CUT Appeals to National Auditor for Official Figures on State Employee Layoffs

Original article: “Impresentable”: CUT acude a Contraloría para exigir cifras oficiales sobre despidos en el Estado

The Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) formally approached the National Comptroller’s Office to submit a request for information concerning the staffing of public officials and the layoffs recorded in the State between March 1 and April 1, 2026, coinciding with José Antonio Kast’s arrival at La Moneda.

This initiative was spearheaded by the national vice president and coordinator of the public sector for CUT, Gabriela Farías, who was accompanied by other union leaders.

Farías discussed the contents of the letter addressed to Comptroller Dorothy Pérez and explained that the multisectoral organization not only expressed its concerns but also requested a detailed breakdown of the public employment situation.

Through the written request, CUT sought statistical data on the number of permanent, contracted, and freelance officials in various government departments, as well as the number of dismissals that have occurred in the past month, reported Diario U de Chile.

Specifically, the Central requested a detailed analysis that includes a breakdown by contract type (permanent, contracted, and freelance) and the specific reason for termination of functions. This request encompasses a wide range of the public administration, including not only ministries and centralized services but also municipalities, universities under the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (Cruch), and Local Public Education Services (SLEP).

The breadth of the request reflects CUT’s intention to obtain a comprehensive national overview of layoffs.

In fact, the union organization emphasized that its primary motivation is to acquire official data that will clarify the reality of potential layoffs recorded in the public sector, based on certified information from the oversight agency.

“We want a response from the entity responsible for providing transparency on these issues, namely the Comptroller’s Office,” affirmed Farías, underscoring the legitimacy of her request and the role that, in her view, the agency led by Dorothy Pérez should play.

At the same time, she launched harsh criticisms against the methods allegedly being used by Kast’s administration to carry out the layoffs.

“It is unacceptable that in 2026 a government is terminating career employees via email,” she stated, in comments captured by the cited media outlet.

Furthermore, she argued that public officials should have decent jobs and stable working conditions, warning that the uncertainty generated by these mass layoffs not only impacts the livelihood and performance of workers but also undermines the proper functioning of the State.

With this request, the union hopes that the Comptroller’s Office will provide information that will allow for an accurate assessment of the magnitude of the layoffs in the public sector and potentially lead to measures to prevent such situations in the future.