Judicial workers are on an indefinite strike, upset that legislators refused to use a union proposal as a basis for reforming the Pension and Retirment System (Régimen de Pensiones y Jubilaciones) of the Poder Judicial (Judiciary).
The strike that began Wednesday afternoon continues this morning Thursday and is expected to continue indefinitely.
In a press conference, union spokespersons confirmed that the 13,000 judicial employees are “indisposed” because of the legislator’s actions.
Hernán Campos, general secretary of the Judicial Workers’ Union (Sitrajud), acknowledged that the strike will affect the services impacted are trials, public defense and the work of prosecutors and judges, and the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ).
For his part, the director of the OIJ, Wálter Espinoza, sent a circular to the heads of the various sections of that entity Wednesday, reminding them that essential services cannot be suspended during the strike.
Espinoza said Article 12 of the Political Constitution, all judicial investigative work must be kept constant as a basic public service for Costa Rican society.
His call is that there is no stop in performing autopsies, ocular inspections and attending crime scenes, removal of bodies, among others, not to cause irreparable consequences to the citizens.
Adriana Orocú, president of the Costa Rican Judicial Association (Acojud), emphasized that the strike will come to an end only if the legislators adopt the text (to draft the bill) as presented by the worker guilds.
