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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2006 
Teachers in Oaxaca End Strike
 Rebeca Romero - Associated Press
| | A women passes by cars in the center of Oaxaca City, Mexico, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006. With virtually no police in the streets, residents of this colonial town in rebellion are stepping in to fill the void - often with brutal consequences. (AP/Eduardo Verdugo) |
Oaxaca, Mexico - Teachers in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca voted Thursday to end a five-month-old strike, allowing 1.3 million children to return to classes and potentially taking the sting out of anti-government protests besieging this historic city.
The unrest was evident earlier in the day as protesters seized a city bus, forced passengers off and set it ablaze.
Authorities have said they hope that the situation will improve when teachers return to work on Monday.
Just over 31,000 union members voted to end the walkout, union secretary Ezequiel Rosales announced in a meeting at a hotel. More than 20,000 voted to continue the strike.
Some striking teachers had already returned to their classrooms. In the days prior to Thursday's vote about 4,000 of Oaxaca state's 14,000 schools have reopened, according to union officials.
Striking teachers have been camped out in Oaxaca's colonial center since May when they first walked out to demand higher pay and better working conditions.
After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz. They were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups who accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and sending groups of thugs to attacks his opponents.
Protesters built makeshift barricades, burned buses, chased the police out of town and took over radio stations. Police and armed gangs led sporadic attacks on the protesters and five people have been killed.
On Thursday, demonstrators retreated from a radio stations they seized in August, saying the government had disrupted the transmission and they were no longer able to broadcast.
However, the protesters that joined the teachers have formed a group called the Oaxaca People's Assembly, which has promised to continue efforts to oust the governor. The assembly Friday plans to blockade highways, beef up barricades and boycott commercial centers.
Ruiz has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send in troops, but President Vicente Fox has insisted in trying to solve the dispute through negotiations. |
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