A short 19 Sept. update on the situation follows the ad text.
Dear sisters and brothers of El Salvador,
We, the undersigned organizations, on behalf of our tens of thousands of members, express our deepest solidarity with you in this time of increased repression and economic crisis. We represent community, religious, labor, and activist groups who support the people of El Salvador in the struggle against corporate globalization, a system that increases poverty, inequality, and misery for the majority while enriching a few elite businessmen and multinational corporations.
We are deeply disturbed by the recent illegal firings of electrical and health care workers, many of them members and leaders of the STSEL and STISSS unions. We recognize these firings as part of the Salvadoran government's plan to destroy the labor movement and privatize public services in El Salvador, in part to facilitate a Free Trade Agreement (TLC) with the United States. A TLC between Central America and the US would be devastating for the working people of El Salvador and the US. It would allow multinational corporations to exploit the resources and labor of El Salvador for greater profits, and continue to exploit US workers. We oppose the TLC and the Plan Puebla Panama (PPP), of which the San Salvador Beltway mega–project is a part, as components of the corporate globalization model.
We support the workers of STISSS and SIMETRISSS in their efforts to defend health care for the people of El Salvador and to protect the right to organize. We support the STSEL workers in the struggle against the further privatization of electricity and against the PPP and SIEPAC. We are deeply inspired and support the brave protesters who are risking their lives to stop the construction of the San Salvador Beltway, a project that would destroy their homes, workplaces, and the natural resources of El Salvador. We stand in solidarity with the electrical and health care workers, and with the protesters of the Anillo Periferico, and demand that the government of Francisco Flores
- Stop the Firings
- Stop Privatization of services in El Salvador
- Rehire all fired health care and electrical workers
- Stop construction of Anillo Periferico (San Salvador Beltway)
- Do not authorize police force against protesters
- Halt the implementation of Plan Puebla Panama
Long live the workers of El Salvador!
Because solidarity doesn't have borders, we will globalize the struggle!
Comité en Solidaridad con el Pueblo de El Salvador CISPES – Oficina Nacional
CISPES Albany, NY, CISPES Austin, TX, CISPES Boston, MA, CISPES Los Angeles, CA, CISPES Missoula, MT, CISPES New York, NY, CISPES Olympia, WA, CISPES San Francisco, CA, CISPES Seattle, WA, CISPES Washington, DC
Comité en Solidaridad con el Pueblo Centroamericano (CISCAP) Eugene, OR
Comité de Solidaridad con Centroamérica en Portland, OR
Coalición Organizativa de Labor entre Fronteras, OR
Acción Comunitaria para Justicia en los Américas, Missoula, MT
Acción Los Angeles
Acción para la Comunidad y la Ecología en las Regiones de Centroamérica (ACERCA)
Americanos por la Acción Democrática
Amigos de María Guardado
Asociación de Enfermeras de California
Bayan Internacional, EEUU
Campaña por los Derechos Laborales
Centro Nicaragüense de Acción Comunitaria, NICCA
Clínica para las Américas
Coalición de Acción de América Latina
Comité de Apoyo para los Campesinos Filipinos –PESANTE, LA
Comité de Justicia Social, Canadá
Comité para América Latina y el Caribe de la Comunidad Loretto
Comité por la Nueva Colombia
Consejo Sindical para el Avance del Trabajador Latino Americano, Capitulo
Estatal de Massachusetts
Estudiantes para un Intercambio Justa del Colegio Central de Seattle
Federación Estadounidense de Empleados Estatales, de Condados y Municipales (AFSCME), Seccional 3336
Federación Estadounidense de Empleados Estatales, de Condados y Municipales (AFSCME), Seccional189
Foro Socialista de Urbana–Champaign, IL
Gabriela Red de Mujeres Filipinas – Comité de Los Angeles
Gremio Nacional de Abogados
Grupo de Trabajo de la Red de Acción Global en contra del ALCA de la ciudad de Boston
Intercambio para el Desarrollo Internacional
Maestros Unidos de LA, AFL/CIO
Marin Interfaith Task Force on Central America
Médicos por la Salud Global
Misiones de Agricultura, Inc.
Movimiento de Olympia por La Paz y Justicia
Oficina de las Américas en Los Angeles
Oficina Legal de Labor y Empleo del Noroeste
Programa Ecuménico para Centroamérica y el Caribe
Proyecto de Abogados por la Defensa del Ser Humano, la Economía y el Medio Ambiente Proyecto de Ciudades Hermanas Cambridge/San José Las Flores
Red de Comercio Justo de California
Red de Comercio Justo del Sur de California
Red de Derechos Humanos de Montana
Red de Solidaridad con el Pueblo de Guatemala
Red de Solidaridad con México
Red de Solidaridad con Nicaragua en los EEUU
Sindicato de Electricistas Unidos (UE) AFL/CIO
Sindicato de Trabajadores de Salud y Proveedor de Cuidados (CHEU), CA
Sindicato Internacional de Empleados de Servicio (SEIU), Seccional 535 Pasadena, CA
Sindicato Internacional de Empleados de Servicio (SEIU), Seccional 503
Sindicato Internacional de Obreros de América del Norte, Seccional 483
Sindicato Internacional de Trabajadores de Puertos (ILWU), Seccional 5
Trabajos Con Justicia del Estado de Washington
Trabajos Con Justicia de Portland
Unidos por una Economía Justa
19 Sept. update:
In response to recent firings of unionized health care workers, the STISSS has taken over a number of San Salvador hospitals in protest – these are actions that could lead to a national health care strike.
On September 18 at 1:00am, under cover of darkness, some 50 riot police invaded the Oncology hospital that STISSS workers had taken over and dragged the workers out onto the street by their hair, their collars and even by their necks. The Secretary General of STISSS, Ricardo Monge and three other members of the union's board of directors were taken into a room, where they were held captive at gunpoint for over half an hour by masked agents who refused to show their badges. The four were made to sit on the floor, and were kicked and punched when they tried to stand. Police agents photographed and videotaped them, and then violently dragged them out onto the street.
These violent acts of repression are reminiscent of the human rights violations of the 1980s in El Salvador. Source: CISPES