Original article: Colegio Bradford responde en plena huelga: sindicato cuestiona transparencia financiera y directorio asegura haber informado sus cuentas

Bradford School Union Launches Strike Amid Financial Transparency Concerns, School Board Claims Accountability

Workers from the Bradford School Workers Union, located in the Vitacura area, began a strike on October 26 after unsuccessful collective bargaining negotiations.

The union representing teachers, administrative staff, and support workers is raising questions about the financial transparency of the institution, while the school board asserts they have provided financial updates.

«The financial reports presented don’t add up for us as a union because it is stated that the total annual salary cost for union members is around 6 billion pesos, while our figures based on the balances they provided amount to 4.5 billion, leaving a discrepancy of 1.5 billion that remains unaccounted for, and they have not been willing to provide more information on this,» explained a union member who requested anonymity to El Ciudadano.

Bradford School has been a non-profit corporation for over 70 years in Vitacura. Its long-established union has historically maintained a cordial relationship with the institution. However, according to the anonymous member, during negotiations, the financial discrepancies marked the breaking point of mediation and the possibility of reaching an agreement, as the school’s proposal failed to even meet the minimum expectations.

«As a non-profit corporation, they are not even respecting the minimum standards, which were contested during these negotiation processes,» he added.

In response, the Bradford School Board stated to El Ciudadano that throughout the negotiation process, they have acted «in adherence to current regulations, providing transparency regarding its financial status and the institution’s actual economic capabilities.

Strike Following Failed Collective Bargaining

In a statement shared on social media Sunday, the Bradford School Workers Union announced the strike that began on October 26, involving over 150 employees, a decision made following the failure of the collective bargaining process and mediation held with the Labor Directorate (DT).

«We inform you that on Friday, October 23, mediation concluded at the Labor Inspection without a feasible agreement being reached with school management, despite our union presenting a new proposal that respects our negotiation baseline and offers to celebrate a new collective contract for the next two years, with significantly lower values than our original proposal, even postponing the application of periodic adjustments for inflation and real wage increases until September 2027, in an effort not to increase projected costs for the year 2026,» they stated.

In their message to the Corporation representatives, they expressed their willingness to «continue discussions».

They stated that «they were not contacted again» to resume negotiations, thus «in light of the silence from the Corporation representatives, we have no choice but to initiate the strike on Monday, October 26, to defend our salaries and benefits.

Furthermore, they informed students, parents, and guardians that they are not staging «this legal strike against the school,» but rather in defense of their labor rights.

«It pains us deeply to have to suspend classes, but the school management has shown no willingness to maintain discussions and seek a shared effort to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that considers the true economic situation of the school,» they stated.

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Additionally, the Bradford School Board stated to El Ciudadano that they are «aware of the effects the strike is having on our educational community«, reinforcing their «willingness to resume dialogue with the union to reach an agreement».