The general commander of the Peruvian Fire Department, Juan Carlos Morales, said that they will respond to emergencies as usual despite the national strike announced by workers of the National Fire Agency, which will take place on the 24th and 25th of this month.
In an interview with Canal N, Morales clarified that the strike would affect the maintenance staff, which includes drivers and administrative staff. Volunteer firefighters will continue their work.
The strike is due to the accumulation of unpaid salaries from 2014 to 2018. Although payments were ordered, they have not been made due to lack of funding.
The commander-in-chief also said that the Ministry of Labour had declared the strike illegal and that tomorrow they would meet with the union leaders in order to find a solution.
On the other hand, Morales reported that approximately 800 million soles are saved annually due to the voluntary work of firefighters, however, the budget allocated for their operation is insufficient.
Finally, the general hopes that the Ministry of Economy and Finance will allocate the necessary funds to meet the salary demands of the quartermaster staff.
The National Fire Department of Peru announces a national strike on July 24 and 25
A group of drivers, administrative staff, emergency operators, and other workers from the National Fire Department of Peru announced that they will observe a 48-hour national strike on July 24 and 25.
The union’s secretary, Lidia Cerna, told ‘Buenos Días Perú’ that the measure was taken because the organization of which they are part did not comply with the collective agreements and signed minutes.
One of them is the debt they have with the employees, and the arbitration awards of 2012 and 2017, for an increase of 690 soles and this has not been done since 2023.
“The entity has failed to comply with the workers’ debt for the accrued family allowance from 2004 to 2018. We demand that officials act properly in relation to the procedures of the claims they manage, because the Ministry of Economy and Finance has denied a claim of 5 million 200 thousand soles to comply with these arbitration awards.“, Cerna said.
They also claim that new drivers of Peruvian Firefighters vehicles receive a higher salary than older workers, which is 1,500 soles.
“This year, they have made calls for 100 drivers for a salary of 3,200 soles, drivers who have no experience in emergency units.“, he said.
In addition, the union secretary reveals that transport units nationwide do not have proper documents such as technical inspection, ownership card and registration plate. In this regard, Lidia Cerna comments that she filed a complaint with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor and the same entity.
“Many drivers have had problems because the police have stopped them because they do not have the documentation. Here the only one who is harmed in this case is the driver.“, he added.
