The following is a letter from Paul Moist sent to Rafael Correa Delgado, President of the Republic of Ecuador, on November 10, 2011, to express concern about the arbitrary dismissals in the Ecuadorian public sector.
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you on behalf of the 615,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees to express our concern for the events that have been occurring in Ecuador since Friday, October 28, 2011, in which three thousand and twenty-nine public workers throughout the country, from all occupational and professional categories, have been removed from their jobs without the intervention of any legal administrative process, other than the implementation of Executive Degree 813 of 2011 and the application of the mechanism of “mandatory resignation”. In addition, we have received information that the notification of said dismissals occurred, in many cases, under the use of intimidation and psychological violence through a joint operation by law enforcement and officials from the Ministry of Labour Relations.
These facts Mr. President, lead us to believe that political reform is having a serious impact on public employment, producing job insecurity and threatening the right to work of public employees and users of health care services have observed how these services are falling apart. Likewise, we see that the tendency of the State of Ecuador, in its role as employer, is to establish a labour relationship of a more vertical nature, shifting from fundamental principles of the world of labour such as dialogue, consensus and negotiation.
One year after the approval and entry into force of the Organic Law of Public Service - LOSEP, we are observing greater departure from International Labour Law, which is why we urge you to respect the fundamental principles established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and to take the corrective actions necessary to make the State of Ecuador a model employer.
We ask that you, Mr. President, desist from the enforcement of Executive Decree 813, which is being seriously questioned as unconstitutional, reinstate all personnel dismissed due to the implementation of this Decree in their workplaces, and proceed with the setting up of a body and a process for social dialogue with workers from the Public Sector, with international guidance, which would be able to reach consensual solutions on State reform, respecting jobs, as fundamental rights in the world of labour, and reinforce Public Services and the right of the Ecuadorian people to have quality public services.
We will be keeping abreast of how this disturbing situation unfolds.
Yours truly,
Paul Moist
President
cc: Richard Espinoza Guzmán, Minister of Labour Relations, Richard_espinoza@mrl.gob.ec
Andres Teran, Ecuador Ambassador to Canada, mecuacan@rogers.com
John Baird, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, bairdj@parl.gc.ca
International Labour Organization ILO, ilo@ilo.org
PSI and PSI Ecuador Affiliates, rights@world-psi.org, ispandina@etb.net.co, ricardobuitron@andinanet.net, veronicamontufar@andinanet.net, p-gavilanezm@hotmail.com, anarvaezo@yahoo.com and remigiohurtado@hotmail.com
