Private sector leaders condemned the protests of Guerrero and Oaxaca teachers against the education reform, specifically the blockades of the Highway of the Sun and malls, claiming that they affect economic activity.
They supported actions announced by President Enrique Peña Nieto and the head of the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), Emilio Chuayffet, to apply the law strictly and use dialogue to resolve the conflict.
"It is essential not to bow to pressure ... The most important thing is that no school activities are suspended anywhere in the country and that education is not hijacked by groups that refuse to take decisive steps in upgrading quality," demanded Francisco Funtanet Mange, president of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin).Jorge Davila Flores, president of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco-Servytur), flatly called for the energetic intervention of the federal and state governments to prevent the protests by teachers dissatisfied with evaluation and competition for positions, which are included in the reform, from affecting commerce and impeding the free movement of citizens. He insisted that they should repay the economic losses suffered by the private sector.
The leader of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Canacintra), Rodrigo Alpizar, who took office 15 days ago, declared that "a small group should not hijack a state" and spoke out against violence, the seizing of establishments and violation of the rights to education.
"Canacintra defends the legitimate right of teachers to disagree, but that does not mean crippling this country. What has to be done is to apply the law," he said.A day earlier, the Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) announced that if the strike continued, private sector members would provide extramural classes. Regarding this, Rodrígo Alpizar said, "entrepreneurs would not be replacing teachers."
He considered that in place of "smaller or bigger aspirin", the problem should be resolved in depth, with a "true revolution in the education system", because today it's Oaxaca and tomorrow it's another state. Spanish original