Ayolas signs agreement to guarantee salaries at nursing home after 16 months of nonpayment

After 16 months without pay and repeated protests, Ayolas Municipality and Yacyretá have signed an agreement to keep the Divina Misericordia Nursing Home operating.

Ayolas Mayor Carlos Duarte and Yacyretá Binational Entity director Luis Benítez signed the agreement. Its main aim is to guarantee salaries for the home’s 16 employees, including nursing staff, while supporting the care of about 16 older adults who live there.

The agreement followed a prolonged financial crisis that put care at the facility at risk. Regular contributions from Yacyretá had been suspended because of the entity’s financial difficulties, leaving staff without wages and the home without basic resources.

Workers began announcing peaceful demonstrations in February 2026, after 12 months without pay. By July, the arrears had reached 16 months. A public collection raised about 51 million guaraníes toward a target of 100 million to support the home while authorities awaited the agreement.

The deal is intended to strengthen the center’s operations and ensure regular professional care for its residents. It could also bring an end to the dispute over unpaid wages, which led workers to consider filing a complaint with the Labor Ministry and to announce protests outside Yacyretá’s offices.

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We had no choice but to demonstrate in defense of our labor rights.