Costa Rica's Unions Call General Strike For February 15

In a few days Costa Rica's union workers will be on strike as the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la Educación Costarricense (SEC) met on Saturday to set the day of February 15 for a general worker's strike.

Joining in the work stoppage is the large Asociación Nacional de Profesores de Segunda Enseñanza (APSE) and Asociación Nacional de Educadores (ANDE) teacher's unions, who said they will be providing free transportation to all strikers.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Eugenio Solano, said, "We see it as a genuine and legitimate expression of the union movement's own Constitution and international conventions given the power to manifest."

"Welcome to democracy where it allows whoever disagrees can express themselves in the streets in a way that we hope will be peaceful and respectful," he added.

Unions have called on its membership to participate in the strike on Wednesday to oppose the increase in the public sector wage decree of only ¢5.000 colones monthly for the first half of the year, the draft solidarity Tax Law and Public Employment Law, which has been recently announced the Government.