Protests

These past two weeks have been tumultuous in La Paz as the government paid union workers have been on strike. Health workers, teachers and miners have been taking turns protesting in different areas of the city. The strikes started out calm and relatively quiet and have been building in intensity.

For the most part, the protesters march in the downtown area and around the main government buildings. This past Wednesday we needed to get downtown to meet with the lawyer to work on our resident visas. We could only get fairly close to the downtown and then had to walk the rest of the way into the downtown area. We were able to meet with the lawyer and get the paperwork done, but when we came out of the office, ALL the traffic in and out of the downtown area had been blocked off. We had to walk around until we got past the blockade in order to get transportation back to the apartment.

Since the government is not conceding to the strikers, the union workers have decided to spread their protests to other parts of the city. The past couple of days we have been awakened by the sound of dynamite exploding two blocks from the apartment. The miners bring in explosive charges from their mines and use them in their protests. They start very early in the morning, (5:30) and try to block as many roads as possible so people cannot get to their workplaces. Since the government is not giving in to their demand of a 15% raise, they have decided to blockade all the main roads in the city and those that connect La Paz with the rest of the country. Large rocks are put in the street or the people simply sit down on the road so cars and buses cannot pass.

Neither side is backing down, so it looks like the protests will continue on Monday until some kind of agreement can be reached. The government says they cannot pay a 15% raise because it would break the treasury (they have agreed to give 10%). The union workers contend that the government is "hiding" the money. In the meantime, children are not going to school, hospitals are not attending patients and the city is in chaos. People are beginning to lose their patience. Fighting is breaking out bewtween police and protesters. Parents are asking that teachers be fired if they want to protest instead of teaching.

Where will it all end? Who will blink first?
Foto: Pagina Siete, La Paz