Protesting Guatemalan teachers shut down Melchor Bridge
Posted: 26/02/2010 - 10:12 AM
Author: Stacey Kelly
Yesterday at around 8:00 a.m., protesting Guatemalan teachers in Melchor de Mencos together with their union president Orlando Zetina exercised their right to a “peaceful protest” by blocking the Melchor Bridge with their bodies, as well as vehicles and motorcycles, to stop vehicular passage through the border between Guatemala and Belize.
The Guatemalan protesters, however, did not try to stop anyone walking across with proper documentation.
According to union president Zetina, who spoke on behalf of the teachers, they are demanding a 16% salary increase from their Government, in addition to proper renovation of school buildings, since President Alvaro Colom, for his term of 2008-2012, had made a promise to raise the teachers’ pay and fix leaking and deplorable school buildings countrywide.
The promises were made to the teachers over two years ago, and they say that Colom has not delivered on them since.
“We are sending a strong message to the Government” says Zetina, when asked why his union had blocked the main official point of entry into Guatemala from western Belize. He said that the teachers have bills to pay at the end of each month, and $2,000 quetzals (which is only BZE $476.55) is not enough to survive on, since each individual’s family and their basic necessities cannot be met without a pay raise.
“It is a massive strike, border to border, and in each town, city and throughout the country,” Zetina told Amandala. “Two years ago the Government had made a [commitment] to raise teachers’ salaries, and to this date, it has not lived up to that commitment; buildings are in a deplorable condition and Government has NOT done anything to renovate them.”
It was reported to us that Guatemalan teachers have taken over Education Department buildings all over Guatemala, in a well-organized manner, emphasizing the peaceful nature of the strike.
The protesters at the border in Melchor numbered a little over 200, not counting on-lookers, including Belizeans, tourists and other Guatemalans trying to gain entry into, or from either side of the border.
The teachers played music for the mainly peaceful protest, but nevertheless, a small number of armed Guatemalan soldiers were seen about 10 feet away from the actual crowd, just looking on.
Up to late yesterday evening, discussions were still on-going between the leader of the union and Colom’s Government.
In the midst of the protest taking place at the border, an accident occurred involving one Clarence Reimer in Spanish Lookout, in the Cayo District. Reimer reportedly was under his vehicle doing repairs, and according to a medic who came with an ambulance, Reimer’s vehicle fell on top of him, causing head trauma.
The protesters allowed the Belizean ambulance with Reimer inside to pass, and he was taken to the Melchor Hospital, and then flown to Guatemala City, where he is listed in a stable condition.
The medic said, “I heard that the strike might not let us pass, so we contacted the Ambassador for Guatemala to request entry. I was surprised they let us pass.”
The ambulance was given the “go-ahead” by the teachers at approximately 2:00 p.m. to pass over into Melchor, just fifteen minutes after the incident.
The strikers and their union president were informed by a phone call from the Government at 5:30 p.m. that it would reach a decision by 9:00 - 10:00 that same Wednesday night, on whether or not it would meet the teachers’ requests.
However, one of the teachers stated to us: “We will come back tomorrow morning right here, and push closer to the Belizean border if our demands are not met.”
At press time today Thursday, Amandalareceived word from freelance reporter Joseph Budna that the strike and demonstration are on once again because the Guatemalan government has not reached a decision on whether the teachers’ requests will be met.
“They have blocked off the border again, and this time are not allowing either walking or driving across from both sides of the border. They’re also now playing music and dancing,” Budna told us.
Additional Information provided by Joseph Budna (freelance reporter)
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