Peru state workers clash with police over Fujimori’s decree powers push
Key Takeaways
- State workers marched in Lima against Fujimori's request for legislative powers.
- Police blocked protesters from reaching Congress as demonstrators alleged the use of tear gas and pepper spray.
- Unions fear the proposed powers could affect labour rights, benefits and jobs.
Unions marched in Lima against the government’s request for 120-day legislative powers, warning that labour rights and benefits could be affected.
State workers clashed with police in Lima on Wednesday as they protested against President Keiko Fujimori's request for powers to legislate by decree for 120 days.
Demonstrators marched towards Congress to demand that lawmakers reject the government's request, but police blocked them from reaching the building.
Protesters were chanting, "We are on the streets because of the government" and "The people united will never be defeated".
Officers used shields to push demonstrators back onto the pavements. Protesters alleged that police also used pepper spray and tear gas.
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The government has requested legislative powers covering eight major areas through 66 proposals, including public security and measures related to the El Nino phenomenon. Congress has been debating the request.
Unions fear the powers could be used to cut workers' benefits, including holidays, overtime and Compensation for Time of Service (CTS).
Juan Carlos Solis, a member of the CAS workers' union at the Ministry of Education, warned that the request could also lead to job losses similar to those experienced during the government of Alberto Fujimori, the current president's father.
"We are the children of parents who were dismissed in the 1990s precisely because of delegations like this," he said.
"And what do these wretches do, who do not care to defend us from the crime we have in Peru? They fire tear gas at us, they push women, comrades, elderly people," Solis added.
Elizabeth Perez Zuniga, leader of the National Union of State Sector Unions, alleged that police struck her as she was leaving the area.
"The police, without a bit of respect, hit me with the shield on the back. They sprayed pepper spray, pepper spray, and I was choking," she claimed.
Mayllorid Clotilde Flores Suarez, Secretary-General of the CAS Workers' Union at the Ministry of Education, warned that granting the powers could affect workers and the country's natural resources.
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"What they are seeking is to undermine matters linked to labour rights, and they are also seeking to continue the extractivist model, for example, to destroy areas where there are forests, animals, flora and fauna," she said.
Fujimori said on Tuesday that her government would take measures against organised crime "with or without legislative powers" and questioned why Congress had taken four weeks to respond to the request. Her criticism of the delay and the focus on crime were also reported following her visit to Ica.
At the same time, the Constitution Commission of the Chamber of Deputies was considering the government's request. Lawmakers had previously called for greater precision on several areas covered by the proposal.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
