Action Alerts

Ministry of Labor continues to refuse the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL) legal recognition. SIGESAL members need you to continue sending letters of support!

On November 30 we circulated an alert requesting that you send letters to the Salvadoran Minister of Labor, asking that he extend the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL) the credentials they need to function as a legal entity. We need to ask you to do it again. SIGESAL submitted their credential request on October 4, 2004 and despite the stipulation in Article 616 of the Labor Code that they receive a response within 60 days, as of January 5^th the Ministry of Labor had not rendered a decision.

We also asked you to send letters to the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding the SIGESAL case. They responded to several of you, thanking your for your concern, and saying that in order for the ILO to move forward, they need representatives of SIGESAL to contact them directly. That will be the next step if this second series of letters is not successful in pressuring the Ministry of Labor to extent the SIGESAL board of directors their credentials.

As demonstrated by the ILO response, you have already had an impact. Your continued pressure will be key to resolving this situation. At the January 5^th meeting, after learning that their credentials were still pending, SIGESAL members told the Ministry of Labor that they planned to inform their international contacts of the Ministry's continued inaction. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor quickly replied that informing contacts abroad would not be necessary, suggesting that they would soon come to a decision. Their intent is obvious: The Ministry of Labor does not want there to be international awareness of this issue because they know very well the impact international pressure can have. Fired SIGESAL members were rehired in 1997 because of pressure generated by the international community.

Contact the Salvadoran Minister of Labor (preferably by fax) to request that he extend the SIGESAL board of directors the credentials to which they are legally entitled. Please see sample letter below.

The CIS is also taking up a collection to help SIGESAL meet the costs of maintaining their office space during this difficult period. The monthly fees to cover telephone and internet are US $80. If you would like to contribute, please send a check payable to "CIS" to the following address:

Please make sure that your write "SIGESAL" on the memo line so that we know for whom the money is earmarked. Also, if you chose to give to the SIGESAL, please send us an email with the amount so that we can tell the union leadership how much financial support we will be able to offer.

Respetable Señor Ministro:

Le escribo con respecto al caso del Sindicato de la Industría General de Empleados de Salud (SIGESAL), a cuya junta directiva le ha sido negado hasta la fecha las credenciales necesarias para su funcionamiento legal.

Quisiera señalar que dicho sindicato goza de Personería Juridica desde el año 1978. Además, anteriores cuestionamientos de la legalidad nacional de SIGESAL deben de haber sido resueltos, dada la resolución emitida por la Organización Internacional de Trabajo (OIT) en 1996 (Caso #1874), que aclara las fallas del ley laboral salvadoreña según las normas internacionales.

A pesar de que El Salvador no ha ratificado el Convenio Sobre la Libertad Sindical y la Protección del Derecho de Sindicación ni el Convenio Sobre el Derecho de Sindicación y de Negociación Colectiva (ambos del Organización Internacional de Trabajo), quisiera aclararle que la actual negación de credenciales a la junta directiva de SIGESAL constituye una violación de derechos laborales codificados en tratados internacionales de los cuales El Salvador es firmante. Entre ellos es el Pacto Internaciónal de Derechos Civiles y Politicos, que en Articulo 22, nº 2 declara que "toda persona tiene derecho a asociarse libremente con otras, incluso el derecho a fundar sindicatos y afiliarse a ellos para la protección de sus intereses." Asimismo, el Articulo 8, nº 1 del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales aclara que "los Estados Partes en el presente Pacto se comprometen a garantizar: a) El derecho de toda persona a fundar sindicatos y a afiliarse al de su elección, con sujeción únicamente a los estatutos de la organización correspondiente, para promover y proteger sus intereses económicos y sociales."

Por las razones antes mencionadas, le pido que ortorgue las credenciales necesarias a los miembros de la junta directiva de SIGESAL. Por su atención le agradezco de antemano.

Atentamente,

Your name, title
Your country

Translation of Sample Letter to the Minister of Labor:

José Roberto Espinal Escobar
Minister of Labor and Social Benefits

I write to you regarding the case of the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL), whose board of directors to date has been denied the necessary credentials for their legal functioning.

I would like to point out that this union has enjoyed legal status since 1978. Furthermore, previous questioning of the legality of SIGESAL should have been resolved, given the resolution emitted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1996 (Case #1874), that clarifies the faults in Salvadoran Labor law according to international norms.

Despite the fact that El Salvador has not ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, nor the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (both of the International Labor Organization), I would also like to point out that the current refusal of credentials to the SIGESAL board of directors constitutes a violation of labor rights codified in international agreements of which El Salvador is a signatory. Among them is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which in Article 22, no.2 declares that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests." In addition, Article 8, no.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights declares that "The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure: (a) The right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic and social interests."

For the reasons outlined above, I ask that you extend the necessary credentials to the members of the board of directors of SIGESAL. I thank you for your attention regarding this matter.

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CIS
Boulevard Universitario #4
Colonia El Roble
San Salvador, El Salvador
Centroamérica

Tel/FAX: +503 226-2623

cis_elsalvador@yahoo.com

[ home ] [ history & mission ] [ action alerts ] [ archive ] [ human rights network ] [ election observers ] [ monthly bulletin ] [ delegations & brigades ] [ integrated development ] [ language school ] [ solidarity crafts ] [ volunteers ] [ links ] CIS Boulevard Universitario #4 Colonia El Roble San Salvador, El Salvador Centroamérica Tel/FAX: +503 226-2623 cis_elsalvador@yahoo.com		Ministry of Labor continues to refuse the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL) legal recognition. SIGESAL members need you to continue sending letters of support! January 11, 2005 On November 30 we circulated an alert requesting that you send letters to the Salvadoran Minister of Labor, asking that he extend the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL) the credentials they need to function as a legal entity. We need to ask you to do it again. SIGESAL submitted their credential request on October 4, 2004 and despite the stipulation in Article 616 of the Labor Code that they receive a response within 60 days, as of January 5^th the Ministry of Labor had not rendered a decision. We also asked you to send letters to the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding the SIGESAL case. They responded to several of you, thanking your for your concern, and saying that in order for the ILO to move forward, they need representatives of SIGESAL to contact them directly. That will be the next step if this second series of letters is not successful in pressuring the Ministry of Labor to extent the SIGESAL board of directors their credentials. As demonstrated by the ILO response, you have already had an impact. Your continued pressure will be key to resolving this situation. At the January 5^th meeting, after learning that their credentials were still pending, SIGESAL members told the Ministry of Labor that they planned to inform their international contacts of the Ministry's continued inaction. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor quickly replied that informing contacts abroad would not be necessary, suggesting that they would soon come to a decision. Their intent is obvious: The Ministry of Labor does not want there to be international awareness of this issue because they know very well the impact international pressure can have. Fired SIGESAL members were rehired in 1997 because of pressure generated by the international community. Contact the Salvadoran Minister of Labor (preferably by fax) to request that he extend the SIGESAL board of directors the credentials to which they are legally entitled. Please see sample letter below. Contact information for the Salvadoran Minister of Labor: José Roberto Espinal Escobar Fax: +503-209-3728 Email: informacion@mtps.gob.sv The CIS is also taking up a collection to help SIGESAL meet the costs of maintaining their office space during this difficult period. The monthly fees to cover telephone and internet are US $80. If you would like to contribute, please send a check payable to "CIS" to the following address: CIS PO Box 17025 St. Paul, MN 55117-0025, U.S.A. Please make sure that your write "SIGESAL" on the memo line so that we know for whom the money is earmarked. Also, if you chose to give to the SIGESAL, please send us an email with the amount so that we can tell the union leadership how much financial support we will be able to offer. Sample letter to the Minister of Labor: José Roberto Espinal Escobar Ministro de Trabajo y Previsión Social Respetable Señor Ministro: Le escribo con respecto al caso del Sindicato de la Industría General de Empleados de Salud (SIGESAL), a cuya junta directiva le ha sido negado hasta la fecha las credenciales necesarias para su funcionamiento legal. Quisiera señalar que dicho sindicato goza de Personería Juridica desde el año 1978. Además, anteriores cuestionamientos de la legalidad nacional de SIGESAL deben de haber sido resueltos, dada la resolución emitida por la Organización Internacional de Trabajo (OIT) en 1996 (Caso #1874), que aclara las fallas del ley laboral salvadoreña según las normas internacionales. A pesar de que El Salvador no ha ratificado el Convenio Sobre la Libertad Sindical y la Protección del Derecho de Sindicación ni el Convenio Sobre el Derecho de Sindicación y de Negociación Colectiva (ambos del Organización Internacional de Trabajo), quisiera aclararle que la actual negación de credenciales a la junta directiva de SIGESAL constituye una violación de derechos laborales codificados en tratados internacionales de los cuales El Salvador es firmante. Entre ellos es el Pacto Internaciónal de Derechos Civiles y Politicos, que en Articulo 22, nº 2 declara que "toda persona tiene derecho a asociarse libremente con otras, incluso el derecho a fundar sindicatos y afiliarse a ellos para la protección de sus intereses." Asimismo, el Articulo 8, nº 1 del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales aclara que "los Estados Partes en el presente Pacto se comprometen a garantizar: a) El derecho de toda persona a fundar sindicatos y a afiliarse al de su elección, con sujeción únicamente a los estatutos de la organización correspondiente, para promover y proteger sus intereses económicos y sociales." Por las razones antes mencionadas, le pido que ortorgue las credenciales necesarias a los miembros de la junta directiva de SIGESAL. Por su atención le agradezco de antemano. Atentamente, Your name, title Your country Translation of Sample Letter to the Minister of Labor: José Roberto Espinal Escobar Minister of Labor and Social Benefits Respectable Minister: I write to you regarding the case of the General Union of Healthcare Workers (SIGESAL), whose board of directors to date has been denied the necessary credentials for their legal functioning. I would like to point out that this union has enjoyed legal status since 1978. Furthermore, previous questioning of the legality of SIGESAL should have been resolved, given the resolution emitted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1996 (Case #1874), that clarifies the faults in Salvadoran Labor law according to international norms. Despite the fact that El Salvador has not ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, nor the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (both of the International Labor Organization), I would also like to point out that the current refusal of credentials to the SIGESAL board of directors constitutes a violation of labor rights codified in international agreements of which El Salvador is a signatory. Among them is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which in Article 22, no.2 declares that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests." In addition, Article 8, no.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights declares that "The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure: (a) The right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic and social interests." For the reasons outlined above, I ask that you extend the necessary credentials to the members of the board of directors of SIGESAL. I thank you for your attention regarding this matter. Respectfully, Back to top