Peru: Civil society organizations call for nationwide strike and protests Oct. 23

Civil society organizations, including labor unions and neighborhood organizations, will stage a strike with associated protests throughout Peru Oct. 23. The labor action, which is being mainly organized by groups representing bus and taxi drivers, will likely cause major nationwide transport disruptions. Unions of commercial workers have also announced they will adhere to the strike, and many markets across the country will likely close. Disruptions will likely be particularly severe in and near Lima, which has seen several major strikes by transport workers in recent months.

Protests associated with the strike will likely block roads and highways, further hindering transport and business activity. Demonstrators are also likely to gather in major plazas; in Lima, striking workers plan on gathering at Plaza Dos de Mayo before marching along Avenida Nicolas de Pierola, widely known as Colmena, to the Congress building, located on Avenida Abancay. Security forces routinely close Avenida Abancay, a major thoroughfare, to prevent demonstrators from reaching Congress, and such a closure will likely occur during the Oct. 23 strike. Clashes are possible at all demonstration sites, especially if police attempt to disperse protests forcibly.

Due to the strike, the Ministry of Education has ordered all public schools in Lima to suspend in-person classes and use virtual learning systems instead; schools in other locations may similarly close. The measure may prevent employees with school-age children from reporting to work due to childcare arrangements.

Additionally, because of the likely disruptions to the public transportation system, the Ministry of Labor and Promotion of Employment has asked all employers to allow employees who can work from home to do so and to grant a four-hour grace period to employees who arrive to work late.

Students and faculty associated with the National University of San Marcos (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, UNMSM), which has recently seen unrest on its main campus in central Lima, also plan on joining the strike, and additional demonstrations near the campus are likely.

In response to the strike, authorities are likely to order a major deployment of police across the country; the armed forces are also likely to deploy in Lima and Callao, where a state of emergency authorizes the military to conduct patrols.