Monday marks the twenty-second day the national strike of public employees against the fiscal plan has affected the provision of public services and caused millions of losses in the national economy.
There is a lot of uncertainty about the course of negotiations from now on, after this Sunday the bulk of the unions rejected the agreement settled by the union leaders and the Executive Branch on Saturday at dawn to create a dialogue table.
This Sunday, the government asked the Catholic Church to summon the unions that might be interested in forming this negotiating table.
The Minister of Labor, Steven Núñez, said that if no union wants to sign the agreement, the Executive will respect the decision and will take administrative measures once the sentences of illegality in public institutions are final, such as salary reductions for the officials who do not return to their work.
Similarly, if no sector wants to negotiate with the Executive, it will look for ways to normalize the provision of public services that are being affected. The government reiterated that the fiscal plan will continue its process in Congress. It is estimated that the approval in the first reading will occur in October.
In addition, the Executive Power must dialogue with the legislative fraction of the Citizen Action Party and the Presidency of Congress to send the bill for the Strengthening of Public Finances to consultation to “reach points of consensus”.