There are three issues within the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) in which the Union of Education Workers of Guatemala (Steg) has had decision -making power, ranging from training to the hiring of teachers. For that reason, the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) would have presented, on May 6, an unconstitutionality action against seven articles of the collective pact of working conditions of the teaching.
With each renewal of the pact, the majority union has been given land in powers that only compete with the ministerial authorities, and their participation to the point of Approve, stop or avoid policies in educational matters, When your intervention must focus on labor issues, according to a source close to the negotiation of the new agreement, a process that continues to enjoy confidentiality.
Learning quality
The implementation of educational programs – which have an impact on the quality of learning and education – is one of the issues indicated that the union has had decision -making power.
Anabella Giracca, Minister of Education, pointed out that the union has put resistance to the Learning Leveling Strategy (ENA), which seeks to improve the level of students in reading and writing. They also opposed the delivery of school texts, to the size of the first degree students – information that allows to update the level of chronic child malnutrition in the country – already measures related to intercultural bilingual education.
In a statement published on August 26, 2024 by the National Assembly of Magisterium (ANM) and the Guatemala Education Workers Union (Steg), it is mentioned that these actions They seek to impose agendas and programs with international trends that threaten the customs and good principles of the Guatemalans, and that are “impositions” that were not consulted with the parents or with the organized teaching.
Therefore, they urge teachers to “not fulfill manifestly illegal orders,” and indicated that they cannot be forced to “develop programmatic content that threaten values.”
In the document they also express your opposition to students’ evaluations Under the speech to improve learning, because-the results-would be used to publicly demonstrate that teachers did not work during the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the source consulted, Steg’s rejection of programmatic and educational measures promoted by MINEDUC is due to the fact that “The endorsement” has not been requested to the magisterial leadership To implement them, since they are issues that compete for educational authorities.
In the collective pact, article 21, literal b), regarding the training of Mineduc staff, indicates that the Ministry will train workers prior consensus with the union, and that these are only obliged to participate in the events regulated by the collective agreement. This section was included in the unconstitutionality action presented on May 6 by the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) before the Constitutional Court (CC).
“The article says that training has to be approved by the union. It means that we cannot implement anything new, because without training we cannot implement transformations. They condemn the educational system to continue doing the same things because they do not give an endorsement,” says the interviewee.
In his opinion, the above deforms the nature of a union and contravenes the constitutional disposition and basic organization of the State.
Benefits for teachers and students
According to the MINEDUC, support programs allow to improve the learning conditions of students, and among these are the school food, school supplies, didactic suitcases, free education and school resolement, among others.
These benefits also generate tension between the authorities and the Steg, but the one that has aroused the most conflict is that of school food. The authorities ask that the benefit reach students through A plate of food served, while trade unionists prefer to continue with the delivery of the food bag.
The argument of the MINEDUC authorities is to prepare food and give them children at school allows many to have a food time a day. In addition, they consume proteins that cannot be included in the bag that is delivered to parents. Another point is that the benefit reaches the student directly.
On the other hand, the trade unionists prefer the delivery of the product bag while the schools do not have kitchens and personnel to prepare food, and this consists of communications issued by the Steg.
Statement from the Union of Workers and Education Workers of Guatemala –Steg– and the National Assembly of the Magisterium –anm–, August 26, 2024.https://t.co/lvgv8xocjk
May the Blessed Trinity guide us and accompany us as always.#Soymaestrosysteg pic.twitter.com/mlygrc2HDP
– Steg (@Steg_ANM) August 27, 2024
The authorities indicate that, prior to the pandemic, most establishments did not have kitchens and school food reached children. Therefore, they consider that the resistance to preparing food in educational centers responds more to union pressure. Despite this, children receive hot food in about 40% of establishments, according to Giracca.
Another tension issue was the repeal of the school medical insurance – which worked for four years and for which more than Q843 million were paid -, which was replaced by the School Health Program without consulting the union.
In its disagreement, The Steg raised an appeal for the Constitutional Court (CC) to revive the insurance; However, this was denied. He also insisted that the program will appear in the collective pact that is under discussion, which was discarded by eliminating the final writing of article 62 of said document.
Also read: Steg insists that school medical insurance appears in the collective pact
The speech of the trade unionists is that the support programs will be eliminated, but the authorities contradict it and ensure that they are being strengthened. The last action in this regard is the increase in the annual assignment of the didactic suitcase for teachers, which goes from Q440 to Q600, as announced by the minister.
“In recent years, the union has had a decision on how these programs are executed, and the discomfort is that they are not being asked for authorization or opinion, because they are not issues in which a union has experience, such as health or nutrition, to have to make a consultation,” said the interviewee.
Meanwhile, the Steg argues that the support programs that reach students and teachers are the result of the union struggle.
Hiring and relocations
The mixed joints within a collective pact are a space to reconcile work conflicts and prevent them from being judicial. In the case of the teaching, the problems that should be addressed are, for example, when a teacher verbally or physically attacks and this generates an environment of insecurity in a school. They are focused conflicts.
However, the role of this organ has been distorted, as indicated by the source consulted, because following the collective pact, the incidence and participation of the union has been increasing in issues that only compete to the MINEDUC authorities, such as Deduide on the hiring or relocation of teachers, And also when and how to make the calls, without considering the weighting table.
“The Mixed Board became a space where everything was resolved and took all the issues that had to do with interest cases for the union and for teachers, and does not have the power for that,” he added.
In the Collective Pact – article 50 – the establishment of a national, departmental and municipal technical table to address emerging issues is also contemplated. However, the interviewee says that in the section he left “subtly open” to discuss all the issues that are of interest, which opens the possibility that issues are addressed out of their competence, and this became a practice.
Due to the interference of the union on issues that are direct competence of the MINEDUC, Giracca asked the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) to present an unconstitutionality action against seven articles of the collective pact. The appeal was presented on May 6 before the Constitutional Court (CC).
Denounced articles:
- Article 1, subsection c). Adherent unions. Union groups that adhere to the pact to have the same benefits and obligations as the signatory union.
- Article 20. Quality of the services provided. The MINEDUC will establish training and training processes for human resource, and must be discussed and approved by the teaching, through its representative organization.
- Article 21, Liberal b) Training to Mineduc staff. The Ministry will train the workers prior consensus with the STEG. They are only obliged to participate in the events regulated by the collective pact.
- Article 45. of the Mixed Board. They are established to solve labor problems conciliatory.
- Article 46. Way of integrating the Mixed Board. They are made up of a Mineduc delegation and the proponent union (Steg).
- Article 47. Validity of agreements and resolutions. Delegates in the mixed meetings have faculties to solve the problems under their knowledge.
- Article 62. Educational benefits. The Mineduc provides materials, furniture and equipment to teachers, according to the road map that made and supervised by the MINEDUC and the Steg. The school medical insurance is mentioned, which was repealed by President Bernardo Arévalo.