Honduras Gov't Backtracks on Neoliberal Laws Amid Large Strike

President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) announced Sunday that two decrees related to education and health will be repealed. The decrees have been rejected by the teachers and public sector doctors who are in an indefinite strike since Thursday.

RELATED:

Masked Men Set US Embassy in Honduras Ablaze, Teacher Blamed

"The repeal of the PMC (decrees) that have been discussed in this debate," said Hernandez.

In a press conference in presidential house accompanied by the Honduran Commissioner of Human Rights, Roberto Herrera, and leaders of the teachers, the president ratified that he approved two new decrees for the improvement of education and public health.

The government also assured that two new bills have been approved which will be "highly influential and participatory" through the construction of a "national pact for quality education and public health” according to Hernandez.

Teachers, students, medical professionals, and the general public have been holding nearly continuous month-long strikes across Honduras in reaction to two laws passed by Congress in late April. Many Hondurans say the laws would privatize the nation’s health and education programs, and lead to mass layoffs in these sectors.

Hundreds of thousands were once again on strike May 30 and 31 in response to the president’s implementation this past week of two executive orders, PCM-026 and PCM-027, that declare a state of emergency over the public health and education sectors, respectively, in response to the constant work stoppages and protests this month.

Many just want JOH out of office after a highly controversial and internationally-recognized fraudulent 2017 presidential election that placed incumbent Hernandez back as head of state.

The president also urged the protesting teachers and doctors to return to their jobs Monday and invited their directors to participate in the two working groups to improve health and education services.

The president Medical Association of Honduras, Suyapa Figueroa, however, informed that protests will continue Monday.

"We think it's a new deception, we've definitely said it until we do not really know what those new decrees contain, we're not going to sit down and the actions continue," he said.

He said that protests will continue “until they do not fully comply with what we have requested, we will not back down.”