Teachers strike again

Teachers and students came together to protest against the violation of their rights

By GLADYS ACOSTA

“Este movimiento no se detendrá y el que se oponga se le aplastará.” (This movement will not be stopped, and those opposed to it will be crushed) This was one of the chants intoned in a protest held Tuesday, June 22 lead by teachers of the public sector and students of the National Pedagogic University. Once again they were demanding respect for their rights as teachers and as human beings.

Approximately

The Teacher’s Statute is a document that contains the duties and rights of the Honduran teachers. These rights, based on legislative and constitutional rights and international trade agreements for human rights, are what they are fighting for.

“This movement was originated with the purpose of demanding respect for the legal agreements settled, during the previous governments, with the teaching body and the popular movements,” stated Javier. E. Espinal, one of the leaders of Acción Universitaria.
Acción Universitaria (College Action) is a group of students from the National Pedagogic University (NPU). They claim that the government of President Ricardo Maduro is violating their rights and distorting the agreements settled in past governments.

Espinal also stated that their government is intervening with their annual salary increase.

Oswaldo Castro, a 47 year old teacher working in the Basic Education Center, declared that their claim is fair because it was approved during Carlos Flores´ government; therefore, it is within the law. “Maduro pretends to be deaf,” he said.

Norma Morazan, a 49 year old teacher, who had been at the protest since 2 o’clock in the afternoon, like most of the demonstrators, said that Maduro was even violating the pay of their quinquenniums and collaterals. She also declared that teachers do no get the support they need to do their work.

“Sometimes the children have to sit on the bear floor because we do not have chairs in our schools, and that is really sad. It also affects our work because we can not do it as we wish given that we do not have the materials or equipment to teach as we should.”

The protest lasted less than two hours. The meeting between the civilian society and President Maduro finished with no solutions.

The government, who offered 85 million Lempiras to decrease the teachers’ anger last Friday, was expecting a counterproposal from the teachers. This did not happen, which means that they maintain their original demand, which, according to the government, represents an economical impact of 2.9 million Lempiras over the next three years. The amount of 1.8 million Lempiras would have to be added to this cipher. The cost represents hiring 20 thousand new teachers to fight the uni-teaching, declared the same day of the revolt.

“Students will not lose their school year,” said Castro. “It is true they are losing some classes right now, but we are not going to fail or pass them, we can replace these classes during the weekends.”

Nelson Calix, president of COPEMH, stated that they are willing to work even in December and January, so Honduran children do not lose their school year.

“If the government ends the year, we are willing to even work under the trees,” said Angel Martinez, a magisterial leader.

There is no doubt the people are very disappointed at Maduro, and they to refer him as the “so-called Honduran” because he is from Panama.

In a letter passed out during the demonstration, Maduro is accused of being guilty of all happenings, and is compared to Hitler’s Nazi Empire and his government as logo “The Government of the People” as the government of an elite that each day submerges this country in underdevelopment, analphabetism, poverty, hunger and exploitation.

The teachers are convoked to attend another dialogue on Friday at 3 PM. Supposedly, the government will present their second proposal. Teachers assured their presence in front of the presidential palace.

Six people assassinated

The violence continues to spread through the country. Less than 72 hours after the massacre in Jardines del Valle, six more people were brutally assassinated in the neighborhood of Puento Alto, Choloma. Four men, one woman, and a child scarcely three years old were the executed persons.

The Police of Investigations’ coordinator, Walter Flores, did not reject the possibility that the deaths of the six people could be connected to an organized crime’s settling of accounts. The people that died were identified by their families that arrived at the scene of the crime of Mario Garay, 31; his wife Nubia Judith Zelaya Sanchez, 21; and the son of both, Mario Daniel, 3.

In addition, Milton Castellanos Portillo, 25; David Esmelin Fernandez, 26; and Allan Mejia, 20, who is the son of the ruling mayor of Colinas, Santa Barbara, Daniel Mejia Leiva. The four men were tied at the wrists.

The people that were assassinated drove a gray Nissan Sentra, license plate PBN 1983, that, according to police, belonged to José Faustino Juarez Nunez, who resides in the neighborhood of Del Valle. A white Toyota Tacoma was also found license plate PBL-1054, which is registered in the name of Hugo Geovany Arita Rodríguez. El Heraldo

Strikers endure hunger

Having received no answers at the end of the day, the hunger strike, taking place at the National Congress, has so far lasted nine days. The twenty-four members of the union declared the strike last Sunday, with a second group being introduced later on. They plan to conclude the protest with a press conference informing of future planned actions and posing questions direct to President Maduro.

The strikers and associates of the United Federation of Honduran Workers (FUTH) have announced that the end of the strike will lead onto other actions planned to put even more pressure on the Government.

The hunger strike was planned by a group of workers who had already endured three days of the conflict. There seem to be three groups taking part, the latter of whom plan to end the strike today. The workers have put together a petition, which calls for the withdrawal of military troops operating in the country and the lowering of basic living costs and fuel tax, amongst other requests.

“The hunger strike has been brought to International attention, and the only person who is not watching, listening or acting appropriately, is the President himself,” states one of the participants.

The only substances they have consumed are water, honey and apple tea, but, according to comments from the public, they are being fed by others in the middle of the night. The strikers’ response to this is that they are going to be monitored and have their stomachs x-rayed in order to disprove the accusations.

“ We want people to know that we are not eating. Here in the National Congress there are cameras, which can prove we are not being brought food.”

Members of the Union have warned that the hunger strike is only the beginning of future actions that will be carried out by the Coordinadora Nacional de Resistencia Popular and El Bloque Popular over the next few days.

“Tommorrow (Wednesday) is going to be the end of the hunger strike and the start of a multitude of actions, in order to make the Government understand that Honduran people are going to get up and fight,” adds Mejia. El Heraldo