Mexican gov't, teacher union to meet amid violent clashes over education reform

The Mexican government and the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE) announced separately on Tuesday that they will sit down together on Wednesday to end the over-one-month clashes over the education reform.

The announcement came one day after violent clashes broke out between teachers and police in the southern state of Oaxaca that have killed eight CNTE sympathizers.

The violence came after Oaxaca -- the poorest state in the country -- have been blocked by the teacher's union since June 13, according to the government.

In a press release, the Interior Ministry said that the meeting will be chaired by Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong in the Ministry's office in Mexico City, to listen to the CNTE's reasoning.

The main objective is "to progress in finding solutions that will allow the regions of the country that have been affected by their (CNTE) recent demonstrations to return to peace," said the ministry. However, the CNTE indicated in a press release that they were hoping for a straightforward stance from the authorities and they said they are willing to work together to find a solution to their demands.

On May 15, the dissident teachers began protesting once again against the educational reform enacted in 2013 on the grounds that the reform violates their labor rights.

The protests flared up in Oaxaca from June 12 when the Federal Prosecutor's Office arrested and jailed CNTE's state leader Ruben Nunez for alleged money laundering. Endit