LA PAZ (Reuters) The ninth straight day of general strike in protest at wage increases has had starring Bolivian teachers, who have blocked several roads the day before to meet the country's president, Evo Morales, and union leadership. The cuts affect at least four of the nine departments, including La Paz, causing the first strike affecting road transport, the largest trade union challenge to Morales, according to various reports.
"Continuing demonstrations, no respite or recess hope (...) President once we convened for dialogue, not his ministers," said union leader Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), Pedro Montes, who called to strike. The unions demand a general wage increase of 15 percent, but Morales has refused to review the decree and adjustment of 10 percent.
Petroleum and mining industries - major sources of wealth in the country - manufacturing, trade, banking and air transport have not been hit so far by the protest, which since its first day paralyzed only part of health services and education. Rural teachers blocked from the morning of Friday, the main access road to La Paz, where the police failed in a first attempt to reopen the road.
Some 2,000 teachers with rocks and logs cut the road between the cities of La Paz and Oruro, about a half hour of political capital. Simultaneously, health workers sporadically blocked the center of La Paz and, according to several national media, other groups of teachers also blocked roads in the departments of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Beni.
Montes said the COB hoped that Morales, who spent the last three days in the southern department of Tarija, his promise to meet Saturday with the leaders of the strike. For his part, Minister of Communication, Ivan Canelas, said that "the President and the Government have always been willing to install a dialogue with all sectors, so there is no justification have taken these measures of pressure." 
"Continuing demonstrations, no respite or recess hope (...) President once we convened for dialogue, not his ministers," said union leader Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), Pedro Montes, who called to strike. The unions demand a general wage increase of 15 percent, but Morales has refused to review the decree and adjustment of 10 percent.
Petroleum and mining industries - major sources of wealth in the country - manufacturing, trade, banking and air transport have not been hit so far by the protest, which since its first day paralyzed only part of health services and education. Rural teachers blocked from the morning of Friday, the main access road to La Paz, where the police failed in a first attempt to reopen the road.
Some 2,000 teachers with rocks and logs cut the road between the cities of La Paz and Oruro, about a half hour of political capital. Simultaneously, health workers sporadically blocked the center of La Paz and, according to several national media, other groups of teachers also blocked roads in the departments of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Beni.
Montes said the COB hoped that Morales, who spent the last three days in the southern department of Tarija, his promise to meet Saturday with the leaders of the strike. For his part, Minister of Communication, Ivan Canelas, said that "the President and the Government have always been willing to install a dialogue with all sectors, so there is no justification have taken these measures of pressure."
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