He PIT-CNT managed to gather more than 430,000 signatures to enable the plebiscite against social security reform in Uruguay, even though the figures and sectors of importance and political weight that supported the initiative can be counted on the fingers of the hands. In that sense, the next stage will be the campaign itself for the “yes” to the constitutional reform in pension matters that they are promoting.
Criticism of the initiative of the union center that seeks to establish the retirement age at 60 years, tie the minimum pension amount to the minimum salary national and eliminate AFAP and profit are known and have made it possible to outline the wide spectrum of sectors that oppose the plebiscite, from the government itself – promoter of the social security reform that is now threatened – to sectors of the Wide Front with the main candidate for the presidency, Yamandu Orsi, among them.
But there are also those who support the constitutional reform or, at least, those who were in favor of the signature gathering campaign and the possibility of citizens choosing the future of the Uruguayan pension system at the polls.
Although all the PIT-CNT As a whole, it collected the necessary endorsements to enable the popular consultation; not all unions were in favor of the ballot. Among those who did vote positively were the Association of Social Security Workers (ATSS), the Association of Postal Officials of Uruguay (AFPU), private education workers (Sintep), the Ancap Federation (Fancap), the Federation of OSE Officials (Ffose), the gastronomic and hoteliers union (Sughu), UTE workers (AUTE), the Railway Unionthe Graphic Arts Union (SAG), as well as officials from the University of the Republic (Affur), those of Codicen (UFC), those of the National Institute of Colonization (Afinco), the Union of Workers of the Hospital de Clínicas (UTHC) and the Chemical Industry Workers Union (STIQ).
Political support
Likewise, and enabled by the “freedom of action” decided by the Political Table of the Frente Amplio, some parties of the left coalition openly expressed their agreement with the plebiscite against the social security reform. In that sense, the Communist Party and the Socialist Party They were among the first to position themselves behind the union initiative against the “neoliberal adjustment”; while also the People’s Victory Party (PVP) and Big house announced their support for the constitutional pension reform.
Among the political figures, meanwhile, the two Frente-Amplista candidates stood out, Carolina Cosse and Andres Lima. In the case of the mayor of Montevideo in use of the license, the signature was controversial and the product of great expectations due to the delay in the decision, and finally he signed the ballot with the objective that “the people can express themselves” regarding what they considered a “bad law.”
Now, with the accessions presented in the Electoral Court, Cosse puts on cold clothes and waits for the validation of the signatures and the official confirmation that in October there will be a plebiscite for the social security reform. “I believe that after the Court does the count, a discussion process will be opened again, and I will participate as a Frente Amplio. As a Frente Amplio I will abide by what the Frente Amplio decides,” he said, again without making a firm decision.
Lima, for its part, adopted a more decisive position in favor of the initiative of the union center and even participated in different instances of dissemination and monitoring of the signature campaign. Along the same lines, he celebrated the “feat” of PIT-CNT and assured that “it will be the people who decide the future of social security.”
The launch of the campaign
He plebiscite for the reform of the social Security driven by the PIT-CNT will begin its campaign this Wednesday, May 1—Worker’s Day—with an event by the union headquarters.
Taking advantage of the special date for the union universe—where, for example, last year they announced that they would move forward with a reduction in the working day; although the debate was displaced by issues of a more circumstantial nature—, the PIT-CNT It will kick off this second campaign, which will aim to publicize the constitutional reform initiative and achieve the greatest possible amount of support among citizens so that, in October, they can choose the ballot.
The event, which will take place on Avenida del Libertador and Valparaíso, will begin at ten in the morning and will end with a speech by the president of the union center, Marcelo Abdala.
Source: Ambito
