Mexican businesses shut to protest teacher blockades

People walk past shops closed as part of a 24-hour protest over the government's response to a teachers' union that has blocked roads to reject President Enrique Pena Nieto's education reform, in Oaxaca, Mexico, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Luis Plata

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Nearly three thousand Mexican businesses in the southern state of Oaxaca shut their doors on Monday in protest over the government's response to a teachers' union that has blocked roads to reject President Enrique Pena Nieto's education reform.

Mexican industry group Coparmex said up to 7,000 workers, including truckers, taxi drivers and waiters, were not working during the 24-hour stoppage in the state, popular with tourists for its beaches and culture and home to a major oil refinery.