Teachers across Colombia walked off the job Wednesday, April 15, launching a 24-hour national strike to protest a collapsing healthcare system for educators. The Federación Colombiana de Trabajadores de la Educación (Fecode) coordinated the shutdown, triggering road closures in Bogotá and multiple regional hubs to force government attention toward the failure of health services for the magisterium.
Healthcare failures and school vouchers drive the unrest
Fecode’s grievances center on the systemic instability of the health network serving public teachers. The union specifically targets the role of Fiduprevisora in the current crisis, alleging that the entity’s management has contributed to the deterioration of medical care.
Protesters aren’t just fighting for clinics. The strike also serves as a rejection of a proposed school voucher project, adding a policy layer to the labor dispute over healthcare.
Bogotá roads and national corridors face blockades
Traffic in the capital stalled early Wednesday as protesters occupied Carrera Séptima in front of the Parque Nacional. This blockade is part of a broader strategy to disrupt transit and visibility across the country’s primary arteries.
Regional mobilizations hit several departments simultaneously. In Cali, teachers gathered at the Ferrocarril Station, while those in Yopal and Risaralda staged “plantones” directly in front of Fiduprevisora and Jersalud offices to bring their complaints to the administrators’ doorsteps.
- Montería: Concentrations began at 8:00 a.m. outside the Fomag office on Calle 24.
- Medellín: Teachers met at the Asociación de Institutores de Antioquia starting at 10:00 a.m.
- Quibdó: Rallies moved from Carrera 6 to the Carrasquilla Industrial and Pedro Grau schools.
- Other hubs: Demonstrations were reported in Armenia’s Parque Fundadores, Sincelejo, and Florencia.
District officials demand classes continue despite the strike
The Bogotá Secretary of Education attempted to neutralize the strike’s impact on students by ordering public schools to operate normally. The agency acknowledged the “urgency” of fixing the healthcare model but insisted that the right to protest shouldn’t override the right to education.
District officials told school rectors to organize academic schedules to ensure continuity. They warned that any lost instructional time must be recovered, or administrators will face “corresponding administrative actions” under current law.
This creates a sharp tension between the union’s 24-hour labor suspension and the government’s mandate for school doors to stay open. The Secretary of Education urged teachers to protest “contra jornada”—outside of school hours—to avoid legal repercussions.
Why is Fecode targeting Fiduprevisora?
Fecode identifies Fiduprevisora as a primary driver of the healthcare crisis facing the magisterium, seeking the stabilization and consolidation of the health system through the enforcement of Agreement 003 of 2024.
Will students in Bogotá miss class?
The Secretary of Education of the District ordered classes to proceed normally and required rectors to implement recovery plans for any academic time lost due to the protests.
