Teachers strike against education reform law, again!

MEXICO, JUNE 4—The teachers went on strike! Again! They were joined by rebellious teachers from Chiapas, Guerrero, Michoacán, and other states throughout Mexicao. Again! They organized encampments in Oaxaca City and in Mexico City. Again! The capitalist state apparatus and media attacked them. Again!
 The battle for small victories for the working class is neverending. Only workers power through communist revolution can finally end capitalist exploitation.
The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) government led by Alejandro Murat in Oaxaca and President Enrique Pedro Nieto thought they had Section 22 (Oaxaca Teacher’s Union) locked down in such a way that we wouldn’t be able to rise up and fight back.  The whole capitalist state apparatus was employed from June 2013 untill now to impose the labor attacks disguised as educational reforms.  In fact, these “reforms” are about privatizing education, cutbacks in educational funding, and firing teachers through punitive testing. They are also an attack on the teacher unions, especially the rebellious CNTE (National Coordinator of Educational Workers) and its’ Oaxaca local, Section 22. This militant Oaxaca local is also demanding more teacher jobs and the freeing of all political prisoners.
Part of the teacher’s strike action involves keeping a large encampment in the center of Oaxaca City while at the same time carrying out various actions in strategic locations.  Thousands of teachers blocked access to Oaxaca’s international airport, breaking the stranglehold of the state government and forcing them to the negotiation table to deal with the demands of the Section 22 leadership. After the government’s response, the striking workers will determine how the struggle should proceed.
Today, the struggle widened to other groups, as it is being joined by the national CNTE.  Nationwide 200,000 teachers are expected to participate, as well as 10,000 in Mexico City, to get rid of the educational reforms by taking advantage of the coming elections when the capitalists compete for political power. This struggle holds great importance at a time when the national capitalists and imperialists confront each other.
During the enormous march led by the CNTE on June 4th in Mexico City, PLP members and friends leafleted to show support for the teachers and called on them to organize in the communist Progressive Labor Party and reject the electoral farce.  In Oaxaca meanwhile, dozens of militant teachers who have been influenced by PLP’s communist ideas have remained active and are providing leadership to the protests.  The false promises of the presidential candidates have not placated the militancy of the teachers.  We have known through decades of experience that only through organizing and struggle can we defend ourselves against the shocks created by capitalism.  Our challenge is to advance upon this understanding toward revolutionary consciousness and actions that will overthrow the system of capitalist oppression and replace it with a society of communist equality.