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The Peruvian city of Cusco is experiencing a day of tranquility after 48 hours of strike called by the Federation of Workers. The strike affected transportation, commerce and tourism. The leaders of the protest await the arrival of President Pedro Castillo on Friday, with whom they will discuss the demands. Among the main ones are the high cost of living and the price of fuel.
This Wednesday, April 20, the Peruvian city of Cusco recovered its normal activity in trade, transport and tourism, one of its main economic activities.
This, after a 48-hour strike that was called by various unions in response to rising food and fuel prices. Something that paralyzed transport services, blocked the region’s roads and harmed thousands of tourists.
Local television assured that travelers from different parts of the world were able to travel normally in the historic center of this city.
To reach the truce, which runs from this Wednesday to Friday, the prime minister, Aníbal Torres, and the social organizations that promoted the strike, signed an act of commitment in order to “maintain social peace.”
In this document, the parties agreed to set up a “technical dialogue table for the development of the department of Cusco” and to hold a decentralized Council of Ministers for Friday” in this same city, where they will address the high cost of living, Torres said.
This meeting will be attended by the president of the nation, Pedro Castillo, according to the Peruvian government.
What do the unions demand?
The leader of the Federation of Workers in Cusco, Germán Santoyo, told Canal N that the first point of his demands “is the rise in the cost of living, the incessant increase in the cost of fuel and gas for domestic use,” something that affects “seriously the economy of our region”.
Santoyo considered unusual the fact that the residents of Cusco have to pay 100 soles, that is, 27 dollars, for a cylinder of gas “being residents of the place where Camisea gas is extracted,” he denounced.
In addition, the official called for the implementation of the agrarian development program, to ensure public education and health, the review of the Camisea gas exploitation contracts and the train service to the citadel of Machu Picchu, as well as the drafting of a new Constitution.
The repercussions of unemployment
The strike called by the Federation of Workers of Cusco affected transportation and commerce last Monday and Tuesday.
According to the president of the local Chamber of Tourism, Edy Cuéllar, the work stoppage and a fleeting protest by air traffic controllers at airports at the beginning of Holy Week generated losses valued at around 10 million soles (2.7 million dollars). In addition, some 8,000 tourists were unable to complete their trips, due to thousands of canceled reservations.
The protests are the latest wave of unrest in Peru, after mass demonstrations began in late March, initially over rising fuel prices.
The Andean country is facing the highest inflation in more than two decades, amid a rise in prices around the world recently caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Families with fewer resources are the most affected by the inflationary situation, which affects citizens worldwide.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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