The Representative Table of the PIT-CNT resolved to convene a partial national strike for Thursday July 7 between 9 and 13 hourswithin the framework of the defense of quality work, wages and social security.
They will be concentrated in Plaza Independencia from 9 am and will march through July 18, turning through Paraguay to head towards Avenida del Libertador, with a view to reaching the Legislative Palace where there will be reading of proclamations and speeches.
Different unions sitting at the table presented conflictive situations that they are going through; for example, the president of the Sutel Union, Gabriel Molina, announced that during June several mobilizations will be carried out in defense of work, wages, the budget, education, national industry and social security.
June 9 There will also be another strike by the National Union of Metal Workers and Related Branches (UNTMRA), this as a reaction to the recent total closure of the Cinter Aperam metallurgical company, which will move all of its operations to Brazil where labor costs are lower.
Another of the mobilizations will be on June 15, when there is a “national day in defense of public education,” says the PIT-CNT in a statement. “The Coordinator of Teaching Unions (CSEU) reported that on the 15th of this year it will hold the National Educational March for salary recovery and creation of positions, a decent budget and comprehensive education for a true democratic transformation and in rejection of the persecution of which Teachers, civil servants and education unions are being targeted”, continues the document.
CSEU denounced that they are being victims of censorship and anti-union persecution, as well as the cut of US$80 million in resources in the midst of “reforms without teachers or students” that the education authorities of the Luis Lacalle Pou government intend to impose.
The next day, the 16the Confederation of Organizations of State Officials (COFE), calls for a strike and mobilization “in rejection of the salary reduction applied by the government and given the lack of progress in collective bargaining.”
COFE said in another statement that “the President of the Republic, Dr. Luis Lacalle Pou, failed to fulfill his electoral campaign commitment, and applied salary reduction measures, systematically and consecutively during the last two years. While the inflation measured in terms of the evolution of the CPI during the year 2020 was 9.41%, the salary adjustment for January 2021 was 4.41, which meant a salary reduction of 5%. In a salary of $30,000 it implies a cut of almost $20,000 in the year. In 2021, inflation was 7.96% while the salary adjustment for January 2022 was 7.06%, which means a new salary reduction and an accumulated loss of 6%. On a monthly salary of $30,000 the pay cut for the year is almost $24,000. While the evolution of the economy recomposed the values prior to the pandemic, while there is an increase in the concentration of wealth in those who have the most, the workers and their salary are the Government’s adjustment variable.
The confederation recalls that in the meetings that have been held between COFE and the Executive Power, “the government has not made any proposal so far that ensures the recovery of the lost salary, but on the contrary, the proposals enshrine the salary reduction in the entire period. In addition to this, we are also unaware of the articles that the Executive Branch will incorporate into the Accountability Report and that may affect the administrative career, working conditions, and employment ties. We also directly requested to know the budget guidelines regarding investments, operating expenses, restrictions on other expense items and those that affect working conditions, but the Executive Branch refused to provide that information.”
On June 22, the Trade Union Coordinating Board of Entities (MSCE) calls for a strike and mobilization, within the framework of Accountability and SUNCA defined a construction strike for June 29.
