Union Win in El Salvador! Ministry of Labor returns legal status to SITCOM and SITRAVX

News

We recently got some good news from our union friends in El Salvador to share with everyone. On November 11 and November 16, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reversed its previous decisions to cancel the legal statuses of the Telecommunication Workers Industrial Union (SITCOM) and the AVX-Kyocera Plant Workers Union (SITRAVX), respectively. You can read more here about the union´s struggle to maintain their hard-won legal status under constant attacks from transnational corporations and the Minister of Labor´s illegal decision to dissolve the unions. That illegal decision has now been reversed, thanks to the ceaseless mobilizations by SITCOM, SITRAVX, and dozens of other unions in solidarity with them. “This victory would not have been possible without the support from CISPES´ base and all the international support we received,” said Wilfredo Berríos, the Secretary General of SITCOM. In addition to the unions´ protests, the Minister of Labor Humberto Centeno also received over a thousand letters, emails, and faxes from CISPES members, U.S. unions, Latin American unions, international union coalitions, and other allied organizations demanding that he stop bending to corporate pressure, remember the days he was marching alongside the unionists, and start protecting Salvadoran workers´ rights to organize. Now that SITCOM and SITRAVX have won this victory, the battle will continue. SITCOM must assure that the Ministry of Labor now authorizes the officers elected at different locals during the period in which the union was cancelled, as they were denied official credentials. Both SITCOM and SITRAVX are also awaiting Supreme Court decisions, challenging decisions by corrupt lower labor courts to dissolve the unions. CISPES will keep you informed about how YOU can continue accompanying our compañeras and compañeros at SITCOM and SITRAVX. Take a moment to celebrate the important role played by international solidarity in this victory and stay tuned for future Action Alerts!

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