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El Salvador: Whether nurses were threatened in El Salvador due to proposed privatization of hospitals (December 1999 to March 2000)

Several sources report that the administrative workers, doctors and nurses of the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (Instituto Salvadoreño del Seguro Social, ISSS) began a strike in November 1999 to demand a stop to government privatization plans for the country's health care facilities and to demand that government keep its promise of salary hikes (Campaign for Labor Rights 25 Nov. 1999; La Prensa de Honduras 11 Mar. 2000; The Militant 10 Apr. 2000).

Using the grounds that it was an illegal strike, the ISSS fired 226 administrative employees who had participated in the strike (Proceso 1 Dec. 1999). The union of ISSS workers, the STISSS, stated, however, that over 1,000 workers, including doctors, nurses, base workers, and managers had been fired by the ISSS administration (ibid.; The Militant 10 Apr. 2000). In addition to the firing of health workers, the government also responded to the strike "by militarizing work sites with the National Civilian Police and by threatening to cut salaries" (Campaign for Labor Rights 25 Nov. 1999). It was also reported that several union leaders had received death threats for their union activities (ibid.).

In March 2000, hundreds of doctors, nurses and medical students blocked streets in San Salvador demanding that the ISSS employees who were fired in November 1999 be rehired; they also protested against government plans to privatize the health care system (Weekly News Update on the Americas 6 Mar. 2000).

After nearly four months, the strike ended on 10 March 2000 when the government agreed to reopen negotiations with the ISSS unions (ibid., 10 Apr. 2000; The Militant 10 Apr. 2000). The government, under President Flores, agreed it would respect salary increases promised by the previous government, and both sides agreed that they would respect any decision handed down by the Supreme Court with regards to the firing of 221 workers at the ISSS (ibid.). In July 2000, El Diario de Hoy reported that the Supreme Court decision against the ISSS stood firm after the ISSS failed to appeal the decision proclaiming that it had "infringed two clauses of the collective Social Security work contract when the organization fired 221 workers." (6 July 2000). Legal experts stated that this decision did not imply that the ISSS had to rehire the workers (ibid.). Additional information on the outcome of the strike could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Campaign for Labor Rights. 25 November 1999. "Healthcare Strike in El Salvador." <http://summersault.com/~agj/clr/alerts/swea1.html> [Accessed 30 Mar. 2001]

El Diario de Hoy [San Salvador, in Spanish]. 6 July 2000. "El Salvador Press Highlights 6 July." (FBIS-LAT-2000-0707 6 July 2000/WNC)

The Militarnt [New York]. 10 April 2000. Vol. 64, No. 14, "El Salvador Labor Actions Oppose Privatizations." <http://www.themilitant.com/2000/6414/641411.html> [Accessed 30 Mar. 2001]

La Prensa de Honduras [Tegucigalpa]. 11 March 2000. "Médicos salvadoreños levantan huelga e inician negociaciones con el gobierno."

<http://www.laprensahn.com/caarc/0003/c11001.htm> [Accessed 30 Mar. 2001]

Proceso [San Salvador]. 1 December 1999. No. 881. "Firings." <http://www.uca.edu.sv/publica/proceso/proci881.html> [Accessed 30 Mar. 2001]

Weekly News Update on the Americas [New York]. 10 April 2000. "Strikes & Protests in Panama, El Salvador, Honduras ... " (NEXIS)

_____. 6 March 2000. "Salvadoran Doctors Block Streets." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 1999-2000

IRB Databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet Sites including:

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

La Jornada [Mexico]. Search Engine

La Nación [San José]. Search Engine

Proceso [San Salvador]. Search Engine

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