Unblock the roads, government request to continue negotiations with the strike committee

After a surprise call from the national government to the National Strike Committee, this Thursday evening, in the morning of this Friday, the government indicated that it regretted that representatives of the National Unemployment Committee do not want to guarantee Colombians food supplies by not phoning those who block the country’s roads.

According to what was reported by RCN Radio, Archila indicated that “The national government recognizes the progress that has been made in terms of negotiations with the National Unemployment Committee and intensive work has been done on a text which is being judiciously considered by the government. However, he felt that the legitimate exercise of the rights to protest, demonstrate and strike has been overtaken by roadblocks which severely interrupt supplies to entire areas of the country.

“For the moment, the only thing that is required of them is to give the order to unblock the roads. For the national government, it is imperative to guarantee the rights of the rest of Colombians as well, ”said the presidential stabilization adviser.

According to what was broadcast by Blu Radio, the national government assured to have insisted that this component be incorporated in the text to be agreed. But, “Some members of the strike committee insisted on promoting exclusively the figure of humanitarian corridors, without condemning the blockades. For the national government, this point is not negotiable “, said the negotiating team of the Duque mandate.

In view of the panorama of this point, which seems to have no agreement, Archila, reaffirmed his “Willingness to continue working on the issue and we will do it next Sunday morning, May 30”.

For his part, Francisco Maltés, president of the CUT, who attended an extraordinary meeting on the night of this Thursday, said that the committee hoped that this meeting the government would give them an answer to the prior agreement they have concluded regarding the exercise guarantees of social protest but it was not like that.

“We regret that you do not have an answer on the document of guarantees to exercise peaceful social protest in the country “said the trade unionist.

In turn, he added: “What we are seeing is delaying action on the part of the government to comply, to sign what has been agreed. And so, this delaying attitude, which does not understand the complexity of the moment, means that the person responsible for the strike is of course the government of President Duque, which refuses to sign the guarantee agreement and therefore has not given us an answer. . when the declaration of emergency must begin ”.

Likewise, the Maltese confirmed that there will be a new meeting next Sunday at 10 a.m., The same day the national government is supposed to provide its guidelines for the said preliminary agreement.

Regarding the day of protests on May 28, Francisco Maltés, president of the Central Workers’ Unit (CUT), explained that today “We call for peaceful protests, large mobilizations in the main capitals of the country, with a lot of music, entertainment and art to express to the government the need to quickly sign the agreement on guarantees and to start negotiation of the emergency document. “

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