San Jose, June 9 (Prensa Latina) Workers of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) are today awaiting a response from the board of directors to the demands they took to the streets to defend the autonomy of this public body.
They also demand non-privatization of services, a dialogue table with managers to exchange views on public employment law and what is related to exclusive and exclusionary positions, another reason for the demonstrations.
The Caja, as the institution is also called, is responsible for Costa Rica’s social security and manages two major insurance companies: health insurance and pension insurance. She also coordinates and implements prevention and relief programs for a large part of the population of this Central American country.
The day before, more than 1,700 workers, called by their unions, took to the streets over concerns about government demonstrations over the alleged bankruptcy of the CCSS, the state’s financial debt to the institution and the possible privatization of services.
The walkout was ordered by the National Union of Fund and Social Security Employees (Undeca) and its general secretary, Luis Chavarría, said that an urgent meeting of both the board of directors and the executive president had been requested.
Within the time limits specified in the regulations, there are five days before a trading desk is open. However, by that date we would not have an answer as more than a month had already passed, he explained. This situation prompted workers to take to the streets in protest.
Meanwhile, CCSS Executive President Marta Esquivel called Thursday’s workers’ strike shameful.
In his first reaction to the movement, far from engaging in dialogue, he accused the workers in the labor court and called for the protest to be declared illegal.
We are coordinating with the National Insurance Institute (INS) to ensure that over the next week all people suffering from any type of disability will be cared for. “The amounts of the bills that the INS collects from us will be billed to the unions and the workers who caused this disruption,” said the Executive President.
For his part, Ricardo Solano, general secretary of the union of workers in pharmacy and other services (Sintaf), pointed out that the executive president Marta Esquivel was to blame for the strike.