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Original article: CUT prepara resistencia frente a Kast: advierte precarización, retrocesos sindicales y riesgo para 300 mil contratas

The Coliseum Theatre became the focal point for a warning and call to action. The Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) celebrated its 38th anniversary with a strong message of opposition and mobilization. The rallying cry «Unity to Recover Chile» was not just a slogan, but the precursor to a resistance strategy that union members are planning to implement against the government of José Antonio Kast, whom they accuse of policies targeting worker precarization, rolling back labor achievements, and posing a direct threat to the rights of the nation’s workforce.

The event brought together unionists, student leaders, human rights organizations, and parliamentarians, providing a platform for various voices to converge on a common diagnosis of urgency in light of the ultraright administration’s threats.

“I want to tell my colleagues in the public sector to prepare. November will be catastrophic. Negotiations in the public sector and the termination of contracts for over 300,000 colleagues,” warned CUT president, José Manuel Díaz.

He compared the austerity measures and rollbacks implemented by Kast since taking office in March with the critical economic, labor, and social situation currently facing Argentina under the ultraright president, Javier Milei.

CUT: «We Will Not Allow Kast to Come and Destroy the State in Chile»

“We will not allow, comrades, that President Kast becomes the Milei who stated that he must destroy the state in Argentina. We will not permit him, comrades, to come and destroy the state in Chile. We will not allow him, comrades, to undermine public functions. We will not allow him to take away workers’ rights,” he declared as reported by Diario U. de Chile.

Speaking on the constitutional reform promoted by the president, which includes the creation of a new state of emergency, Díaz warned Kast against trying to mimic El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, who, through repression and the denial of rights, aims to limit and dismantle the social movement.

The leader also seized the moment to encourage self-reflection and criticism within progressive forces and the social movement. He questioned the internal divisions which, in his opinion, have led to electoral defeats and a loss of territorial influence. “We separated in communities. We separated in neighborhood assemblies. We separated in delegate committees. We separated in unions. And we separated in the student world. We must come together again,” he urged.

In his remarks, the leader offered a critical assessment of the recent political cycle. He recalled the unfulfilled promises of the government of former president Gabriel Boric and contrasted it with the current administration’s rapid imposition of its ultraright agenda.

“This government has a peculiarity. It communicates and executes. Our leaders communicated, consulted, held plebiscites, and never acted,” he asserted, exemplifying this with the withdrawal of the parliamentary branch negotiation project and the tax reductions for the wealthy. Faced with such circumstances, he reaffirmed CUT’s commitment to not remain passive: “We will resist, comrades, when they take away the rights of trade unionism, won over 105 years of unity, with martyrs among our ranks, and many men and women imprisoned.”

The president of the Association of Families of Executed Political Prisoners, Alicia Lira, also participated in the event, linking historical memory with present struggles by advocating for workers’ participation in social demands. “We have a project of justice, of claims, for better salaries, and better housing, which are our rights,” she asserted, establishing an emotional and political connection with CUT, “Forgive me, but I feel part of you and I will always be part of you because I am a worker,” she stated.

From the student movement, the president of FECh and spokesperson for Confech, Laura Mlynarz, emphasized that the commemoration had a «special tone,» as it was not merely a greeting but the continuation of a shared work agenda forged since May Day.

Mlynarz detailed the coordination established through a common front with CUT, noting that the responsibility of leaders does not end with the social movement but must extend to Chilean families, so that “we understand that the demands we are raising, that we recognize that the country we want to build is one where there is not a government solely elected by the richest 1% of the country.”

Finally, Senator Daniella Cicardini (PS) supported CUT’s diagnosis and focused on defending historical achievements. She reminded that rights such as the 40-hour workweek, minimum wage, and collective bargaining «are enormous efforts that have taken decades.” She questioned the «economic reactivation» policy of Kast’s administration, warning that behind that discourse lies labor precarization and committed to being a «buffer against any attempts to reverse progress» in Congress.

Featured photo: Diario U. de Chile.

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