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News > Report From Peru: Protests Temporarily Disrupt Tours In Peru
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Report From Peru: Protests Temporarily Disrupt Tours In Peru
From Peru Operations Department
In May 2003, teacher unions representing 280,000 public sector teachers have been on strike. The union is demanding salary increases as promised by President Toledo in his presidential campaign. The government has accepted a raise of about $30 a month but the teachers have demanded more than double that amount. In addition, farmers and public servants of the justice system also went on strike. After some roads were blocked and tourist transportation disrupted, President Toledo decided to bolster security and stability in the country by declaring a 30-day state of emergency.
Even though this measure sounds extreme and worrisome as seen from outside, most of Peruvian society supports the move in order to quiet the atmosphere and resume talks. As of May 29, health workers and farmers have, at least officially, temporarily called off strikes that disrupted highway transport with blockades of rocks and trees. But teachers, striking for more than two weeks, are thus far undeterred. The government crackdown has improved conditions for travelers by outlawing strikes in cities like Cusco and Puno or road blocks in the Sacred Valley and the route between Puno and the Juliaca airport, to cite some examples.
We will keep you informed of any new developments that might affect tourism in this regard. If we dont send you any news, but there continues to be international press on these issues, it essentially means that tourism sites are not affected. Often politicians and journalists thrive on these kinds of events, but in the end it is usually a minor domestic issue that gets blown out of proportion by international media.
