Chilean port workers strike to support the third pension withdrawal bill

A strike called by the Chilean port union began on Monday, and ports across the country will begin to shut down to urge Congress to approve a third pension withdrawal.

About 8000 workers from 25 terminals have gone on strike since noon, resuming last week's mobilization. This new shutdown is due to Chile's request for the withdrawal of the draft third private pension fund.

They pointed out: "We oppose the manipulation of the political class against this sensitive issue of Chileans."

On Thursday, the Senate generally approved constitutional reform, allowing pension withdrawals for the third time. The measure means withdrawing 10 per cent of the money from (AFP), the pension manager.

The government of Sebastian Pinera (Sebasti á n Pi ñ era) tried to block the measure. First, he made a request to the Constitutional Court, and then tried to protect the profits of (AFP), a pension fund insurer, proposing to deposit the basic deposits of nearly 3 million workers and 200000 Chilean pesos into AFP accounts, which would then be left to individuals to decide whether to withdraw. This means that the $900 million injected into Agence France-Presse cannot be ignored.

According to Radio Biobio, Port Alliance spokesman Jorge Salazar pointed out that questioning 200000 pesos was not handed over directly to workers, but injected into Agence France-Presse.

Port workers in Valparaiso, San Antonio and Ventanas began their strikes on Monday afternoon. At the port of Valparaiso, workers from the stevedores' union will join.

When Dockers demonstrated outside the Valparaiso Dockers Union, they were suppressed.

The Dockers' strike comes a day before a "general health strike" called for by the central organization of Central Trakhadres in Chile on April 30. The purpose of the armed measures is to require compliance with the third emergency plan submitted by the Central Government to President Sebastian Pinera.

The most relevant requirements of the plan are to raise the minimum wage to 500000 Chilean pesos (about $700); to provide an emergency universal basic income for 80 per cent of the population; and to freeze the prices of food and basic supplies.