Page 41 of 46 Trade unions meeting the statutory minimum membership could engage in collective bargaining. If no trade union was present in an enterprise, the law allowed associations of five or more workers to engage in collective bargaining. Unions said that this allowed employers to bypass unions and bargain with smaller and less powerful associations, undermining efforts to organize genuine unions. Only trade unions could call strikes. Any such decision could be made by at least one-half of the union’s active registered members. The law permitted trade unions to convene meetings digitally. Under the law a decision to strike could not be made if members of a union were not provided a virtual means to take part in the discussion and vote. Courts could declare a strike illegal and abusive if there was a risk of financial ruin for the enterprise and if the principle of proportionality was violated. Public utility and transportation workers had to give four days’ notice before a strike; privatesector workers had to give 24 hours’ notice. The law mandated minimum staffing of one third during strikes affecting critical public services such as hospitals, mass transportation, and sanitation. If calling a strike, a union had to defend the right of employees who did not take part to travel freely to and from work without hindrance or threat of corporal or psychological violence. If this clause was violated, the strike could be suspended. On April 14, media reported courts declared several strikes unlawful and abusive, including by five different unions and associations of unions. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor