Thousands Protest in Ecuador Against Economic Measures to Counter Covid-19

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca were some of the cities where the population rallied to demand social policies to assist the most vulnerable sections of the population, to denounce corruption, and to protest against the economic measures announced by the Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno, which affected workers and included a major cut in the public education sector.

On the streets of Quito, banners and posters reminded people of what was at stake. “The defense of workers’ rights is your responsibility”, read a poster of the employees of the Quito Electric Company.

The university students, who mobilized en masse against the announced cut of US$98 million in public universities in the Andean country, displayed a poster that said “We are the children of the workers that you will not be able to silence,” reported El Comercio.

At first, workers and students shouted slogans like “Budget for education and not corruption,” but in the historic centre of the city of Quito there was a large police presence, and soon the protesters were confronted by armed police forces, mounted on horseback, with dogs and throwing tear gas bombs. Then “Budget for education and not for repression” was shouted.

“Humanitarian Support” Act, but it is something else

José Villavicencio, leader of the Unitary Workers’ Front (FUT) attending the rally, challenged the reforms included in the so-called Humanitarian Support Law, already passed and which allows, among other things, employers and workers to reach an agreement to reduce the working day by up to 50 percent, with equivalent wage cuts. Given the emergency of the pandemic, workers may be subject to this scheme for two years, which could be renewed for a further two years.

Villavicencio and the other FUT leaders stress that the measure is unconstitutional and state that they will act to denounce it as soon as it comes into force. In addition, the FUT announced that it will continue to promote protests against attacks on workers’ rights and in defense of wages.

Strong presence of students and professors

The various rallies in the Andean country included the involvement of different sectors, particularly professors and university students, who took part in the struggle day convened by the Front in Defense of Public Education, after Lenín Moreno’s government announced a budget cut of US$98 million to 32 public universities and polytechnical schools throughout the country – in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.

“We need to unite in order to resist this economic, social and health crisis that is killing us,” said a demonstrator with a mask on her face. For his part, a professor said that he was “defending the education budget” and that he was “using his right to resist”.

“It’s not the people who should pay for the crisis”

The rally in Cuenca, capital of Azuay province, was attended by its governor, Yaku Pérez, who joined hundreds of students, doctors, pensioners, union leaders and social organizations in protest against the announced measures, the increase in unemployment and the payment of foreign debt.

Yaku Pérez argued that it is not the people who must pay for the crisis, but rather “those who created it and benefit from it”. “To defeat capitalism, to defeat extractivism, to defeat corruption, we must have dignity,” he said, regretting that the Ecuadorian government “has bowed to the demands of the International Monetary Fund” and urging it not to use the pandemic to make decisions.