Child Protection Service Officials Demand to Join Negotiations on Care Shift Pay: Call on Dipres to «Honor Its Commitment»

Original article: Funcionarios del Servicio de Protección a la Niñez exigen participar en negociación del pago por turnos de cuidado: Llaman a la Dipres a «cumplir su compromiso»

Officials from the Specialized Child Protection Service have formally requested to participate in government negotiations to establish the appropriate ‘shift allocation’ they receive for their extensive roles in the care of vulnerable homes.

This benefit, designed to compensate for the exhausting 12-hour rotating shifts, is enshrined in Law No. 21.806, and aims to address the loss of prior assignments following a ruling from the Comptroller’s office; however, its current implementation is under dispute.

In this context, although there have been prior meetings with the Budget Directorate (Dipres), the ongoing negotiations to ensure the calculation of this payment appear to have been conducted without input from the workers, as noted by the National Association of Officials of the Specialized Child Protection Service (Anfusepna).

The organization emphasizes the need for the final calculation of this legal tool to guarantee equity and support for those who protect the most vulnerable children in the country.

In a statement, the board mentioned that since the government proposal document has not yet been submitted to the General Comptroller’s office for their consideration, they are urging Dipres to fulfill its commitment to establish a technical working group prior to the final submission.

The goal of this request is to ensure that the officials who live and understand the shift system can provide their technical insights and observations before the decree is firmly established by the supervisory body.

Currently, the National Service for Specialized Child and Adolescent Protection operates direct management residences, where technical, professional, and direct care staff safeguard children and adolescents 24 hours a day.

The association states that the government’s final proposal must include all positions and ranks involved in functions under the 24-hour rotating shift system, ensuring equity criteria and recognizing the roles of health, food, security, and administrative technicians in these facilities that protect nearly 475 placements across 37 residences nationwide.

We will continue to provide updates.