Volunteer firefighters cannot be fired from their jobs during the fire emergency

Volunteer firefighters fighting forest fires They cannot be fired from their jobs nor are they forced to make up working hours. This was announced on Monday by the Minister of Labor, Erland Rodríguez, who stressed that this measure is based on Multiministerial Resolution 001/2024, which protects the labor rights of these essential workers.

Rodriguez explained that, according to this resolution, the firefighters must register with the Vice Ministry of Citizen Security to ensure that their labour rights are respected. Firefighting organisations must certify the participation of their members and send this information to the Vice-Ministry, which will confirm their involvement in emergency work.

The resolution, which has six articles, establishes that the Ministry of Government, through the Vice Ministry of Citizen Security, will certify the participation of volunteers within the framework of the national emergency declared by Supreme Decree 5219. This certification will allow volunteer firefighters receive recognition for working hours that they spend fighting fires, without their employers being able to require them to make up for those hours.

In the event that employers fail to comply with this regulation, those affected may file complaints with the Departmental and Regional Headquarters of the Ministry of Labor. Rodríguez insisted that Volunteer firefighters should not face layoffs or salary reductions. “They are already performing critical functions in areas affected by forest fires,” the minister said.