Unions up the pressure on Uruguayan President Lacalle Pou

Uruguay’s unions are increasing their mobilization against the Luis Lacalle Pou administration, with thousands taking to the streets during a nationwide 24-hour strike on Wednesday — the third and biggest since the ruling right-wing coalition took office — protesting a decline in real wages and working conditions, and demanding the elimination of a series of reforms imposed by the administration.

At issue is a reform package approved through emergency mechanisms by President Lacalle Pou shortly after taking office, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those special circumstances, the president argued, allowed for streamlined congressional debate to pass a wide-ranging, 476-articles-long text, using a provision known as Law for Urgent Consideration (LUC).

The LUC imposed changes on dozens of other laws, increasing the scope under which civilians and policemen are authorized to excise “legitimate defence”, authorizing public forces to clear the streets when protests affect “the free circulation of people, goods or services,” flexibilizing the job market, and changing regulations in the health and education sectors, among other issues.

“They are within their right [to protest], but Uruguay needs to work more, to make an effort, because we are just getting out of the pandemic, and this is a political protest with the LUC as its real target,” Lacalle Pou said, downplaying the economic motives of the rally. “When we took office, there were 47,000 Uruguayans on the dole, rising to 100,000 with the pandemic....