They are not coming, the other sectors, the other unions. Come, come, come. Pass, pass, pass, pass. Good afternoon, greetings to the viewers of Paraguay TV, state media. We are live from Burui Zaroga following the conclusion of the meeting between educators' federations, unions, educators of the Republic of Paraguay and the national government. We are here live for the news so the country can find out. We are waiting then regarding what would be an agreement reached by the national government, the Ministry of Education and Sciences, the Presidency of the Republic and also the different unions, as I mentioned and what they are here for this press conference. The chief of staff, Minister Javier Jiménez, and the Minister of Education and Science. I'll wait a minute to start. We waited a little longer for the press conference. The Vice President of the Republic, Pedro Aliano, will also speak first. The presidents of teachers' unions are meeting to try to resolve the strike announced for tomorrow, Thursday, September 17. They are for a few more moments to enter into the different methods of live and direct study since Borisarroga millions of guaranies will be added to the social security institute as part of the historical debt of the education portfolio with the social security also speak of immediate about 22 vegetative contract. Also, remember that they say what they're presenting now would cover 900. The press conference will now begin . Let's listen. There's no need to be covered. But now the conference begins. Well, good evening to everyone. I'm really happy. Today we celebrate this meeting and this agreement that the Paraguayan government has reached with the majority of teachers' unions. I want to sincerely thank you for the openness, and once again we have understood that dialogue is the way to reach these agreements and to prioritize something so precious to us, which is our children, so that we don't miss a day of school. And I want to thank you, my dear Silvio Piri Wilfrío, and also the other heads of the different unions who accepted this agreement. I want to thank you, Colin, on behalf of the Government of Paraguay as well, for all the efforts that made this possible in the National Congress and also for the negotiations with the unions. Today I want to thank the Minister of Education, someone who was very aware of all this, with whom I've had the pleasure of working on several occasions, and of course, Minister Javier Jiménez, with whom we worked along with the Minister of Economy, because this obviously impacts the national budget. We are working with them on the necessary cuts so that the resources we will allocate to the teaching sector can fit within the 2020-2027 budget. We truly celebrate today because we have put our children first, and we have signed an agreement that will impact the budget. As I mentioned at the beginning, in 2027 there will be an addendum of 2.6% effective June 1st, and another 2.4% effective January of next year. This addendum is already before the National Congress. In addition, there is also a historical debt that the Paraguayan state owed to the teaching sector, a debt that had not been paid to the Social Security Institute since 2015. We have also agreed on 40 billion guaraníes, which will also have a direct impact on teachers' retirement. So I celebrate this historic moment for the Republic of Paraguay, and I believe that tomorrow the great agreement with the doctors, who for 14 years have not had a demand and an adjustment of their salary, will also be finalized. So I wanted to announce this, my dear minister, you know I have another meeting now that has already started with the President of the Republic, and I will leave you with the details for communication with the citizens? So thank you very much in return to each and every one of you. I am sure that this will benefit all Paraguayans. Thanks a lot . Thank you. Thank you. Good evening everyone. Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President, for your leadership, for your work at the forefront during this time. Also to Minister Javier Jiménez, because, as Vice President Pedro Aliana explained very well, there is teamwork involved. Thanks to Óscar Lovera and his magnificent team at the Ministry of Economy, and to everyone who made this agreement possible. We have been working for more than 15 days, meetings, encounters, we started with a number, we kept adjusting and I want to express something on behalf of all the children of Paraguay. We cannot afford to lose any more school days, and I am pleased that there are unions and labor groups that understand that the way forward is to build. I always say two things. First, the easiest thing in life is to destroy. The easy part is very easy; the difficult part is building, but it is much more difficult to build when there are disparate criteria. That requires conversation, that requires effort, that requires decision, that requires giving in, that requires adjustment. And we have done that with the guilds. Someone once said that the most important magician is not the one who makes something disappear. The most important magician is the one who makes something appear. And today, with these unions, we are making something appear. What are we making appear? School, education, class time, activities, and the PISA tests show us that one of the decisive and key factors for success is having more class time. That's why I celebrate this meeting, that's why I celebrate this agreement, and I also want to tell you—my colleagues will speak technically about it later— my immense satisfaction stems from the fact that this agreement doesn't just include a number; it includes pedagogical activities, training, evaluation, and something we discussed very decisively with our colleagues from the unions: the teaching career. We need a teaching career that allows for gradual, meritocratic growth, so that we don't have to face this dilemma of a decision, of a percentage, every year. No, no, no. There is already a career path, there are already criteria, there are already exams, there are already tests, and those who rise in those tests can earn more. That is the central point of this agreement. Because? We had already signed it, but now we've set a date. It has a start date in the last quarter of this year and a completion date in the first half of next year. So that's the most important thing for me. Others may have a different view and perspective of this agreement that we are signing. So, many thanks also to Senator Soroca for his continued support of our educational initiatives, not only in his department, but also the actions we take with teachers. I also want to celebrate the meeting of several congressmen who supported us and continue to support us, giving us a vision and showing us how a general budget should be managed , because remember that education is a small percentage, perhaps the largest, but small within the vast world that is the administration of the entire state. So I'll leave you now in the company of Silvio Piris. Well, good evening to everyone. First of all, thank you, [clears throat] minister, for managing this well and being able to reach an agreement. I would also like to thank Senator Colin Soroca, and my colleague Soria. And well, for us it's an important step forward. Well, we secured $47 million in monetary terms without taking to the streets, through dialogue. That's the impact of the 5% increase, in two stages: 2.4% starting in January and the remaining 2.6% starting in July 2027. We also have $9 million already allocated for teacher salary payments. 40 billion guaraníes is also contemplated for the payment of the historical debt, that is, from the teaching sector, the debt that the Ministry of Education and Sciences was not fulfilling in 2015 with the IPS. Also, there's one thing the minister didn't mention, but we increased the amount, meaning it will be used to hire teachers for the vegetative growth or natural growth that we mentioned. We have now reached 35 billion guaraníes, which is a significant increase. So, we're also going to have a fund to cover the deficits we have, and the signing of an agreement that will allow us, in this last quarter and in the first quarter of next year, to work with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Education and Science to establish the criteria for advancing the teaching career, as well as to analyze and see the possibility of establishing a minimum salary, that is, a decent salary that teachers deserve, and from there, teachers will have or increase their income through meritocracy. This is very important to us . I was consulted by some media outlets that supposedly my members do not agree with me. I have the minutes where today in the assembly more than 100 presidents have given their consent, they have authorized me to sign this agreement with the national government. We may respect other colleagues, other groups, who do not agree. They are free and autonomous to carry out their mobilizations, and if they achieve more through this, we will be the first to applaud. We will continue the fight in the National Parliament to try to reach 8% and other demands that we were unable to reach in today's agreement. Nothing more than that, Mr. Colosca. Already. Okay, sir, questions, questions, inquiries, permission. Yes, there is still talk of vegetative growth, which I believe means an 81% deficit in teaching hours, which, as mentioned, will not be possible to meet with the 35 billion guaraníes. That was the main concern of the other unions. And also another question, today the proposal has been made, uh, Silvio Piri, the proposal has been made and today all your members already agree because you represent 75% of the teachers. I can't say that all my members agree because obviously we always want to reach the goal of 8%, right? Uh, it's something similar to the doctors' rule. I wanted three, they got two and they're celebrating. We achieved five without going out into the streets. That's something we need to mention. Held an assembly. Yes, we have the assembly. I will provide you with a copy. This morning we held an assembly. More than 100 presidents of associations nationwide unanimously supported the decision. I was authorized to be able to talk, to carry out the conversations and move forward. This is just one step forward. Now this goes to the National Parliament, and I must also thank Senator Reto Velar. I called him at the time and asked if he could support this, and he said no problem if it's for education. With this, we reach a 145% salary adjustment since 2015. So you can put this into perspective, the teacher will receive 4,000,000 guaraníes. That's 213,000 guaraníes more per shift. If they have two shifts, it's 427,000 guaraníes. If the professor has a full schedule, he will receive an adjustment of more than 500,000 guaraníes. Hey, it's going to go from 38,567 guaraníes to 40,495 guaraníes. And directors who earn more than 11 million will practically see a salary adjustment of almost 600,000. I know we deserve more, I am convinced that we must achieve more, but that is what we will fight for in the National Parliament. That's why we have our friend Colin Soroca here to help us. Let's get on with this. We will do the corresponding lobbying ourselves. That doesn't end there, does it? So we're open. We're going to keep fighting this, minister. Pardon, recuario, vegetative consultation. Well, there are some distinctions that need to be made. Well, education is something that changes a lot and is constantly being replaced. So, it's half, right? And half of what is said is not entirely true, because in one year there is no possibility of replacing everything. No chance. I'll give you an example. Now 500 come out in November , 500 come out in December, that's already happening next year. So, we need to know what we did, how much is possible, how much was used, how much was already spent or invested in that area. And this year we invested 19 billion, no more. That's it. There are times when it is no longer humanly possible, physically, there is no time to do more, but we increase it and we are going to reach 35 billion. There may be more on the payroll, on paper, but in operational reality we have enough resources to cover what we are able to cover and what we need. Now, in an ideal world, and I'm going to say something here, we have to do, and I was telling the unions today, a real re-engineering of education. We have 3200 schools that have no students. So we're going to keep increasing peak hours, we're going to keep increasing peak teachers. And we have 3,200 schools that have no children today or that have 10 , 11, or 20 children, which does n't mean we shouldn't attend to them, we should attend to them, but listen, the word reengineering means that we have to use resources better so that those resources can reach, right? So, all that work is still pending. Moreover, we invited him because there are unions that raised that issue and we told him, "Come, let's do the work." We include. It's here. I believe that all the unions accepted the proposal; some accepted it by signing it, and others will consult their members, which I think is correct. But this is something we all agree on today. Moreover, many of those who signed us contributed ideas that are here and that I think are excellent, excellent. So, I think there's a level of construction, there's a level of work, and as Silvio said, this doesn't end here, this is something very much alive. We will continue working on all of this next year , won't we, Mr. Minister? Down there . Hello. Hello, hello, hello. Hello. That's how it's been learned. Well, Mr. Minister, the question is as follows. Since not all teachers' unions joined in signing this agreement with the government, how will you guarantee that classes will not be interrupted in some educational institutions across the country , Minister? Because inevitably, while one of the unions may have the largest number of members, the rest may also mean that in some educational institutions, for example, classes are not held. How will the Ministry of Education guarantee that classes will not be interrupted? Well, it could be, as you say, and it's likely, it's a possibility. We cannot guarantee what others will do. Now, I also want to remind you that there is a method to make a mistake, to get an absence from work. Although the inter-union group submitted a letter to the Ministry of Labor, it did not appear. Tomorrow I'm going to request a report from the Minister of Labor so that she can legally establish the limits of a measure like this and tell me what actions we, as the Ministry of Education, need to take, because there's a whole process involved in having absences, right? or to take a definition such as a strike or a work stoppage. In the note they propose they talk about a strike, therefore, that has characteristics agreed by law that they have to comply with. Uh, they have to comment or make a note to the Ministry of Labor, they have to hold their assemblies, they have to be there, there is a long process to get there. We are going to ask if that process was completed, if it was followed, and if not, what are the legal recommendations that we should take to safeguard the education of the children. Teachers who decide to join a force could then be sanctioned, and every action has a reaction. I am not saying this in the sense of any threat, not even a veiled one. What I'm saying is that I'm going to see what the law says, and I'm telling you, I'm going to enforce the law, and I'm going to enforce the law strictly, but tomorrow I'm going to send the note to the Minister of Labor and she's going to tell me what needs to be done, and what needs to be done will be done. I don't have that final verdict, let's say, to tell you today what I'm going to do, but we are going to comply with the law. We will comply with the law. Directly the unions, okay, directly the unions that are mobilizing must respond to these actions as you see fit. So, Minister, there is no impunity for missing classes these days and mobilizing. As I always say, furthermore, this is a measure of force that one takes under conditions that justify the use of force, and I believe it is legitimate. But when there is dialogue, when there is a meeting, when there is a proposal from a union and they say, "I will agree if such and such is included," and such and such is included, what is the reason? It's incomprehensible. So, lacking an understanding, what we have to see is whether the law is being followed and apply the law, because I am not understanding what the reason for a mobilization would be, because the penalty is for the children. The children are the ones who are left without classes. They pointed out in this agreement, point five of the agreement, Minister, that it mentions more than 19 billion for the vegetative contract. They believe that they actually suffered a cut of 52 billion for this budget, that not everything that was withdrawn at the time is being recovered, and that now there are about 220,000 items to be covered that will not be covered. That's why they're also insisting on a budget increase and aren't satisfied with this point, with the percentage budget. I repeat, I repeat, this is something we have to work on, and we have been working on it. It's not a matter of simply because it's in the budget line item that we'll be able to fulfill and complete it, because it's a dynamic issue that's constantly changing. So, what we did was allocate—and I have the figure here of 19 billion—that was budgeted. Why was that budgeted? Because that's what was used this year. So, it's replicated because that's what is believed to be usable. Perhaps more is needed, but that's where a much more appropriate study is needed to determine, "Do those missing hours—and I'll give just one example—do those missing hours necessarily have to be covered with money?" And I'll give an example: 10,000 hours that are currently unavailable due to leave or illness. We conducted a survey, and many of the people who aren't working today because of illness... They have no illness. So that needs to be made up, and they have to return to the classroom. There I already have 10,000. Let's say that of those 10,000, perfect, 4,000 hours, really, because it has to be said, there are people who also have illnesses, very complex and difficult illnesses, and I had to provide a lot of support to a group of people and teachers who were having health problems, with cancer, and of course we took care of them, but I've also encountered many people who have nothing wrong with them, who have a headache and maybe high blood pressure, and well, we all get headaches and high blood pressure. So, we can all get high blood pressure, we have to take medication, we have to go to the doctor and get the solution. Now, that's just one way to make up hours. We have countless other hours that are stuck in supervision, and we don't know why. So, what I want to tell you is that it's not just about the money. Here we have to do a real, in-depth examination of the reality of the administrative management of education. And once that's cleared up, Registered, purified, then yes, we can say this is what we're going to allocate. I believe the figure we put here of 35 billion is a figure that will help us function wonderfully next year. But I agree with what Silvio says, it's just a first step . Later we'll do another project to continue growing and increasing. But this is what we'll be able to process today, and that's what needs to be understood, right? Minister, Minister, listen. Hello. Hello, Minister. Speaking of the children, since you addressed the children and those who will miss classes because of the strike, there are many parents who surely use the school as a daycare because they have to go to work, and their children need it. I want you to understand what I 'm saying. And we also talked about zero hunger, which we can't ignore. There are many children who will literally go hungry. Wouldn't it be better to call on these unions, which are the minority, to end the strike because they won't get a raise? 8%? To be honest, they're not going to get the 8% raise right now. It's better to urge them not to end the strike. I'm urging them again to safeguard the children and the parents. We've told them, they know perfectly well, we've talked about it today, for example, about the damage and harm this represents for Zero Hunger. I mean, not for the concept of Zero Hunger itself, but for children's food. These are children who will go hungry today. That's a hardship for the family, for all the reasons you mentioned, because the family doesn't know where to leave them, how to feed them. And this is what we have to understand: a show of force that produces this impact and unrest in the community is meant to draw attention to something, but we are fulfilling our obligations. So, what are we failing at? On the contrary, we are working together, we've created working groups, we have different and distinct perspectives, and of course, that's why the invitation was to build, to form a team, to propose possibilities for the future, as we have done with Six of the nine unions we work with... three, two thought something else, and one we don't know because they actually got up and left the meeting. We don't know if it's a yes, a no, what they're going to do, what they're not going to do, we don't know, but they left the meeting, right? So, we always invite them to dialogue, and we want to talk, we want to have a dialogue, and we do everything that's possible within the framework of the law and the country's economic possibilities , right? It's difficult to do more than that . Minister, regarding the temporary suspension of some programs, does it correspond to a better use of the budget they manage, or the question would be, where exactly do they get the money? The suspension of the program—the request for the suspension of the programs is n't about the economy or money or resources—it's because the teachers feel overwhelmed because they have too much work and can no longer keep up with everything. They have to submit evidence of one thing, evidence of another. So they told us, "Okay, which ones are the fundamental ones?" This, this, and this. Perfect. There we... We're going all in. And the rest we're going to analyze how it can be done. It's not that it won't be done. How can it be done? he says, and it's momentarily suspended pending the analysis, the evaluation by the technical committee we're going to have, but in reality, he's referring to the stress teachers are under because of the number of projects we're starting and the resources being demanded of them. And we agree, we agree. We'll keep the essentials, no problem. There's a Piris, uh, well, sorry, sorry, uh, Piris, uh, the question is, what do you say to your fellow teachers who are now pointing to you as supposedly a sellout, right, for having signed this agreement? I have a clear conscience. I believe that we as a union have achieved something we had practically lost in our meetings. Those who are now boasting that they're going to accept us said that we weren't going to achieve anything. That's what those who didn't sign the agreement with us today said. However, thanks to the efforts of some senators, we spoke with the authorities And we were able to achieve this, right? I have a clear conscience and can assure teachers of a significant amount, a significant step forward that we can improve upon in the National Parliament. There's no problem. We will continue lobbying and we will continue to insist to achieve everything. So we have a clear conscience and we believe that if the national government decides to reach an agreement with us, it's precisely because we have the necessary strength, and we believe that tomorrow our colleagues will be teaching. We are not responsible for those colleagues who are absent or if they have any kind of problem. We always guarantee that, as president, not a single day's salary has ever been deducted because we have always looked for ways to avoid that. So, that's all, and what another representative says doesn't bother me. They are responsible for their organization; they are autonomous, and if they manage to get more, all the better. If it were up to me, I would like a 10, 15, or 20% salary adjustment. I believe teachers deserve it, and that's what we are working on. In other words, what we achieved today with the agreement is... Precisely to open the possibility of raising salaries, not to 8%, but if we can raise them to 5,200 or 5.5 as the base salary per shift, and that's something we can agree on in the future. That possibility is given to us by the other agreement we had; we were practically limited to what the Central Bank of Paraguay established as year-on-year inflation, which is supposedly 2.4%, which we consider unrealistic. So, we believe we've made significant progress. I'm very convinced and at ease on that issue. Minister, briefly, do you have any records to specify or approximate how many teachers will go on strike tomorrow and also which areas of the country will be most affected by this action? Well, we'll have that record tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll have those who attend and those who do n't. Today, there might be the idea that I'm not going to attend, and tomorrow I might show up. Therefore, tomorrow we'll be calling for attendance and we'll have the record of who attended, who did n't attend, and which areas are most affected. No, no, not today It's very difficult to pinpoint that today, isn't it, Minister? Exactly. These six unions that signed the agreement and received a 5% increase—what percentage does that actually represent for teachers nationwide? Because there's talk of 70% or 75%. What is the real number and the real impact of the other teachers who will be demonstrating? Right? We are the largest union, and we have the support of five other unions. Even the National Union of Directors is already joining us, and according to our membership records—I'm not talking about teachers in general—well, with these five or six unions, we reach 75% of the members, and I believe most of them will be working in schools tomorrow. Anyone who wants to join is welcome to do so; everyone is free to do so, right? But they won't be doing so under the auspices of the Federation of Educators of Paraguay. The Minister already has... It outlines the resources to cover this adjustment. What adjustment? Salary. Oh, yes, of course, of course. That's already taken care of. It will be part of a proposal that will be sent. Uh, we even set a deadline, right? A deadline to say, "Well, we have until this time to send it." The Ministry of Economy is going to do it; they have to make the addendum and are already working on it, and yes, the resource has been perfectly identified , as well as how to do it; otherwise, we wouldn't have signed, right? We wouldn't have made a commitment. Thank you so much. Well, the press conference in Burillaruga is over. Teachers' unions and also the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the 5% salary adjustment, take photos of it. This unblocks the strike planned for tomorrow, and measures will also be taken for those who go to classrooms tomorrow, the minister said, so as not to miss any more classes. The children cannot miss any more classes, the Minister of Education and Science stated. With this information, we return to the studio. Okay, thanks. Thank you, thank you, guys. Thank you. Yes.