Guatemala Teachers Meet for Budget Rise
GUATEMALA - The Guatemalan teachers''
guild announced on Wednesday that it would
declare itself in permanent assembly to
analyze measures that exert pressure
Congress to increase the sector's budget
this year.
Teachers went to public schools on Monday to
finish the preparations for the new school
year, the beginning of which was scheduled
for January 29.
They have been threatening since December to
perform a strike if the legislature refuses
to increase the budget, after failing to
adopt the regulation proposed by the
government and the State being forced to
work with the same amount that in 2009.
This stance was supported by incapacity of
the parliamentarians to approve, before
their year-end break, a government fiscal
reform initiative.
With this reform, they expect to obtain
money from increasing some taxes to help
finance several essential public sectors in
the country, as education and health, both
free, and security.
Representatives of the guild met on Tuesday
with Education Minister Bienvenido Argueta
to guarantee, in principle, the essential
material for the 2010 school year, including
school utensils and snacks for students.
Although the meeting was held behind closed
doors, it was leaked that union members
included the issues they were demanding in
the discussion, in order to not going on
strike.
According to the media, the results were not
totally what they expected, thus Argueta
urged them to not hindering the beginning of
the school year, although he acknowledged
the teachers' right to demonstrate. |
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