GUATEMALAN LABOR MINISTRY LAUNCHES ANTI-CORRUPTION

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 001193 SIPDIS DEPT PASS TO WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE DEPT FOR DRL/ILCSR DOL FOR CROMERO, PCHURCH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV KCRM KJUS PHUM KDEM GT SUBJECT: GUATEMALAN LABOR MINISTRY LAUNCHES ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN ¶1. On September 18, the Ministry of Labor officially launched a public campaign against corruption with the objective of improving transparency and public services. According to Minister of Labor Edgar Rodriguez, its primary objective will be to create a culture of transparency in the area of public administration, specifically within the Ministry of Labor. As part of its campaign, the Ministry has installed a hotline number for the public to report any suspicious or irregular activities among Ministry employees. It will display posters bearing the hotline number in the building housing its central offices and in all its regional offices. ¶2. Labor Minister Rodriguez noted that on August 8 he personally filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office when an employee of the Labor Inspectorate allegedly attempted to extort a company owner and his employee instead of delivering to them a "finiquito de relacion laboral" -- a document stating that all outstanding labor issues had been resolved. Rodriguez announced that the goal of the campaign is "zero corruption" in his Ministry, and called on citizens to put aside their fears and report all acts of corruption and irregular activities. ¶3. Comment: This initiative sets a precedent among Guatemala's public institutions and hopefully will prompt other institutions to take similar action to combat internal corruption and impunity. McFarland