Chile's education and health workers call for stronger safety measures

Education assistants in the Atacama region warned that precarious contracts, overloaded duties and inadequate school infrastructure have created unsafe conditions, highlighted by a fatal accident involving a forklift at the Liceo Bicentenario Mercedes Fritis Mackenney in Copiapó. Federation president Anyelina Torres Espinoza urged authorities to define job responsibilities, improve facilities and provide legal protection for staff.

In the Valparaíso region, representatives of primary‑health‑care workers reported assaults, robberies and hazardous travel after shifts, prompting the regional presidential delegate Manuel Millones to reactivate a Security Table for health centres. The new body will coordinate measures to protect staff and, alongside a second table on investment and financing, aim to address the broader labour and safety concerns affecting public‑sector employees.