The conflict between the companies and the metal workers was deepened this Tuesday with the realization of a new unemployment, the third so far this year, and a mobilization massive through the center of the city of Bell, demanding a salary increase. The measure of force will extend until Thursday.
The workers of the main sections of the province of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe They demonstrated in front of the company plant Tenaris, belonging to the group Techint, and then they moved through the center of the Buenos Aires city of Campana, due to the lack of joint agreement between the union of the Metallurgical Workers Union and the firms in the sector.
The mobilization adopted this Tuesday takes place within the framework of a 72 hour strength measure which will end on Thursday. It’s about the third strike of the guild that leads Abel Furlan in the same number of weeks, after the 24-hour strike implemented at the beginning of the month and its 48-hour replica the following week.
It is worth remembering that the steel sector is one of the hardest hit by the decision of the Government of Javier Milei to paralyze the public work, which had a strong impact on the demand for construction supplies. The drop in activity in the automotive sector also had a negative impact on metallurgical companies.
One of the first symptoms of the current economic recession occurred at the end of February, when Acindar, one of the largest steel companies in the country and part of the Arcelor Mittal Group, announced its decision to stop production at its four plants located in the country. for a month, starting at the end of March.
The UOM will continue with forceful measures in wage demands
The former deputy and current head of the UOM, Abel Furlán, He gave his insight into the difficult situation that metal workers are going through. “Since December we have been discussing our joint agreement and we could not reach an agreement. For ninety days we were patient”he said in dialogue with the program Pasaron Cosas de Radio con Vos.
“We are not going to be meek when it comes to defending what we have to defend,” Furlán continued. and accused the companies of denying workers the possibility of making up the lost salary “because they have the decision to accompany the current government in making salaries lose purchasing power.”
Along these lines, Furlán also fired against the Government for limiting the joint agreement. “The Ministry of Labor, for 30 days, has been telling us that they are not going to approve anything that is higher than 12%,” he denounced. On March 25, representatives of workers and companies will meet again in a new joint meeting to try to reach an agreement to unblock the conflict.
Paolo Rocca warned about the effects of unemployment
Low profile, the businessman Paolo Rocca, Group CEO Techint, He spoke this Tuesday with the Campana Noticias portal regarding the conflict and expressed his concern about its worsening.
“The strike affects the company’s relationship with its clients, but also the workers’ families. For those who complied with these three days of strike, it represents a substantial loss. We are talking about $240,000 between presenteeism and days of work in an average salary. AND It’s something that doesn’t help anyone.“, he claimed.
Furthermore, he considered that they are currently “at the peak of a very significant crisiswhere it is crucial export and continue our operations to preserve employment”, so he did not hide his concern about the measure: “Unemployment worries me. At this moment in the country and the company, it worries me a lot.”
Source: Ambito
