- Title: Chilean public workers confront police outside presidential palace.
- Date: 17th November 2016
- Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (NOVEMBER 17, 2016) (REUTERS) WATER CANNON DOUSING PROTESTERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THEM AWAY FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE POLICE AND PROTESTERS PUSHING EACH OTHER OUTSIDE THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE WATER CANNON DOUSING PROTESTERS OUTSIDE PALACE, PROTESTERS RUNNING AND DUCKING VARIOUS OF POLICE AND PROTESTERS PUSHING EACH OTHER OUTSIDE PALACE, WATER CANNON DOUSING PROTESTERS GENERAL VIEW OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, WATER CANNON DOUSING PROTESTERS POLICE HOLDING BARRICADES AND WALKING IN FORMATION, PUSHING PROTESTERS BACK AWAY FROM PALACE GENERAL VIEW OF PROTESTER, STREAM FROM WATER CANNON IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HEAD OF NATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF MUNICIPAL HEALTH WORKERS (CONFUSAM), ESTEBAN MATURANA, SAYING: "Yesterday something horrible happened (referring to the approval of the wage reform in Congress). The politicians pivoted, they approved a miserable (wage) readjustment that we reject in all parts. The people are coming out today to demonstrate the indignation with the government, with the politicians and the government responds to this with repression." ANTI-RIOT POLICE HOLDING ON TO BARRICADES, PUSHING PROTESTERS AWAY FROM PALACE, PROTESTERS PUSHING BACK GENERAL VIEW OF WATER CANNON DOUSING CROWD OF PROTESTERS WATER CANON HOLDING STEADY STREAM ON PROTESTERS GENERAL VIEW OF STREAM FROM WATER CANNON COMING OVER CROWD OF PROTESTERS GROUP OF PROTESTERS TRYING SHELTER FROM WATER CANNON UNDER TARP VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WAVING FLAGS AND CHANTING OUTSIDE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE GENERAL VIEW OF PROTESTERS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MAKING NOISE WITH WHISTLES AND DRUMS WAVING FLAGS AND BANNERS PEACEFULLY PROTESTING IN CONSTITUTION PLAZA WHICH IS OPPOSITE THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2016 18:24
- Keywords: Chile public workers clashes strike wage reforms
- Location: SANTIAGO, CHILE
- City: SANTIAGO, CHILE
- Country: Chile
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA00158U4477
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of public workers in Chile clashed with police outside the nation's presidential palace in Santiago on Thursday (November 17), a day after Congress approved a relatively small 2017 wage hike for government workers.
The protesters, many shouting and waving banners, came within feet of the main entrance to the president's residence, leading police to lock the building down.
After a tussling with the workers in a large plaza in front of the building, riot police managed to disperse the crowd with water cannon and tear-inducing gases.
"Yesterday something horrible happened (referring to the approval of the wage reform in Congress). The politicians pivoted, they approved a miserable (wage) readjustment that we reject in all parts. The people are coming out today to demonstrate the indignation with the government, with the politicians and the government responds to this with repression," Esteban Maturana, president of the Confusam workers' union, said.
Chile's Congress on Tuesday approved a 3.2 percent salary hike for the public sector, roughly in line with inflation, and below the 4 percent hike that workers had demanded.
In September, President Michelle Bachelet said the country's budgeted spending will rise only 2.7 percent in 2017, as the public finances of the South American nation have been pressed by low prices for copper, by far its most important export.
Chile has also experienced protests in recent weeks from citizens who complain that the nation's public pension system, launched in the 1980s during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, is insufficiently generous. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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