SA’S natural ally in radical economic transformation

Spotlight

Legislation was passed stipulating their rights to overtime pay for work over eight hours a day, to a pension, and a minimum wage. The minimum monthly salary of a domestic worker before the Citizens’ Revolution in 2007 was $160; it is now $370 (R5 000) a month.

On top of this, employers must provide social security and transport. This well exceeds what South African employers are expected to provide for their domestic workers.

The Correa government also introduced “Schools of the Millennium” which saw thousands of children leave the streets to attend school. The net enrolment rate in basic education rose from 92% to 96% in just eight years. The salaries of teachers were also improved.

Ecuador also invested more in higher education than any other country in Latin America.

In terms of the health sector, over one decade the government established 21 new hospitals and ensured a drastic improvement in the number of consultations – going from 16 million in 2006 to 38 million in 2015.

Ecuador has managed to achieve the lowest rate of unemployment in Latin America and is considered one of the countries on the continent to have the most reduced level of inequality.

A significant aspect of the Citizen Revolution is stability and economic growth. Despite the crisis of world capitalism, Ecuador’s gross domestic product grew on average 3.9% between 2007 and 2015, compared with 2.9% in Latin America.

This allowed the government to allocate 9% of GDP to public investment.

It is not only at home that Ecuador is pursuing progressive policies, but in global forms as well.

It has drafted a treaty for the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Human Rights and Transnationals, which South Africa is supporting.

Ecuador will present a draft of what is to be a legally binding treaty to the Human Rights Council in October.

At a time when South Africa should give its full support to Ecuador’s Citizen Revolution, our lack of an embassy in the country has meant we are not on top of developments.

Even worse, South Africa has an Ecuadorian honorary consul in the capital Quito, Rene Ortiz, who has gone to great lengths on a number of occasions to undermine and criticise that government.

Ortiz recently wrote in a newspaper article that “the Ecuadorian state would not comply with the agreement reached within the framework of Opec and the negotiation was not the most appropriate.”

The government reacted strongly: “Ortiz’s comments do not respond to reality, and do not conform to the courtesy and respect that a diplomatic agent must have for the national authorities.”

The Ecuadorian government also said it took pride in meeting its international commitments.

In a spirit of south-south co-operation we must ensure we provide solidarity with a country that has proven it is there to serve its people.