The public school teacher’s unions, the Asociación Nacional de Educadores (ANDE) and the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Educación Costarricense (SEC), agreed on Wednesday to continue the indefinite strike, pending the signing of the declaration of illegality (exhausting all processes of notifications and appeals) by the Labor Court decision on Tuesday, declaring the strike illegal.
Edgardo Morales, general secretary of the (SEC), explained that they submitted the document prepared by the trade union block with the Government last week to its membership, who almost unanimously rejected. The agreement, which has been adopted by several other trade unions, calls to suspend the strike while the Constitutional Court reviews the legislation approved in first debate last Friday.
For its part, the Asociación Nacional de Educadores (ANDE) made the announcement to continue the strike by way of the social networks.
Shortly after, the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP), the third of the three unions covering all the employees of the Ministry of Education (MEP) decided to follow with continuing with the strike after having consulted with its membership.
Albino Vargas, leader of the ANEP, said “It is considered that this movement is still necessary”.
The national strike is now in its fifth consecutive week, albeit weakened as members of other public sector unions have decided to return to work. On Monday, October 8, the wokers of the public hospitals and clinics and the Limon dock workers, for example, all returned to work, while workers of the medical specialists union will be back on the job on Thursday, October 11.
