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Unions agree not to strike in exchange for meeting with the government By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
According to the Ombudsman's Office, protesting unions have made a no-strike commitment in exchange for an agenda of meetings with the government. The meetings will study requests by the trade unions with the goal of reaching an agreement, said the Ombusman. "The process of dialogue between the union and the government will begin on Thursday, Aug. 1," said the Ombudsman in its report. The office is serving as a mediator between the union leaders and the government. President Carlos Alvarado, in a letter to the ombudsman, Catalina Crespo, agreed to attend a meeting where the agenda will be organized. Meanwhile, the union representatives also committed to not to carry out any pressure measures or strikes for 30 days to ensure the meetings are peaceful. The public school students and unions have been marching to protest proposed laws since July 1, as A.M. Costa Rica has been reporting. Students supported by members of public employee unions marched in all provinces to protest several bills that are under consideration by deputies at the Legislative Assembly. Mélida Cedeño Castro, president of the public school teachers' union known as APSE, said the union's main request is the cancellation of the following bills: - No. 20.786, dual education, that will allow students of technical schools to complete an internship in private companies. Students are said to consider the conditions of internships unfair because they would not receive salary, insurance, and others work benefits. - No. 21.097, which seeks to establish a list of essential public services, including public education, in which employees' right to strike may be limited or restricted. The protesters also want to cancel the final exams, known as FARO test. These are tests that senior students at the fifth and fourth level must take. The Public Education Ministry set up these tests to assess the level of student learning. Also, students are against unisex bathrooms for transgender students to prevent them from being attacked by others. According to the Ministry of Public Education, these new restroom does not mean that bathroom for men or women will be eliminated, said the ministry in its statement. The students also are critical of the purchase of drones with money from the ministry budget that could be used to repair schools with structural problems. The ministry currently has a process to invest about $599,529 to buy 22 drones and other technological tools to use in agricultural areas. According to a report of the ministry, only 86 of the 1,003 high schools in the country were closed by the strike. Of those 86 closed schools, 41 managed to reopen during the day and give lessons to the students who were not supporting the strike. In addition, the ministry enabled the telephone line 400-1661 to answer questions from students and parents about the issues that bother students. ----------------------- What should the government do to reconcile with the unions and students and prevent them from returning to strike? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com |
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