Paraguay's Labor Ministry: Doctors' indefinite strike is illegal

Paraguay's Ministry of Labor has issued a stern warning against the indefinite strike declared by the National Union of Doctors (Sinamed), deeming it illegal. Vice Minister of Labor, César Segovia, clarified that the current legal strike, which began with proper procedure, is set to expire on August 28. Any attempt to extend this "measure of force" without adhering to strict legal protocols, such as a formal assembly with a secret ballot and prior notification to the ministry, will be considered invalid.

Segovia emphasized that the health sector is an essential public service governed by the Labor Code, which mandates specific, inflexible procedures when lives are at stake. These include mandatory emergency coverage and notification periods. He stated that an "indefinite strike" decided by a show of hands in an assembly does not exist in Paraguayan legislation.

To continue the strike beyond August 28, doctors would need to restart the entire process from scratch. This involves convening a new formal assembly, conducting a secret vote with a registered roster of members, documenting the proceedings with official minutes, and providing advance notice to both the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Public Health. Following this, authorities would set a defined strike period and mandate a tripartite negotiation to exhaust conciliation efforts.

"You cannot extend the strike just because. The legal validity we have registered in the file is until the 28th. The figure of extending it without fulfilling the steps of the law does not fit," Segovia told NPY. The first day of the strike saw significant disruption across Paraguay's public healthcare system, with the measure intended to last until Friday.

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You cannot extend the strike just because. The legal validity we have registered in the file is until the 28th. The figure of extending it without fulfilling the steps of the law does not fit.