Guillermo Lasso faced his first national protest as President of Ecuador | The call with the Quito epicenter brought together trade union centers and indigenous movements

For the first time since his inauguration, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, faced a national day of protest joined by workers ‘unions, teachers’ unions and indigenous movements. The common objective of the different sectors was to achieve the objectives fuel price freeze, What in recent months they have seen an increase of up to 18 percent thanks to a gang system approved by the management of Lenín Moreno and supported by Lasso. They also demanded a greater arrival of vaccines against the coronavirus, improvements in education and participate in the discussion on possible labor reforms.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conai) warned that “Lasso has decided to transit, support and defend the policies” of his predecessor Lenín Moreno “under IMF surveillance. The Ecuadorian president replied that he would not give in to the “taxation” of certain social groups because “it would affect the poorest”. He also promised to be ready for dialogue, even if for the moment there is no formal invitation to the sectors mobilized on Wednesday.

The epicenter of the march planned by the Unitary Workers Front (FUT) was Quito, with a walk that started at 4:00 p.m. local time from the Caja del Seguro to advance towards the historic center. Demonstrations were also replicated in the main cities of the country.

Angel Sanchez, president of the FUT, explained that they mobilized because the Lasso government did not respond to their request that apply the reforms of the organic law of intercultural education, which aims to guarantee access to education in a country of high ethnic diversity. For this reason, a group of teachers from the National Union of Educators (UNE) chained themselves before the Constitutional Court of Quito, while 80 people have been on hunger strike since July 12.

The FUT, the largest trade union center in Ecuador, he also criticized the so-called “humanitarian law”, implemented during the coronavirus pandemic by the government of former president Lenín Moreno. The law favors agreements between workers and employers to modify the employment relationship with the aim, it is assumed, of preserving sources of employment.

However, different unions denounce hundreds of thousands of workers made redundant during a pandemic. The list of demands includes a call to protest “against the privatization of strategic areas” and “the conditions agreed with the IMF”.

The heavy transport guild, represented by Alex Bustillos, announced in a statement that they have adhered to the “right to resistance” because they cannot afford to operate their units “due to rising diesel prices”. Therefore, as early as six in the morning on Wednesday, they decided to stop their trucks.

Ecuadorian government maintains support for opening channels of dialogue to deactivate protests that have been happening for weeks at the Union of Rice Farmers and Productive Sectors of the City of Huaquillas. He referred to this call Lasso Tuesday during the commemoration ceremony of the first cry of independence in Parcayacu, north of Quito.

“We will always promote dialogue with everyone, but it should be voluntary and never overwhelming.. We will never give in to threats, because that would destroy all the good work we are doing to ensure stability in Ecuador ”, declared the president, who assured that he was ready to receive the leaders of Conaie at the Carondelet palace. .

The president of La Conaie, Leonidas Iza, expects to receive a written invitation to hold the meeting. “Lasso decided to transit, support and defend Moreno’s policy”, framed in the conditions imposed by the IMF to grant credits to the country, declared the president of the largest indigenous federation of Ecuador during a press conference.

In October 2019, Conaie led a large protest movement against Moreno which were deactivated when the then president repealed an executive order removing the fuel price subsidies that had been in place for decades. But in the midst of a pandemic, the former Ecuadorian president set up a fluctuating system to set the price of fuels, which had an impact on a permanent increase in the price of gasoline and several basic necessities.

Leonidas Iza acknowledges that the Ecuadorian people “cannot stand an uprising”, but neither does he want “the crisis to fall on the popular sectors”. The indigenous leader questioned Lasso for having warned that he would not allow possible indigenous demonstrations and recommended that he “refer to the statistics, but not to persecute the social sectors”, and that define if you are going to “walk the path of Moreno or really listen to the Ecuadorian people”.