Driving a heavy transport is a complex task for which all the senses must be alert, as well as having the knowledge and specific professional training to act in unexpected circumstances and protect one’s own life, that of the people who are in the vehicle and those of everyone around.
It fits the analogy with who drives an airplane or a cargo ship: awareness of the environment and constant focus required, special training and knowledge of the route, preparation and planning, responsibility towards public safety and the environment, training and experience to anticipate challenges and mitigate risks. All this, to take the cargo to its destination, in a timely manner.
A large part of the goods used by Argentines -both families and industries- travel in trucks, as in many other countries in the world. To be precise, in Argentina 90% of cargo transport is mobilized in trucks. From cereals, construction materials and medicines, to food, fuel and technology (yes, hardware is also moved by truck).
The importance of the trucking community, therefore, is self-evident. And just as driving a truck requires analysis, awareness and focus, we can also apply it to what is happening in the country and the impact that this can have on the lives of workers in all industries.
Some media outlets have reiterated that diplomatic and government circles are discussing the possibility of Argentina being included in the BRICS, an economic-commercial association made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Presented as a formal entity with the potential to provide hypothetical economic benefits for Argentina, we must stop to analyze the impact that it could have on our system in general and, in particular, on our labor structure.
Taking as an example the performances in these 15 years since the BRICS was created in 2008, a first effect could be an eventual economic growth at the cost of the reduction of labor rights.
Precisely in this context, it is worth asking: How could the declared “business cooperation”, one of the essential elements of this economic-commercial association, be carried out if the recognition of labor rights is considerably different between Argentina and other BRICS countries? This is a clear limitation of action in one of the main objectives of the organism.
There is a very important trade union cultural difference between the BRICS members. In Argentina, unions have considerable weight in the country’s economic and labor decisions, while in some BRICS members unions are relegated, at best, to the background. Sometimes not even that.
We are also faced with a probable incompatibility of principles. In Argentina, the values of freedom and equality -“En Unión y Libertad”- are rooted in society; unions have a voice and workers have access to basic inalienable rights, unlike certain BRICS member countries. I do not even allow myself here to emphasize the topic of social mobility, a characteristic that Argentine society can still continue to show with a certain pride, which has no place in some BRICS members.
On the other hand, from the economic point of view, we could simply find ourselves in a weak position when it comes to negotiating within this economic-commercial association, since Argentina would represent the smallest economy in this entity, together with South Africa. With the aggravating circumstance that, by joining the BRICS, Argentina would be competing directly with some of the members of the same group in key areas for our country, such as natural resources, food and energy.
Incidentally, it should also be remembered that none of the BRICS countries have adopted the workload reduction scheme, of which so much is currently talked about. Let us agree that, on this subject, the results are not very clear either. The countries that have begun to apply the measure to reduce the workload are members of the European Union or belong to the European Economic Area and have consolidated and developed economies. There are still not enough statistics to make a precise assessment of the convenience of this measure. The doubts that arise are many and analogous to the case of France, which began to reduce working hours in 2000 and where they are still debating whether it is worth it or not.
In summary and beyond the beautiful speeches, to concretely improve the economic results of the country -exports, generation of foreign currency, predictability for companies and security for workers- there is no need for membership in an additional economic-commercial association (we are already in Mercosur), which can freely attach geopolitical connotations that are not necessarily favorable to us.
When it comes to trade agreements, we already have them with our beloved Brazilian brothers, also with South Africa (in an important South-South relationship) and India, the new giant. Trade with China continues to grow steadily. And today Russia is publicly a sensitive world issue that, from our position as Argentines, must be dealt with strategically and prudently, for the convenience of our country.
We can trade with these and many other nations, without the need to overreact or rush into geostrategic decisions that are not essential for the prosperity of our people.
For this reason, in order to avoid further economic and social accidents, we once again invite the national leadership to proceed in driving the country, as when driving a heavy transport: “all senses must be alert, as well as having with the knowledge and specific professional training to act in unexpected circumstances and protect their own lives, those of the people in the vehicle and those of everyone around them”.
Source: Ambito
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