Teachers in Jujuy began a strike on April 7, with the action set to continue through today. The strike was called by the zonal and school delegates of Adep after provincial assemblies unified their mandates to demand better salaries. While some central schools reported normal activities, delegates observed higher participation in interior regions.
The organizing delegates held a morning meeting with directors of Initial and Primary Levels to discuss several issues, including messages that questioned the legality of the two-day strike. In the afternoon, despite persistent rain, teachers started a sit-in outside the Government House.
Today’s plans include a gathering at 9:00 am at Adep’s main office on Lamadrid 348. The group will then join other teachers, unions, and social organizations in a march demanding salary improvements, protesting wage deductions for striking days, rejecting cuts to government programs, and calling for urgent wage negotiations.
Martina Montoya, zonal delegate from Ledesma department, said: “We are school-based and zonal delegates elected last year during an interim period; we still have valid mandates presented to all relevant authorities. Seeing that time was passing without assembly calls from the provisional board recognized by the Provincial Government but not by the National Labor Secretariat, our body of delegates formed as per our statute. We called for action and received responses from our base—that is what matters.” She added: “We owe ourselves to what assemblies decide; that’s why this measure was proposed—so colleagues could choose whether or not to join us—but it was important to tell the government we are organizing ourselves because no one else is speaking or consulting us about what we need.”
While some schools such as Escuela Nº 50 ‘Obispo Padilla’ and Escuela Normal ‘Juan Ignacio Gorriti’ maintained regular schedules yesterday—with only one teacher joining the strike at ‘Juanita Stevens,’ which is under renovation—others saw greater participation. At Escuela Nº 136 ‘General Lamadrid,’ 53% of staff joined the action; only two classes were present in an afternoon marked by cold weather.
Cedems announced it would join today’s protest under the slogan “For the right to strike and against social adjustment—united in struggle.” Cedems will hold a press conference at its union hall before marching with other sectors—including university professors from Adiunju, healthcare workers, and social organizations—to advocate for improved wages.
