Union freedom, secularism, and security in Uruguay

In July 2023, the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organization (ILO) ruled that the union freedom of teachers at Liceo No. 1 in San José was violated. The international body specified that union freedom also implies the right to express opinions on economic and social matters, even within the workplace.

In April and May 2025, the courts issued two rulings that condemned the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP) for "abusive conduct" against two unionized teachers, requiring the payment of compensation of 18,000 dollars to one teacher and 7,000 dollars to another. In total, eight teachers filed lawsuits against ANEP.

Today, Monday, June 30 at 4:00 p.m., an assembly will be held at the Casa del Maestro in San José where, paradoxically, reparations will be offered to teachers who were sanctioned for having campaigned inside a high school against the 2019 "Live Without Fear" plebiscite.

The event, under the slogan "It's time to lift the sanctions on our persecuted colleagues", was convened by the National Federation of Secondary Education Teachers (Fenapes), the Association of Teachers of San José (APSJ), the Coordinating Committee of Education Unions of Uruguay (CSEU), and PIT-CNT.

When the right to express oneself becomes a free pass for proselytism in public education

You may also be interested in this chronicle about a historic episode related to controversial figures.

The International Labour Organization requested that the Uruguayan state ensure a balance between political neutrality and the right to union freedom.

However, since this is one of the many tentacles of the new global left, once again, the balance has tipped to the left, favoring those who are first political activists and then, teachers.

Secularism in Uruguay seeks to guarantee state neutrality in religious, ideological, and political matters, especially in the public sphere, such as education.

Article 58 of the Constitution states that "public officials serve the Nation and not a political faction". Likewise, "in workplaces and during working hours, any activity unrelated to the function is prohibited" and, it further adds, "any activity aimed at proselytism of any kind is deemed unlawful".

They are not teachers, they are activists.

You may also be interested in this analysis of urban design in European contexts.

The 15 teachers and the assistant at Liceo No. 1 in San José violated secularism in 2021. They took photographs with signs against the reform inside and outside the high school, which constituted a clear case of proselytism. The CES administration, under the previous government, correctly interpreted that these actions were a serious violation of the principle of secularism.