On August 19, 2016, the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (REDLAD) issued an alert expressing concern about the Ecuadorian government’s arbitrary dissolution of the National Union of Educators (UNE). The Ecuador’s Education Ministry rescinded the union’s non-profit status, claiming that “it failed to disclose full information about its leadership.” The UNE is one of the largest teachers’ unions in Ecuador and had recently lodged a complaint with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Human Rights Committee. The complaint alleges that “the draft Act on the Civil Service, known in Spanish as LOSEP, violates international labor standards ratified by Ecuador,” and if passed, would deny workers their “collective bargaining rights.”

On August 25, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Ecuadorian cities to protest the discriminatory dissolution of the union. Since the protests, police have begun raiding UNE offices. At least two offices have had computers and documents confiscated by the authorities. Teachersolidarity, an independent website recording the global union struggles of teachers, has issued an analysis for those interested in learning more about the history of UNE’s struggle in Ecuador.