A group of dissatisfied judicial workers vote to continue a mass strike, which began on October 11, ignoring an agreement reached with the government, according to local media Monday.
While up to 80% of Colombia’s judicial workers have returned to work after lobbying for an increased budget and fairer wages, a dissident faction has continued the protest.
The strike, which began with approximately 60,000 judicial officers, has exacerbated Colombia’s already clogged legal system, with more than 100,000 court cases delayed.
Colombia’s Justice Minister, Ruth Stella Correa, believed the impasse had been broken when she signed a deal with the National Association of Professional Employees of the Judicial Branch (Asonal) on November 6.
“We signed this agreement with [Asonal president] Fernando Otalvaro…it represents a significant salary increase for employees of the judicial and prosecution,” Correa had said.
Since then, however, an Asonal faction led by Nelson Cantillo have rejected the deal and maintained their protest.
Correa recently declared the strike illegal and warned the government was not prepared to renegotiate the agreement with Asonal. According to the minister the deal already met the needs of the judiciary and, “is beneficial [for them] and legally conceived.”