Chile students call new strike after talks end in deadlock

Chilean students, who have been protesting over the past four months to demand radical education reforms, voted on Tuesday to call a national strike after talks with government officials stalled. Giorgio Jackson, one of the leaders of the Confederation of University Students of Chile (Confech), told a radio station that the strike will be held on Thursday.

"The only thing we have been asking for was a transparent process, without any hidden agendas, and that the government would not take any repercussions against those who are the most vulnerable," said Jackson, who also presides over the Catholic University Federation of Students.

The students are demanding that the center-right government of Sebastián Piñera cancel a proposed bill he intends to send to Congress concerning changes to the education system. Jackson is also asking that the government postpone the end date of the current semester and block any government money that is being given to private schools that operate for a profit.

Earlier this month, student leaders held the first meeting with Piñera who heard their demands. Besides free education, the students also want the government to give them bus passes and allow more public input in school policy.

Piñera has said that some 70,000 students have lost out on the school year because of the protests. The Chilean leader has also declined to meet all of the students' demands.

This will be the second national strike to be called by the unions and students.