This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 002915 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR DRL/IL, EB/IFD/OMA, AND DS 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC, WHA/EPSC, AND WHA/CEN 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CEN 
DOL FOR ILAB 
TREASURY FOR ETHAN ILZETZKI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EFIN EAID PGOV SOCI ASEC HO
SUBJECT: HONDURAN TEACHERS UNIONS OPPOSED TO ANY REDUCTIONS 
IN SALARIES/BENEFITS TO FULFILL DEAL WITH IMF 
 
REF: A. TEGUCIGALPA 2792 
     ¶B. TEGUCIGALPA 2662 
     ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 2034 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Honduran teachers' unions are a key player 
in the ongoing effort by the GOH to complete the domestic 
requirements of a deal with the IMF (ref A).  The five 
teachers' unions, three for primary teachers and two for 
secondary teachers, strongly oppose a proposed civil service 
law (ref C) that would make any changes in the cherished 
teachers' law that has been the subject of much debate due to 
its salary and benefits provisions.  The teachers' unions 
argue strongly that teachers' pay and benefits are not the 
cause of the weak fiscal situation of the GOH, although they 
do acknowledge that the sheer number of teachers (almost 
45,000) made the overall impact on public sector salaries 
significant.  The two secondary teachers' unions in 
particular are prolific protesters, and are unlikely to back 
down in the face of GOH pressure to reach a compromise. 
However, Post continues to believe (ref B) that Congress will 
pass necessary legislation, encompassing several 
controversial issues, to allow the GOH to complete its side 
of the IMF deal.  In addition, Post believes that any 
resulting protests will not destabilize the government.  End 
Summary. 
 
Honduran Teachers' Unions - a Thumbnail Sketch 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (U) Over the last couple of months LabAtt has spoken with 
representatives of all five teachers' unions in Honduras 
(three primary teachers' unions and two secondary teachers' 
unions).  The five are: 
 
COPEMH - College of Secondary School Teachers of Honduras 
- part of the United Confederation of Honduran Workers) CUTH 
labor confederation, but not currently active in the 
confederation 
- claim 15,000 members (secondary teachers) 
- led by Eulogio Chavez (being replaced in January by Nelson 
Calix) 
 
COLPROSUMAH - Honduran Professional Teachers College 
- part of the CUTH confederation 
- claim 22-25,000 members (mostly primary teachers) 
- led by Rafael Izaguirre 
 
COPRUMH - Honduran Professional Association Teachers Union 
- not affiliated with one of the three labor confederations 
- claim 4,500 members (mostly secondary teachers) 
- led by Angel Martinez 
 
PRICPHMA - First Professional Honduran College of Teachers 
- part of the General Workers Central (CGT) confederation 
- claim 18,000 members (primary teachers) 
- led by Alejandro Ventura 
 
SINPRODOH 
- part of the CGT confederation 
- claim 7-8,000 members (primary teachers) 
- led by Fanny Alvarez 
 
Note:  Primary teachers require degrees from a "normal" 
school (a teachers' high school).  Secondary teachers must 
have university degrees, and some have master's degrees.  The 
Ministry of Education states that there are approximately 
35,529 public primary teachers (including pre-school 
teachers) and approximately 8,970 public secondary teachers. 
There are 130,980 public sector employees, including 
municipal and parastatal employees, which is 5.8 percent of 
all formal sector employees.  End Note. 
 
2002 Agreement and the Teachers' Law 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) COLPROSUMAH, PRICPHMA, and SINPRODOH, as well as the 
Pedagogical College, all signed the July 5, 2002 agreement 
with the GOH that lays out terms for applying the teachers' 
law in 2002-2005 (signed by Minister of Education Carlos 
Molina, Minister of Labor German Leitzelar, and then-advisor 
to President Maduro, Cesar Batres).  The GOH applied the 
terms of the agreement to the other two teachers' unions that 
did not sign, COPEMH and COPRUMH.  COLPROSUMAH said that they 
believe that teachers made concessions in this agreement and 
are loath to make more.  SINPRODOH claimed the GOH is not 
even living up to its side of the 2002 agreement, and COPEMH 
said that the GOH is not fully abiding by the terms of the 
teachers' law.  All the unions criticized the GOH as not 
being serious about investing in quality education. 
 
¶4. (U) All of the teachers' unions are opposed to any changes 
by the GOH that would alter the teachers' law (1997) that 
spells out pay and benefits for primary and secondary public 
teachers.  (Note:  Most teachers' unions distanced themselves 
from the doctor's law that sets pay and benefits for doctors, 
although COPEMH pointedly said they support that law as well 
out of solidarity.  The doctors are represented by a 
professional association that is not affiliated with one of 
the three labor confederations.  End Note.)  Any new general 
"Law of Salary Equity" for public sector workers under 
consideration by the GOH must not negatively affect the 
teachers' law, said PRICPHMA. 
 
¶5. (U) Specifically, the teachers oppose getting rid of: 
seniority pay (automatic pay increases every few years), 
academic qualification bonus (saying it is a key factor in 
motivating teachers to improve their professional expertise 
by seeking a higher degree), or any change in: hourly pay, 
pension benefits, or the income tax exemption for teachers 
(even though most teachers make under the minimum income tax 
threshold according to COPEMH). 
 
¶6. (U) All the unions noted that even the highest paid 
teacher does not make much when compared to doctors, but 
agreed that the sheer number of teachers (almost 45,000) made 
the overall impact on public sector salaries significant. 
(Note:  In comparison, according to the Ministry of Health, 
there are only 1,790 public sector doctors, 911 professional 
nurses, and 5,369 "auxiliary nurses," as of December.  End 
Note.)  SINPRODOH claimed that only Nicaraguan teachers are 
paid less than Honduran teachers in Central America.  The 
teachers' unions argue strongly that teachers pay and 
benefits are not the cause of the weak fiscal situation of 
the GOH.  Teachers' unions point to the weak economy, 
insufficient tax receipts, bailouts for failed banks, loan 
forgiveness to farmers, tax breaks for certain businesses, 
pay to political appointees, and corruption as the causes of 
the GOH's problems.  The GOH is not concerned with the poor 
or working class, but rather the rich and powerful, claimed 
the unions. 
 
Teachers a Regular Participant in Anti-GOH Protests 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) The secondary teachers are the more radical of the 
teachers' unions, having refused to sign the 2002 agreement 
with the GOH and taking part in numerous protests, some of 
which have included Molotov cocktails, vandalism, and the 
desecration of a U.S. flag outside the Embassy in one 
instance.  COPEMH is closely linked with the Popular Block, a 
leftist association of unions, NGOs, a leftist political 
party (UD) and protesters, led by Carlos H. Reyes.  As such, 
COPEMH, by its own admission, has been a constant adversary 
of the GOH on the issue of teachers pay and benefits.  COPEMH 
is also a member of the National Coordinator of Popular 
Resistance, a newer protest group that fiercely opposes 
changes to the teachers' law.  Any significant action by 
Congress that teachers interpret as reforming or revoking 
aspects of the teachers' law is likely to bring teachers out 
on the streets in large numbers to protest. 
 
¶8. (U) The primary teachers' unions are more mainstream: 
COLPROSUMAH explicitly told LabAtt that they are not 
interested in social chaos and SINPRODOH said they understand 
that an IMF agreement is needed. 
 
¶9. (U) The teachers' unions criticized the GOH for 
threatening them and not negotiating in good faith.  None of 
the unions had met with the IMF to discuss these issues, but 
the CGT and CUTH labor confederations, in coordination with 
the Federation of Teachers Organizations of Honduras (FOMH) 
and the Permanent Forum of Civil Society Organizations 
(FPOSC), did publish a large ad in newspapers during the 
recent visit of the IMF team laying out their objections to a 
prospective GOH deal with the IMF. 
 
Teachers a Powerful Interest Group 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Comment:  In addition to the almost 45,000 current 
public teachers and the numerous retired teachers, there are 
many Hondurans who either (a) studied to be a teacher but 
hold a different type of job, or (b) have friends/family that 
are teachers.  The teachers' law was passed in 1997 with 
bipartisan (National and Liberal Party) support.  This means 
that any new legislation viewed as detrimental to the 
teachers will both be politically painful to get through 
Congress and could find negative resonance in a significant 
part of the population, much more so than with the doctors. 
Teachers' unions, which have not met with the IMF, warn that 
the Fund neglects this potential negative reaction at its own 
peril.  However, Post continues to believe (ref B) that 
Congress will pass the necessary legislation (on civil 
service salaries and other issues) to allow the GOH to 
complete its side of the IMF deal, and that any resulting 
protests are unlikely to destabilize the GOH.  End Comment. 
Palmer