Bolivia: Health workers to vote on strike over unpaid vaccination bonus

Health workers in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, will convene Tuesday to determine if they will uphold a 24-hour departmental strike scheduled for Thursday, August 27. The planned work stoppage is a protest against the delayed payment of a vaccination bonus, a benefit the union states was due on July 6.

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We don't need this short law.

The Federation of Public Health Workers of Santa Cruz has called a meeting at its headquarters in the regional capital. The decision rests with the workers themselves, who are expressing growing discontent over the continued delay in receiving the bonus. This payment is intended as compensation for the vaccination efforts undertaken by health personnel throughout the year.

Robert Hurtado, the secretary of the federation, indicated that previous meetings with the departmental health secretary and representatives of the Departmental Health Service (Sedes) yielded little progress. Government officials cited a lack of funds and the need for a "short law" to authorize the payment. However, Hurtado refuted this, asserting that such a law is unnecessary for disbursing the bonus owed for the 2026 fiscal year, suggesting it is being sought for subsequent years.

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Unfortunately, there has been no favorable response; the Governorate (of Santa Cruz) and the Ministry (of Health) say they have no money, but that doesn't concern us; we are interested in them fulfilling their obligation, wherever they get the funds from.

"We don't need this short law," Hurtado stated, emphasizing that the Santa Cruz Governorate is obligated to pay the 2026 bonus regardless of immediate resource availability. He added that the workers are not interested in the government's financial excuses, only in receiving the payment they are owed. The union leader stressed that the prolonged wait is unacceptable, particularly given that workers receive no additional compensation or transportation support for their vaccination duties throughout the year.

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All year we go out to vaccinate, they don't give us a single peso, they don't transport us.