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One hundred busloads of striking teachers to converge on San Jose Friday, traffic problems expected

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APSE strike

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April 22nd, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) Some 100 busloads of public school teachers from across the country will cancel classes and converge on San Jose on Friday as part of a strike over a laundry list of issues which union leaders blame on “neoliberal” policies put in motion by the Solis administration.

 

The demonstrators plan to march from Parque La Merced to the Legislative Assembly.

 

Traffic problems are expected and strikers plan to block streets between the San Juan de Dios Hospital and Central Park as well as the area surrounding Parque La Merced.  Transit authorities are urging motorists to avoid these areas from 9 a.m.

 

The Association of Secondary School Teachers (APSE), which has spent the last three weeks organizing the strike along with grassroots leaders throughout the country, say that economic policies put in motion by the Solis administration threaten the rights and living standards of workers.

 

In a press release last week, APSE said that the strike would be the “beginning of a struggle” against a number of grievances, including “the anguish felt by thousands of workers to see their jobs and salaries in danger;” […] “corruption, dirty business, impunity, tax evasion, loss of sovereignty, environmental damage, repression, privatization of basic services, loss of labor rights […] all as a result of the application of neoliberal policies.”

 

Some of the specific policies to which the union is in opposition include the Public Employment Act (which defines a single wage for each employment role for public employees), Labor Procedure Reform (which unions believe will affect their right to strike), an initial exclusion period for CCSS insurance, and draft amendments that would reform income and sales taxes.

 

Teachers’ unions will also cancel classes and take to the streets of San Jose next Friday, May 1st, on International Workers’ Day (Labor Day).

 

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  • Ken Morris

    This doesn’t look too tough to handle. 100 busloads of secondary teachers is fewer than 5000, and this is less than 20% of the total. The 5000 can be fired without creating too much disruption in the classrooms, since 22,000 secondary teachers will remain to cover their classes.

    I say to Solís: Do it and don’t look back.

    • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

      The 100 busloads are only teachers from outside the Central Valley, who don’t have their own transportation, according to information we have here. Perhaps we should have made that a bit more clear in the article. Also, despite the APSE acronym, I hear many grade school teachers will take part as well.

      • Ken Morris

        I guess the school system ought to start hiring new teachers today then.

        • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

          I am as equally disgusted over this as you, and I generally lean slightly left myself.

          Side note: your comment last week (on the original version of this story) was one of your most eloquent comments you’ve ever made on this humble little web site (in my opinion) and I couldn’t agree more.

  • Roy Henderson

    For the misinformed and uninformed, would be interesting to note average take-home income of secondary teachers.

    Appears that “issues” prevail in this strike, as opposed to income. Issues germane and beneficial to all citizens, although some special interest focus. Hence, it is hard to identify this “strike” to be self-serving of the teachers.

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