Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Resumen

MINEDUC delegates informed the board about the actions they are taking to present the economic proposal and requested that next week's meeting be suspended; they also requested that the discussion of outstanding articles continue, based on the reasons explained by the Minister, as they must be discussed at some point in the negotiation. STEG delegates agreed to suspend the meeting on Wednesday, April 9 of the current year. The meeting on Wednesday, April 16 of the current year cannot be held due to the paid leave established in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which allows absence from work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday due to Holy Week. Therefore, sessions will resume until Wednesday, April 23 of the current year. They also stated that the outstanding articles refer to wording, not to their elimination from the agreement, and therefore reiterated that economic articles should be discussed first.

Asistentes

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Resumen

MINEDUC delegates request that the discussion of pending articles continue, due to the reasons outlined by the Minister. In response to this request, STEG delegates state that they reiterate their position that prior to discussing the articles referred to by the MINEDUC commission, it is necessary for the economic counterproposal to the presented list of demands to be submitted to them. In view of what has been stated, MINEDUC delegates indicate that they will consult with the higher authority.

Asistentes

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Resumen

STEG delegates require that the economic counterproposal to what was requested in the collective bargaining agreement project be presented to them. In this regard, MINEDUC delegates request that, they consider it necessary that the pending articles be discussed beforehand, stemming from the reasons explained by the Minister. To which, the STEG commission does not agree, reiterating the position expressed in previous sessions.

Asistentes

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Resumen

MINEDUC delegates state that due to the confidentiality of the collective bargaining agreement project, they request the STEG commission's consent for the Directorate of Financial Administration -DAFI- to provide an opinion containing the total costing of the economic proposal and to present it at the next session; STEG delegates state that confidentiality does not apply to the technical directorates of the Ministry, and therefore indicate that the Ministry does not need their consent for this to be carried out. They consider this to be a setback in the negotiation process and request that the economic counter-proposal requested in previous sessions be presented to them. MINEDUC delegates state that, in response to STEG's explanation that confidentiality does not apply to the Ministry's technical directorates, they will proceed to request the corresponding opinion from the Directorate of Financial Administration.

Asistentes

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Resumen

MINEDUC delegates informed the STEG committee that Ms. Thelma Monterroso Díaz, Director of the Financial Administration Directorate (DAFI), issued official letter DAFI-1108-2025, stating that to prepare the requested opinion, her Directorate must collect information from the various responsible Directorates to consolidate it and assemble the file by Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

In response to the contents of the aforementioned official letter, the committee delegated by STEG acknowledged its content and requested a copy of it, which the MINEDUC committee agreed to; both parties concurred that the opinion on the viability of the economic proposal formulated by STEG would be presented at the next session. For its part, the MINEDUC committee requested progress in the discussion of articles pending consensus, based on the reasons set forth by the Minister of Education. In response to this request, the STEG delegates stated that they reiterate their position that prior to discussing the articles referred to by the MINEDUC committee, it is necessary for them to be presented with the economic counterproposal to the petition presented.

Asistentes

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Resumen

The advisor to the Ministry of Education commission, Luis Felipe Leiva, read out in full Opinion number DAFI-05-2025, dated June 10, 2025, signed by M. Sc. Lesly Fabiola Palacios Mauricio, Deputy Director of Budget and Financial Administration -DAFI-, and Ms. Thelma Elizabeth Monterroso Díaz, Director of the Directorate of Financial Administration -DAFI-. The aforementioned opinion was issued at the request of the employer's delegates, with the consent of the commission delegated by the STEG, who requested an opinion on the economic proposal presented by the union organization, contained in articles 60 c), 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 72 and 80 of the draft collective bargaining agreement submitted for direct discussion, as well as the note dated November 20, 2024, which states the amount of the requested increase no longer expressed as a percentage, as it had initially been proposed.

In the aforementioned opinion, DAFI, after citing the applicable regulations, as well as the information collected from the Directorate of Human Resources -DIREH-, the Directorate of Educational Planning -DIPLAN-, the General Directorate of Educational Quality Management -DIGECADE-, the General Directorate of Community Participation and Support Services -DIGEPSA-, and the General Directorate of Strengthening the Educational Community -DIGEFOCE-, carried out the corresponding analysis and costing of each of the economic demands formulated by the STEG representatives, opining the following:


"Based on the cited legal regulations and the analysis carried out, the Directorate of Financial Administration -DAFI- states that the Ministry of Education does not have the budgetary and financial conditions to assume said commitment, in accordance with the provisions of article 26 of Decree Number 101-97 'Organic Budget Law' of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, therefore it deems it not advisable, since budgetary and financial availability must be guaranteed for said project for the year 2025 and for subsequent years."

In response to the opinion described in the previous paragraph, the commission delegated by the employer states that the Ministry should comply, prior to transferring an economic proposal, since, if the institution does not have the financial resources, it must go to the Ministry of Public Finance to request them and present the requested economic counterproposal. For their part, the Ministry of Education delegates state that it is not possible to do what is requested, since it is uncertain whether it will be collected this year; furthermore, in accordance with the provisions of article 26 of the Organic Budget Law, commitments cannot be acquired nor expenses incurred for which there are no available balances of budgetary appropriations, nor can these be used for a purpose other than that intended, and contravention of said norm is punishable. And due to what was stated by DAFI, there are no budgetary or financial conditions to assume new economic commitments; therefore, they reiterate their position that no economic counterproposal will be made to the claims contained in the draft collective agreement presented by the STEG.

In response to what was stated, the STEG representatives indicate that they will inform their constituents of the opinion and the response of the Ministry of Education delegates. Finally, the Ministry of Education commission hands over a copy of the aforementioned opinion and annexed documents.

The Ministry of Education advisor, Luis Felipe Leiva, also indicated that the validity of the aforementioned Agreement ends on December 31, 2024; therefore, attention should be paid to the new provisions issued by the President of the Republic, specifically whether he maintains or modifies the content of the aforementioned article 19.

The Ministry of Education delegates indicated that, due to the way the article in question was phrased, it is necessary for the STEG Commission to present a new proposal for article 64 of the project for analysis and corresponding discussion.

The STEG delegates indicated that they will present what was requested above in the next session.

Asistentes

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Resumen

Regarding the economic proposal submitted by STEG, the employer's representatives state that, as indicated in the previous meeting, the Ministry of Education does not have the budgetary capacity to present an economic counterproposal to the demands made. For their part, the STEG delegates state that they reiterate what was indicated in the previous meeting, namely that if the institution does not have the financial resources, it should approach the President of the Republic or the Minister of Public Finance to request them and present the requested economic counterproposal.

Asistentes

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Resumen

Employer representatives reported that efforts are underway with the Ministry of Public Finance to gather opinions on the economic proposal presented by STEG, and that the response will be shared once received.

Asistentes

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Resumen

The employer delegates reported that they do not yet have the opinion of the Ministry of Public Finance on the ruling issued by the Administrative and Financial Directorate -DAFI-, according to ruling 05-2025 dated June 10, 2025, stating that budgetary and financial availability for the aforementioned project must be guaranteed for 2025 and subsequent years. This is in relation to the economic proposal presented by STEG; for this reason, once the requested opinion is obtained, it will be communicated to the union.

Asistentes

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Resumen

The employer delegates reported that a written request was made to the Ministry of Public Finance for its opinion on the ruling issued by the Financial Administration Directorate -DAFI-, identified as ruling 05-2025 dated June 10, 2025; however, as of this date, the corresponding opinion has not been provided. Therefore, once it is received, it will be communicated to the union.

Asistentes

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Resumen

The employer's delegates reported that the opinion requested from the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits contained in the draft collective agreement under discussion has not yet been received; therefore, once it is received, the union will be informed.

Asistentes

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Resumen

The employer's representatives reported that the opinion requested from the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits contained in the draft collective bargaining agreement under discussion has not yet been received; therefore, once it is received, it will be communicated to the union.

Delegate Ofelia del Carmen González Jácome requested that they proceed with the articles still under discussion, which the STEG delegates did not agree to, given that the economic counterproposal has not yet been presented.

Asistentes

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Resumen

The employer's delegates reported that they are still awaiting the opinion requested from the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits contained in the draft collective bargaining agreement under discussion. Therefore, once they have it, it will be communicated to the union. - The employer's delegates requested that the discussion of outstanding articles proceed, to which the STEG delegates did not agree, given that the economic counterproposal to the requests made in the draft collective bargaining agreement has not yet been presented.

Asistentes

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Resumen

The employer's delegates reported that the Minister of Education reiterated the request for an opinion made to the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits contained in the draft collective agreement under discussion. This was in accordance with the ruling issued by the Directorate of Financial Administration (DAFI), in ruling No. 05-2025 dated June 10, 2025; therefore, the requested opinion is still pending.

Asistentes

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Resumen

- The delegates reported that they are awaiting a response to the request for an opinion from the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits contained in the draft collective bargaining agreement under discussion, in accordance with what was ruled by the Financial Administration Directorate (DAFI), in opinion No. 05-2025 dated June 10, 2025; therefore, once it is received, the union delegates will be informed.

Asistentes

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Resumen

- MINEDUC delegates state that the opinion requested from the Ministry of Public Finance regarding the economic benefits requested by STEG has not yet been received; therefore, once it is received, it will be communicated to the union delegates.

Asistentes

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Resumen

- The Mineduc delegates report that Official Letter 2387, dated September 3, 2025, signed by the Minister of Public Finance, Jonathan Menkos Zeissig, was received. This letter responds to Official Letter VDA-896-2025, dated August 13, 2025, which requested that the Ministry of Public Finance issue a technical and financial opinion regarding the viability of the collective bargaining agreement project presented by the STEG. In this regard, the Minister indicates that, before proceeding with the respective process, it is necessary for the Ministry of Education to attach the technical and legal opinions, and to indicate the source of funding it proposes to finance the economic benefits contained in the aforementioned project. - In response to the described official letter, delegate José Donaldo Carías Valenzuela states that, according to what is established in Opinion 05-2025, dated June 10, 2025, issued by the Financial Administration Directorate -DAFI-, the Ministry of Education does not have the financial capacity to undertake the commitment to grant the economic benefits requested by the STEG, since this would only be possible if the Ministry of Public Finance allocated the corresponding funds; consequently, what was previously stated is reiterated; in the sense that there is no budgetary or financial capacity to make a counterproposal regarding the economic benefits requested by the STEG. - In relation to the above, representative Rodrigo Eugenio Hernández Boche states that he believes the Government has sufficient resources to grant a salary increase to teachers, since it will not execute the entire budget allocated for this year; however, what he observes is that there is no political will to do so. He also believes that regarding the articles that are pending discussion due to governance issues, it should be borne in mind that the Constitutional Court has already dismissed the request of the Attorney General's Office; therefore, the challenged articles must retain their original wording. Regarding this last argument, the employer delegates state that they do not share it, since the pronouncement made by the Constitutional Court is provisional, as it did not decree the suspension of the challenged norms; however, the corresponding judgment must be awaited.

Asistentes

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Resumen

- Following up on what was discussed in the previous session regarding the content of Official Letter 2387 dated September 3, 2025, signed by the Minister of Public Finance; delegate Francisco Cabrera Romero indicates that it is important for the negotiating table to develop a roadmap. - In this regard, the STEG delegates indicate that they believe the negotiation should proceed on two fronts: the economic one and the articles that the Ministry alleges are illegal; however, they must receive a written counterproposal from the Ministry regarding the economic demands. - In response to the above, the employer delegates state that, based on the opinion issued by the Directorate of Financial Administration, the Ministry is currently unable to fulfill what was requested; however, they consider it appropriate to move forward with the articles awaiting discussion. - Given this proposal, the STEG delegates reiterate their position.

Asistentes

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Resumen

- Employer representatives indicate that because it is not yet known how the budget will be defined, there is no certainty regarding the economic issue; for this reason, they propose holding sessions every fifteen days. In response to the proposal, union representatives state that it should be assessed whether there is information to transfer, and if there is none, they should be informed of the suspension in a timely manner.

Asistentes

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Resumen

- The employer delegates indicate that there is no new information to share regarding the financial proposal presented by the union, so if this situation persists, they will be informed about the next session - In response, the STEG delegates state that it should be assessed whether there is information to transfer, and if there is none, they should be informed of the suspension of the meeting in a timely manner. The Mineduc representatives agree to this request.

Asistentes

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Resumen

- Employer representatives indicate that there is no new information to share regarding the financial proposal submitted by the union, so if this situation persists, they will be informed about the next session. - In response, the STEG delegates state that they should be informed of the meeting's suspension in a timely manner. The Mineduc representatives agree to this request.

Asistentes

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Resumen

- MINEDUC delegates indicate that there is no certainty about the budget to be allocated to the institution for next year; therefore, it is not possible to respond to the financial proposal presented by the union.

Asistentes

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Resumen

- Employer delegates indicate that no response has been received to the request for an opinion sent to MINFIN; furthermore, as is publicly known, the Decree of the Congress of the Republic has not yet been published. Therefore, there is no certainty about the budget that will be allocated to the institution for next year.

- With no further business to discuss, the session is adjourned.

Asistentes

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Resumen

- Delegate Francisco Cabrera Romero indicates that, despite not having concrete answers to the economic proposal, it is important to meet and resume discussion of the collective bargaining agreement project to provide the appropriate continuity and keep the negotiation space open. He also indicates that, as is generally known, the Congress of the Republic approved a budget increase; however, the amount is less than what had been approved for the 2026 budget; in this context, he states that the Ministry of Education was notified of the summons decreed by a labor judge, as a result of the collective dispute raised by an Ad-hoc Workers' Committee, this being an issue that may or may not be linked to the negotiation currently underway with the STEG. - In response, Professor Rodrigo Eugenio Hernández Boche states that resuming meetings is vital to keep the dialogue open, as suspending sessions creates uncertainty. He also indicates that there is always the possibility that some recourse may prevent the budget increase from coming into effect; for this reason, it is necessary to wait until it materializes and a solution can finally be found for the initiated negotiation. - Regarding the summons, the law allows workers to organize as they see fit, and since there is no direct response, it becomes a legal tool that may or may not be used; he considers that the summons neither adds nor subtracts from the negotiation currently underway. - Both parties agree to continue with periodic sessions, unless there are circumstances that prevent them, which must be communicated in a timely manner. - The STEG delegates request that, if there is any suspension clause, it be communicated to them with due anticipation.

Asistentes

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Resumen

- The employer representatives state that there is no new information to convey, as the Ministry of Public Finance has yet to publish the analytical distribution of the budget. - The STEG representatives indicate that they are awaiting a response to the requests made.

Asistentes

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Resumen

- The employer representatives state that they have no new information to convey regarding the economic proposal presented; however, in order to move forward in the discussion of the project, they propose that the articles pending approval due to governance issues be analyzed. - The STEG states that as long as there is no economic counter-proposal, no progress can be made in the discussion of the aforementioned articles.

Asistentes

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Resumen

- It is noted that there is insufficient quorum to hold the scheduled meeting; for this reason, those present agree to suspend it and resume sessions next week.

Asistentes