Since last January 12, the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) was summoned by Judge C of the Pluripersonal Labor Court, after a conflict promoted by workers in that portfolio.
Teachers from the Guatemalan Education Workers Union (Steg) had accused the Ministry of hostility and violating some rights protected by the International Labor Organization; However, the Third Chamber of the Labor Appeals Court decided to lift the summons.
The judicial resolution allows Mineduc to continue with the dismissal process of at least 140 workers who had already had administrative sanctions lifted, among them for suspending classes without justification during the stoppage promoted by the Steg in the middle of the negotiations of the collective agreement.
“They are files that take their course, not all of them go at the same time, not all of them are at the same point, but they come one after the other and the instances continue to be exhausted,” explained the Vice Minister of Education, Francisco Cabrera.
Although the official avoided giving a date for the dismissals to become final, he did say that they are processes that go through different stages; He also assured that “they are not arbitrary, customary processes, but rather they are carried out based on the confirmation that there have been non-compliances, and these non-compliances in the provision of work have been demonstrated, confirmed and documented.”
Steg break
The disciplinary and dismissal processes promoted by the Steg were after a 50-day strike last year of thousands of teachers throughout the country, led by the general secretary of the Steg, Joviel Acevedo.
The Steg and its affiliates abandoned the schools as a measure of pressure for the Mineduc to agree to their demands in the negotiation of the collective agreement.
The departments of Huehuetenango, Izabal, El Progreso and Jutiapa were the most affected by the illegal suspension of classes.
Finally, the Steg abandoned the measure, but so far there has been no progress in the negotiation of the collective agreement, although the negotiation table remains in place.