In center with paper in hand, the municipal president of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel; (left) secretary general of SPTAC, Juan Cuevas Gudiño, and municipal trustee Gamaliel de Jesús Soto Pérez, during the report on the approval of the list of demands, in front of the Municipal City Hall. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- Chapala President Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel gave the go-ahead to seven of 10 petitions made by the Plural Union of Workers of the Chapala City Hall, in favor of the rights of civil servants.
The remaining three petitions will be submitted to the municipal council for approval, according to the secretary general of the union, Juan Cuevas Gudiño.
The list of demands delivered to the mayor’s office included the approval of medical services for parents who depend on the worker, minor children, and students with a valid school card. The demands were delivered by the union leader after the Labor Day march on May 1, with about 325 participants from the unions of the City Hall, DIF and SIMAPA.
In addition, it was established that an extra doctor at the Municipal Clinic will attend to the workers to avoid the need for workers to seek private consultation due to a shortage of medical appointments. Municipal medical services will also have the appropriate supply of medicines to cover any necessary services.
Additional requests presented by the Union of Workers of the Chapala City Hall included payment of overdue medical bills, and prompt reimbursement of the full cost of medical care upon approval by the Municipal Clinic director, to occur in the near future.
Another issue approved by the municipal president related to overdue and upcoming payments is the vacation bonus corresponding to five legal days of salary. In order to calculate the arrears, a review of documents will be carried out, stated Cuevas Gudiño.
In this respect, it was also requested that the workers’ vacations be respected, since there have been cases in which the directors have denied a worker’s vacation, and that these vacations be timely and fully made up when delayed.
One of the most relevant requests approved by Aguirre Curiel during the nearly one hour meeting was the freedom of the union to affiliate the 120 workers who have been working for the City Hall for more than three and a half years. SPTAC currently has 276 members.
The facilities of the Centro Cultural Antigua Presidencia or the Coliseo Municipal Benito Juárez were made available for the union to assemble from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm on the last Saturday of each month.
The three requests that will be submitted to the Chapala City Council for approval are: the delivery of the extra bonus for the Public Servant’s Day, the 40 pesos biweekly transportation support, and reimbursement of pending and upcoming surgeries so as not to affect the family income of the union members.
Finally, SPTAC secretary general Juan Cuevas Gudiño openly thanked the municipal president for the recent approval of the five percent salary increase, as well as the increase in the savings fund from 65 to 100 pesos per unionized worker, reimbursement for surgeries and operations for the workers, and equipment necessary to provide citizens with the services they require.
The municipal president congratulated the workers on their day and reminded them of their commitment to work for the municipality. «I did not expect that it would cost us so much to start up … However, we have managed to move forward and stabilize. I thank everyone for their patience and support. It is clear to me that the face of the Municipal Government is each and every one of you,» said Aguirre Curiel.
Translated by MaryAnne Marble
© 2016. Todos los derechos reservados. Semanario de la Ribera de Chapala