‘The drone revolution’: Ecuadorians revolt against repressive US-backed President Lenin Moreno’s neoliberal policies

Ecuador’s workers are rising up against the IMF-mandated neoliberal economic reforms of President Lenin Moreno, a close ally of Washington who calls them “zánganos,” or drone bees.

by Denis Rogatyuk

Part 2 - Removing oil subsidies, cutting public employees’ salaries, gutting worker protections

The decision to cut the government’s decades-old fuel subsidies was just one element in a package of neoliberal economic reforms presented by the Moreno government on October 1. The program was part of a bid to satisfy the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This October, the reform package set off an explosion of mass protests across the nation.

Moreno claimed the drastic new economic measures were necessary to reduce “wasteful” public spending and balance the government’s budget.

The most controversial measure of all has been the elimination of the petrol subsidies that had been in place since the 1970s. This removal led to a staggering 123 percent rise in the price of diesel, with similar increases in the price of other fuels.

The package also introduced a 20 percent decrease in the salary of public employees, and initiated plans to privatize pensions and removed workplace security and job security safeguards.

Source, links:

https://thegrayzone.com/2019/10/07/ecuador-revolt-lenin-morenos-neoliberal-drone-zangano/ 

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