Original article: Hace 10 años Chile salió a las calles para decir NO + AFP

Ten Years Since Chile’s Historic NO + AFP March: A Reflection on Social Security Struggles

On July 24, 2016, under the rallying cry NO + AFP, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in one of the most significant social movements the country has seen in decades, highlighting the urgent need to reclaim social security as a right.

A decade after this collective milestone, Luis Mesina, leader of the NO + AFP Coordinating Committee, recalls that «citizens had grown tired of a system that offers absolutely no guarantees. They were additionally frustrated that this system condemned the vast majority to miserable pensions.»

«There was the paradox that while workers dedicated a significant portion of their salary, 10 percent, to a system, this system captured those earnings turned into savings to make them available to large economic groups like Luksic, Matte, and Angelini, rather than paying out pensions. Now, ten years later, the situation is worse,» Mesina added.

«The AFPs continue to exist and are forcing people to live worse than before, with a pension system that is frankly deplorable for those who remain within it,» emphasized the leader.

In this context, the seminar titled «Ten Years Since the Great March for NO + AFP: Review and Challenges to Recover Social Security in Chile» is being organized, scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, at 10:00 AM, at the Scotiabank exBBVA Union located at Lord Cochrane 165, Santiago.

Economists Marco Kremerman and Álvaro Gallegos (former superintendent of pensions) will participate, along with union leaders who played key roles in the formation of the NO + AFP Coordinating Committee.

We will continue to keep you updated.