Buenos Aires, January 20 (NA) – The Crane Operators' Union rejected the government's labor reform project on Tuesday and warned of the 'destructive effect' it would have on union social works and the health system as a whole. In a statement, General Secretary Roberto Coria questioned the content of the project and warned of its social and health consequences. According to the union leader, the reform constitutes 'a draft proposal for absolute regression whose purpose is to dismantle the protective framework of labor relations in Argentina'. In this sense, he stated that the project contradicts the National Constitution and the international labor and social rights treaties ratified by the country, 'by promoting the weakening of trade unionism and collective bargaining'. For the leader, this scheme is functional for 'a return to a pre-constitutional model, with contempt for workers and the social state of law'. Among the most critical points, he mentioned the reduction of employer contributions, changes to the monotributo regime, the lack of definitions on the financing and control of high-cost medicines and treatments, and 'the omission of the distorted indemnity cost due to labor litigation'. In this context, Coria detailed that the reduction of the employer contribution from 6% to 5% implies a relative decrease of 16.7% on that component of revenue, which directly impacts the per capita funding of the system. 'The project does not contemplate compensatory mechanisms, stabilization funds, or impact assessments that would allow absorbing these losses without affecting the financing of benefits,' he stated. 'We will fight on all fronts in the Justice system and in the Legislative Power, but above all, on the streets, mobilizing and resisting in every workplace,' he concluded. As revealed by the Argentine News Agency, the CGT will reactivate its strategy to mitigate the content of the labor reform project and will visit governors to convince them not to support the initiative through their legislators, or to push for changes in the articles most rejected by the union movement.
