The Chamber of Fisheries Industries of Uruguay (ICPU) and the Chamber of Fishing Shipowners of Uruguay (CAPU) denounced through a public communication that the fishing activity It becomes unviable outside of the months known as “zafra” between May and August.
The representatives demand that their complaints be attended to by the authorities, at the same time that they decided to denounce the salary agreement with the unions in the sector. “At the time of issuing this statement, of the 54 vessels that make up the Uruguayan industrial fleet, only 6 have gone to sea, with no prospect of the other 48 setting sail or even that, once they have returned, the 6 operational ships will set sail again,” they noted in the statement.
Around 3,000 people are affected by this situation, reported by the business sector.
A long-standing crisis
During the month of December 2023, the chambers presented the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, National Directorate of Aquatic Resources, National Naval Prefecture, National Administration of Ports and State Insurance Bank various notes pointing out the issues to be resolved by each of these State agencies, without a response to date,” the statement stated. .
Thus, in December the collective agreements signed with the three unions in the sector, an aspect that deepened the problem. “Today it is a situation that companies or the majority of companies have decided not to go fishing due to the very high costs that we have of all kinds, such as subsidized retirement, which we understand is not appropriate. And if appropriate, it should be about the fictits, not about the total nominal salaries,” he told Area Juan Riva, president of the Chamber of Fisheries Industries.
And he added: “There are also employer contributions of 13% of the wage bill, that have represented overpayments exceeding 40 million dollars since 2010, premiums from B.S.E. 11% for all staff and other problems.”
“Another cost we have is the Insurance Bank. We also pay an extraordinarily high rate of 11 percent, one of the highest premiums in the Insurance Bank, if not the highest today, more than three times what a similar industry should pay or that a similar industry pays,” he said. Riva.
At the same time, he mentioned “the issue of fuels, that today have approached historical levels, but are still a little high” and stated: “The electric power, In general, we are all big consumers and pay the standard normal rates. “We are asking for the situation of some advantage in this input.”
“Businessmen in the sector want to work and we want the fishing move forward, but we need the country to stop playing against the sector and establish conditions for its development, as it has done with other sectors of the economy,” concluded the business spokesperson.
A meaningless investment?
Business representatives also warned that the probable inauguration of the Capurro fishing port, scheduled for April of this year, with an investment of 100 million dollars, it could “make no sense” if the situation remains unviable.
They affirm the same regarding the investment planned by the Ministry of National Defense, of 82 million dollars, which plans to build two ships of ocean patrol
Source: Ambito
