Union members from the steelworkers, trade and banking industries met with the government yesterday to agree on a 24% wage increase.

Government meeting at Casa Rosada

The agreed wage hike is in line with Argentina’s rising inflation, which independent economists have estimated to be 23.7% over the last 12 months.

According to the government site, approximately 250,000 workers will receive a 17% increase from 1st April, and an additional 7% from 1st July. A one-off bonus of $1,400 will be paid to workers in two instalments in November this year and in January next year.

The unions representing Building Supervisors and Sanitary Public Workers agreed on a higher wage increase of 33% and 30% respectively.

Labour unions and business leaders have been in talks with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the cabinet throughout the week to agree on a deal that was in line with the unions’ expectations.

Francisco Gutiérrez, a member of the board of directors of the UOM metalworkers union, has today publicly praised the agreement reached with the government, calling it “realistic and objective”.

“This improvement responds to workers’ needs and on the other hand, we understand it was reached in a specific context of the country’s economic turbulence,” he added.

Talking to Radio Del Plata, Carlos Tomada, Argentine minister of labour, employment, and social security, went on to say that “this is very positive and happens in a moment when many young people are being incorporated to the metal industry.

“There has been a great rationality and a strong commitment to maintaining the purchasing power of wages, and at the same time, the sustainability of economic growth.”

Among the unions that agreed to the 24% hike were the AB banking Association, the Commerce Union, and the UOM Metals Workers Union.

The Teachers’ Union Front (FGD) rejected the wage increase proposed by Daniel Scioli, governor of Buenos Aires province, and began a two-day strike on Monday. The proposal was an increase of 17.8% and the union was looking for an increase of 30%.

Roberto Baradel, president of the Unified Union of Educational Workers in Buenos Aires (SUTEBA) holds a press conference to declare a 48 hour strike. (Photo courtesy of PRENSA SUTEBA)

Roberto Baradel, president of the Unified Union of Educational Workers in Buenos Aires (SUTEBA), said the teachers are willing to resolve the conflict quickly but that it will require cooperation from the provincial authorities.

“It is a measure of force and I have to say that we are sorry to see it come to this situation, because this is not what we were looking for, and we tried to do everything necessary to avoid it,” he said.

“The previous semester was very bad for the province of Buenos Aires,” he added. “There were cuts in busing and school lunches.”

The proposed 17.8% increase would have come in three stages. The initial increase of 12% would have taken place in March, a 2.9% increase would come in September and another 2.9% would take place in December.

It was deemed by Scioli’s government to be “the best proposal we can afford.”

“I believe that these negotiations will be much more difficult than last year because the political context has changed,” secretary general of the Buenos Aires Federation of Educators (FEB) Mirta Petrocini said.

The Argentine national government confirmed this morning that it will not reopen wage negotiations over teacher salaries despite today’s strike.

Alberto Sileoni, the federal minister of education explained, “We cannot reopen the national wage negotiations. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we had one month to debate the issue.”

Education Minister taking questions (Photo: Courtesy Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social)

Due to continued disagreement over teachers’ wages, many schools have not reopened as scheduled today, barring about seven million students from restarting class. In fact, schools are only open across seven out of Argentina’s 24 provinces. The teachers from the unopened schools are currently striking in hopes that the national wage benchmark will be lifted from the decided increase of 22%.

In Argentina, teachers’ wage standards are based on a non-binding national benchmark and are implemented on a provincial level.

The main teachers’ union, the Confederation of Education Workers of Argentina (CTERA) has been vocal throughout the labour dispute. The group’s leader, Stella Maldonado, commented that today’s strike is a “political strike,” because, “what we are discussing is a very political question, as it has to do with the state collecting funds and how it distributes its resources.” She asserted that that the wage discussions in fact, “are not discussions at all.”

Maldonado further stated that Buenos Aires province governor Daniel Scioli “has made the education crisis worse… with incorrect methods and weak, defective management.”

The current teachers’ strike includes suspension of all duties and is anticipated to last from this morning until Wednesday. The strike has been endorsed by five national workers’ unions, CTERA, the Union of Argentine Teachers (UDA), the Association of Technical Teachers (AMET), the Confederation of Argentine Educators (CEA) and the Argentine Union of Private School Teachers (SADOP) in rejection of the newly established increment to increase wages of 22%. It is the second major teachers’ strike under current president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Protesting members of the Coast Guard have abandoned their encampment at the Coast Guard building as of yesterday, whilst only a handful of Gendarmarie members remain at theirs in front of the Centinela building, revealing flagging strength in protests over wage cuts. Officers have conducted a ‘quasi-strike’ since 2^nd and 3^rd October, respectively. The ebbing of protests comes after the government rejected an alternative proposal issued by both security forces on 4^th October.

Members of both forces have also received orders to remain at their posts indefinitely until released by their superiors. Gendarme Raúl Maza, a spokesman for the protesters, said, “They have people locked into their respective posts”. Coast Guard officers also received warnings of possible disciplinary action for blocking Avenida Medrano yesterday and for fights that broke out during protests.

For their part, those gendarmes who remain at the Centinela building resolve to continue their campaign, saying, “We may have lost a battle, but that does not mean that we have lost the war”.

Cabinet Head Abal Medina warned that protests must stop because the forces could no longer sustain absences and maintained that the government had resolved the issues at hand concerning wages. “The great majority of members of both forces are going to see an immense improvement in their situations, not just because they will receive concrete salary increases, but also because the salary will be lucrative and discountable”.

Although government officials refused to acquiesce to protesters’ alternative proposal, Head of the Advisory Cabinet to the Ministry of Security Raúl Garré did resign yesterday. Garré was responsible for implementing Decree 1307, which included the wage reductions, and is widely believed to have designed it as well.

Pablo Moyano, assistant secretary of the truck driver’s union today announced surprise strikes across the country after a breakdown of wage talks.

Pablo, son of Hugo Moyano, head of General Confederation of Labour (CGT), announced the surprise strikes speaking in a press conference today.

He said meetings would be called to discuss a plan of action after the Cargo Logistics Chamber refused to increase wages by 30%. Unions are also asking for employers to provide a sum between $3-4 million for compensation for income tax, and remove the cap on the collection of family allowances.

Moyano also criticised businesses for not listening to workers demands, but claimed he was “open to dialogue” with those involved.

“We will start with meetings and then we will make surprise strikes,” said Pablo Moyano, claiming hour-long meetings and surprise strikes will take place across 15 cargo loads.

“It is better for them to agree now, before it is too late,” he said, citing newspapers, magazines, food, rubbish collection and fuel as amenities that could be affected.

He also criticised the government’s role in the process, claiming, “the government does not speak about inflation in order to cover some things up. Not everything is rosy like they are trying to make out.”

Buenos Aires’ city center is clogged with several large protests today, as demonstrations led by more than 60 self-managed cooperatives and factories navigate around each other, cutting into the street of 9 de Julio.

The groups are demanding the reversal of a budget cut that was imposed on self-managed work programs.

Alfredo Uriarte, a worker for the Brukman textile factory, told Clarin that after this protest they will “march to Corrientes to the Labor Ministry”.

Uriarte said the groups are protesting the cutting of $600 of welfare they used to be given monthly.

“December was the last time we received it,” he said.

Another protest led by public hospital doctors from Buenos Aires is further congesting the city streets today, as the doctors have situated themselves at the House of the Province of Buenos Aires at Callao 200 to demand higher wages.

La Nacion reported that just one hour later, state employees mobilized around the Ministry of Finance at the intersection of avenues 9 de Julio and Avenida de Mayo to ask for a 35% pay increase.

Clarin reported that protests will likely have difficulties navigating around each other today, both for of the sheer volume of demonstrators, and also because of the heat.

The Bolivian Worker’s Centre (COB) accepted an agreement of an eight point increase with the government on Monday. As a result they suspended their indefinite strike and demonstrations.

Under the agreement, the government and the COB agreed to an 11% wage increase for teachers and health workers. This increase could reach 12% if a source for funding can be established without generating a fiscal deficit.

The workers’ union announced that it would form committees to oversee the compliance of all the points of agreement. It also requested that the government requests the right to strike.

The agreements which were reached are related to the trade union, the reactivation of production apparatus and an annulment of the Decree 21060.

The decree is challenged by the unions for disregarding the public sector in the nation’s economy.

In addition, the government pledged to restructure the National Health Fund.

Also, steps were agreed to ensure food security, alongside the inclusion of laws of public and municipal officials in the new constitution.

The Bolivian government had initially announced an increase of 10%, however, the central union has maintained a demand for 15% since last week.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of AMARC-ALC.

In an unexpected meeting last night, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s government agreed a 24% wage increase for the union of truck drivers, led by Hugo Moyano, head of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT).

President Fernández received Moyano and the leader of the Federation of Businessmen of trucking (FADEEAC), Luis Morales, at the Casa Rosada.

After the meeting, Labour Minister Carlos Tomada announced that the parties agreed to an increase of 24% in three installments, starting from next July.

Tomada said the truck drivers’ union and business representatives agreed on a raise of 12% in July, 6% in November, and another 6% in March 2012, adding that the increases will not be cumulative.

In addition, the negotiators agreed on a clause linked to additional remuneration during the holiday period, which will be set at 69 pesos a day.

The Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) announced a work stoppage for 48 hours with demonstrations on 21st and 22nd March. The protest is to reject the 10% wage increase decreed by the government.

The workers are demanding the repeal of Supreme Decree 809, which provides wage increases of 10%. They are calling for government to genuinely revive national productivity.

The COB is demanding wages increase by 30% because of the high inflation that exists in the country.

Union leaders felt that the government unilaterally imposed the salary increase, so the measure was rejected.

They also rejected the announced integration of all health funds to the unified health system. They saw the move as “curtailing the autonomy of administrative and financial management of short-term security”.

Pedro Montes, executive secretary of the COB, announced that Wednesday 23rd there will be a delegate meeting to assess the strike.

Octavio Urquizo, Secretary of Transportation for the COB, said the dialogue with the government should be directly with the president, Evo Morales, because “the ministers have lost credibility”.

Ten days ago the Bolivian president declared a wage increase of 10% for the areas of teaching, health, armed forces and police. He also implemented a 20% increase to the minimum wage

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of Amarc-Alc

The main workers’ union in Uruguay (PIT-CNT) held a five hour strike yesterday, demanding higher salaries and reform of the Amnesty Law.

This is the fifth strike that the union has organised since José Mujica became president in March this year.

The PIT-CNT said, “Since the current government came to power,” they had noticed “progress and also contradictions with proposals for the country” that the union is behind.

The union also called for “a better distribution of wealth” and “a bigger rise in wages” proportionate to economic growth in the country.

The strike was also called to ask senators to approve the draft amnesty law which will “put an end to impunity” for those responsible for human rights violations during the dictatorship (1973-1985)”.

Union member Washington Beltrán said that those people working to keep the current law “are with the murderers, torturers and the failings of previous governments”.

The current amnesty law has since 1986 prevented military personnel and members of the police from being put on trial for human rights violations committed during the country’s military dictatorship.

At the beginning of November, the supreme court in Uruguay declared the law unconstitutional in case against the ex de facto president, Juan María Bordaberry.

The senate are debating a law proposed by the ruling Frente Amplio party which aims to repeal the current amnesty law.

The law would supersede the rule of impunity and already has the initial approval of the House of Representatives. The difficulty will come when the Senate comes to vote as three ruling coalition legislators refuse to support it.

Story courtesy of Agencia Pulsar, a news agency run by AMARC-ALC network of community radios.