Clinical laboratory assistant technicians of the Social Security Fund (CSS) began an indefinite strike this Monday, because according to them, the agreement that guaranteed a salary increase, which should take place in the first quarter of 2022, has not been fulfilled. These are 324 technicians who will not provide services at the national level.
Luis Bonilla, president of the Association of Laboratory Technical Assistants (Analac), stressed that despite this strike, the technicians will attend to critical areas such as intensive care.
“The strike should only be lifted when we have a proposal consistent with our requests, on Friday we were meeting and there was no proposal, that is, they are not interested,” he said.
He assured that if there is a will, solutions are sought, but he specified that they do not see that attitude on the part of the Government.
The president of the group recalled that the reason for the strike is a salary increase that is based on Resolution 523 of 2022; He indicated that they currently earn 800 balboas and due to regulations, those who pass a professional proficiency exam would receive a raise that would raise their salary to 925 balboas.
“In the agreement that was given in 2015 we should be in 925, although it is true we were missing a question, the exam and everything else, we already complied, so what else are we going to wait for,” Bonilla added.
The Coordinator of Health Professionals and Technicians Unions supported the measure of indefinite unemployment, through a statement, they indicated that the health authorities knew that the measure had a limit of March 2022, which is why they had to comply.
“We share with Analac their just demand that they be given effective recognition in the salary scale corresponding to group 4, since they accepted and agreed with the Ministry of Health and the Social Security Fund, that once they verified compliance with established requirements, they would be paid their salary adjustments,” the statement said.
