Thousands of public school teachers and healthcare workers launched a nationwide strike in Honduras on Monday amid ongoing labor and salary disputes with the government.

The protest action led to the suspension of classes in public schools and disrupted medical services at government-run healthcare facilities across the Central American country.

Union representatives said the strike was called in response to unresolved demands related to working conditions, salary adjustments and other labor concerns affecting employees in the education and health sectors.

As a result of the walkout, thousands of students were unable to attend classes, while patients faced delays and interruptions in medical care at public hospitals and clinics.

The strike represents one of the largest coordinated labor actions in recent months and highlights growing tensions between public sector workers and the Honduran government over employment conditions and compensation.

Authorities have not yet announced when normal operations in schools and healthcare facilities are expected to resume, while negotiations between union leaders and government officials remain ongoing.

Argentina and Panama have joined Ecuador among the world’s 10 worst countries for workers’ rights, according to a report released Monday by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The three Latin American nations appear alongside Belarus, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tunisia and Turkey in the latest edition of the Global Rights Index, which evaluates the protection of labor rights around the world.

According to the ITUC, Argentina entered the list this year after being downgraded to Category 5, marking its second consecutive year of declining ratings.

“Argentina joins the list of the 10 worst countries for workers this year after falling to Category 5, following a second consecutive year of deterioration in its rating,” the organization stated.

The report argues that working conditions and the environment for trade unions have become increasingly restrictive under the administration of President Javier Milei.

“Conditions for workers and trade unions have become increasingly repressive and hostile under the far-right government of President Javier Milei,” the study said.

The ITUC also highlighted Argentina’s implementation of an anti-blockade protocol aimed at maintaining public order during road blockades. According to the report, the measure authorizes what it describes as the indiscriminate use of police force.

The organization noted that Argentina’s rating has worsened for a second consecutive year, placing the country in Category 5, the lowest level assigned in the index and the worst rating Argentina has ever received.

“This represents an abrupt and unprecedented decline from Category 3 to Category 5 in just two years,” the report stated.

Category 5 includes countries where workers’ rights are considered “not guaranteed.” According to the ITUC, the downgrade reflects a shift from recurring labor rights violations to a situation in which workers are no longer assured basic protections.

The annual index assesses issues such as freedom of association, collective bargaining rights, the right to strike and legal protections for workers and trade unions.

The report’s findings place renewed international attention on labor conditions in several countries, particularly in Latin America, where Argentina, Panama and Ecuador now rank among the most challenging environments for workers’ rights.

Honduras marked National Tree Day on Saturday amid growing concerns over the future of its forests, as a new study warned that the country’s woodland cover could disappear within the next 21 years if current rates of deforestation continue.

The report, released by the Institute for Justice in partnership with the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), projects that Honduras could lose all of its forests by 2045 if the average annual forest loss recorded between 2022 and 2024, estimated at 2.25%, remains unchanged.

“If we continue with the same forest loss trend observed from 2022 to 2024, Honduran forests will disappear in 21 years, by 2045,” the study states. It adds that if the longer-term trend recorded since 2013, averaging 0.66% annually, persists, the country’s forests could vanish by 2094.

Illegal and legal logging, forest fires, and pest infestations were identified as some of the main factors contributing to the degradation of thousands of hectares of forest across the Central American nation.

According to various sources cited in the report, between 60,000 and 80,000 hectares are affected by forest fires each year. Many of these blazes are believed to be human-caused, with the study estimating that eight out of every ten forest fires in Honduras result from deliberate actions.

The departments of Francisco Morazán, Olancho, and Colón were highlighted as the areas with the highest levels of logging activity. Large trucks transporting pine logs to sawmills are a common sight on major highways in these regions, while the harvesting of valuable hardwood species also continues to put pressure on forest resources.

The report comes as Honduras experiences one of its most severe wildfire seasons in recent years. Authorities attribute part of the increase in fires to extreme heat linked to climate change, with temperatures reaching as high as 42 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.

Honduras covers approximately 112,492 square kilometers, with more than half of its territory classified as forested land, making forest conservation a critical environmental challenge for the nation.