The salary agreement replicates the one signed on December 27, 2024 and already approved by the Ministry of Human Capital, which is headed by Sandra Pettovello. It consists of a 5% increase that is distributed in three sections:
Additionally, A bonus of $600,000 was agreed to be paid in four monthly installments of $150,000, corresponding to January, February, March and April. However, the key difference with other previous agreements is that this extraordinary bonus will be paid in a single installment and will not be remunerative, which represents a substantial improvement for workers in the sector.
The bonus will be deposited in the salary accounts of employees under collective bargaining agreement 40/89, as a complement to the January salary, and will only benefit the staff of the Water and Soft Drinks branch.
This agreement arises from the recognition of the efforts made by workers during 2024. In addition, the union organization headed by Hugo Moyano He highlighted that the bonus will not be computed in other legal or conventional items, as established in the third clause of the joint agreement of December 2024.
The twists and turns in salary negotiations
For their part, companies in the sector, such as Quilmes, CCU, Coca-Cola Femsa and Coca-Cola Reginald, accepted this payment to “preserve the climate of social peace“, although they warned that they could not assume higher salary increases that imply an increase in recurring labor costs.
This agreement came after a series of complications in previous negotiations, in which the truckers had requested a 15% increase for the December-February quarter (5% per month), proposal that had been rejected by the business chamber. The threat of forceful measures led to the intervention of the Ministry of Labor, which dictated mandatory conciliation, forcing an agreement between the parties.
During the process, Moyano highlighted that the businessmen recognized that the agreed wage increases would not affect prices, suggesting that the limitation of these increases came from the Ministry of Economy, in its fight against inflation. Finally, the joint venture was closed with a 5% increase for the quarter, under collective agreement 40/89.
Source: Ambito
