The Hospital Francés has been struggling for months with political attacks on the public health system of Argentina. Continual efforts have been made to weaken this system, beginning with a number of attacks on the workers of the hospital. In the hospital of 1,200 workers, most are owed some amount of back wages that have not been paid. While officials still receive the same inflated pay. Retirement packages are under attack and recently 8 workers were fired, including an assembly delegate. Workers have recently initiated a struggle demanding pay of their back wages, stabilization of work, greater job security, and the rehiring of past workers.
On Wednesday August 8th the management made a claim that workers had used property destruction as a tactic in their fight. With absolutely no proof of such a claim, the government occupied the hospital with over 100 military and police officers. It’s now almost a week later, and those forces remain.
Immediately after the invasion the workers called a general assembly in which they decided on an indefinite strike until the occupation was ended. At a later assembly and press conference, the workers that this was “a clear misuse of national security forces” and that the Kirchner government was trying to turn labor demands into a national security issue. The same was recently done in the occupation of schools in the province of Santa Cruz. This escalating move on the part of the government has forced the strike that they are now faced with. Workers are now holding regular assemblies to decide on the course of their struggle. The first step is a rally announced for tomorrow (Wednesday August 15th) demanding an immediate end to the occupation in addition to the past demands.
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