITING FOR TRAIN WOMAN WAITING TO BOARD TRAIN VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS ON TRAIN COMMUTERS GOING UP STAIRS FROM METRO PLATFORM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COMMUTER, RODRIGO ULLOA SAYING: "You just have to really make an effort, that's all. One has to go to work and they have to want to work, that's all. I hope that everyone is safe and are able to get to where they need to get to." GENERAL VIEW OF COMMUTERS BOARDING BUS GENERAL VIEW OF STORE THAT WAS COMPLETELY LOOTED AND DESTROYED RESIDENTS WALKING ALONG SIDEWALK PEOPLE BOARDING BUS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COMMUTER VIOLETA PARRA SAYING: "What are we going to do? We have to keep supporting (the social movements)." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GETTING INTO PRIVATE CAR THAT IS OFFERING RIDES TO COMMUTERS TRYING TO GET TO WORK
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 15:14
- Keywords: Chile protests President Sebastian Pinera transportation
- Location: SANTIAGO AND TALCA AND LA SERENA, CHILE
- City: SANTIAGO AND TALCA AND LA SERENA, CHILE
- Country: Chile
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BKDHJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chile braced for more protests and a general strike by state workers on Wednesday (October 23), despite President Sebastian Pinera's pleas for forgiveness and announcement of ambitious reforms to quell unrest that has rocked the country and led to at least 15 deaths.
Workers at Chile's state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said late on Tuesday they would join the general strike called by state unions, raising the spectre of a slow-down in copper output from the world's top producer.
Despite the announcement, Codelco's Chuquicamata mine was operating normally early on Wednesday, according to internal documents viewed by Reuters.
"The strike will go on!" the Central Worker's Trade Union (CUT) said on social media, calling on its workers to begin gathering mid-morning in the country's cities for a peaceful "caserolazo", in which protesters bang pots in solidarity.
Many student groups, healthcare workers, and teachers also planned to join the protests, leaving the majority of the country's schools closed and many public services hobbled.
Pinera late on Tuesday said he hoped to turn recent violent protests, which have also seen some 5,000 people arrested, into an "opportunity" for Chile.
The reforms include a guaranteed minimum wage, a hike in the state pension and the stabilization of electricity costs.
The president said the package represented "concrete and urgent steps" to resolve inequality that has sent tens of thousands into the streets to demand an economic overhaul and, in some cases, his removal.
The president's pledges came after the center-right Pinera, a billionaire businessman, was widely criticized for saying on Monday that Chile was "at war" with violent protesters, even as thousands of people held peaceful demonstrations demanding an end to low wages and a high cost of living.
At least 15 people have died in protests that started over a hike in public transport costs, prompting a weekend of riots, arson attacks and looting of businesses and the declaration of a state of emergency by Pinera over a large swath of Chile.
The 69-year-old Pinera asked for forgiveness for successive governments of both left and right that failed to act sooner to stem deep inequalities in Latin America´s fifth-largest economy.
(Production: Jorge Vega, Esteban Medel, Guillermo Garcia) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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