to pay them, something the unions rejected. Organizers say that the walk-off, which includes marches and rallies in urban centers, will last until back pay is given. Current President Luis Guillermo Solís, who "inherit[ed]" the issue, expressed support for the walk-off. Teachers immediately met with the new Minister of Education, Sonia Marta Mora, but failed to come to an agreement. Solís' administration came to an agreement with Costa Rican banks that plans for 13,600 teachers to receive back pay, as well as making arrangements for teachers to pay their debts, mortgages, and so forth. In the third week of the strike, other unions threatened to turn the education strike into a general strike and in the fourth week, unions met with members of the Catholic Church, including Archbishop José Rafael Quirós, in order to help them find common ground with the government. With the church, the unions came up with a proposal to have the Ministry of Education cancel the new system for depositing money into bank accounts and have all teachers register in order to receive their back-pay. The new Minister of Education said that negotiations would not occur until the teachers returned to their classes; however, a day later, the agreement was approved, allowing teachers to return. List of labor unions References Labor in Costa Rica