April 11, 1997

WORKER EXPELLED FROM JOB FOR REFUSING TO DIVORCE HER HUSBAND, AS DEMANDED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

HAVANA, April 11, 1997 (BPIC).

- Berta Vexidor Vazquez, Certified in Accounting and Finance since 1985, who held a teaching position at the University in the municipality of Las Tunas, was fired effective March 31, when she refused to accept an ultimatum. In the information received from Lic. Ramon Olaz Castillo, the professor's husband, who is algo a delegate for the Democratic Solidarity Party in this region, it shows that, in the Dean's Resolution No. 1797, signed by Engineer Jose Musa Simon, the university's dean, states that the permanent firing was ratified by the first vote, on the firing of Vexidor Vazquez from the institution, according to Article 1 of Law Decree 34. The source states that the reason given for the firing was that the worker had shown problems in her marriage without explaining the motives, as stated. Further in the document it states: "the worker has not shown the needed intransigence and combativeness that she demonstrated before, which earned her many awards, incentives, added responsibilities and the title of party militant, therefore it is obvious that she's being subjected to external influences, which, without a doubt, will be an obstacle for the formation of the generations of pupils which the country seeks to see graduate", concluded the paragraph. "I was fired myself as a psychologist at the psychiatric hospital in the same jurisdiction, on August 15, 1996, said Olaz Castillo, and he added that, for over 6 months, they led a life of make-believe divorced couple so that my wife wouldn't be fired from her job. This involuntary separation from the job means that we will have to take one of the children out of the semi-internship school and our smallest child out of kindergarten", and Castillo concluded, "before my wife was expelled, she led a group of professionals who were researching the derivatives of sugar cane" ended the statement by Olaz Castillo.

Reported and Transmitted by Luis Lopez Prendes, BPIC.


Translated for CubaNet by Lourdes Arriete