Calderon Guardia
Hospital Workers On
Indefinite Strike
The workers of the
hospital Calderón
Guardia yesterday
morning began a four
hour work stoppage that
escalated to an
indefinite strike,
pressuring the Caja
Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS) to
reinstate the three
fired hospital
administration
officials.
The workers say they
will continue to strike
until the three - the
former director of the
hospital, Luis Paulino
Hernández, the former
hospital administrator,
Carlos Vílchez, and
former head of
maintenance, Fernando
Roldán - are reinstated.
However, CCSS officials
say that that is
impossible, as the three
were fired after due
process and it would be
unconstitutional and
illegal to reinstate
them.
In the meantime, more
workers are expected to
join the strike action
that has effectively
paralyzed hospital
operations save for
emergency services.
The representatative for
the hospital workers
union, the Asociación
Nacional de Empelados
Públicos y Privados (ANEP),
Geovanni Ramírez, said
that the strike will
continue until the three
workers are re-instated
and workers will not
back down.
The three were fired
resulting from an
investigation into the
fire at the hospital on
July 12, 2005, that took
the lives of 19 people.
The workers say that the
three had nothing to do
with the cause of the
fire and the lack of
resources provided by
the CCSS contributed to
the tragedy and not the
three hospital
employees.
The president of the
CCSS, Dr. Eduardo Doryan,
said that the CCSS will
be studying the
situation but it is next
to impossible that the
three men will be
reinstated as the
workers demand.
As of last night the
striking workers and
union leaders have not
begun negotiations.
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