Ecuador: divided left weakens struggle for change

greenleft.org.au/Federico Fuentes wrote Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa is facing the most important challenge yet to his self-styled “Citizens’ Revolution”.

A range of indigenous groups, trade unions and leftist parties mobilised across the country on August 13. Their long list of demands included calls for land reform, opposition to mining, support for bilingual education and the shelving of the government’s proposed water and labour laws.

In Quito, the “Indigenous Uprising” — as protest organisers dubbed it — lasted nine days, with organisers vowing to return this month.

These were just the latest in a series of mobilisations starting almost a year ago.

Late last year, trade unions organised two national protests against changes to the labour law proposed by the Correa government, which expanded social security to cover “housewives” and strengthened job security.

However, unions were unhappy that it also sought to absolve the state from having to contribute 40% of workers’ retirement funds. Read Article

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