Buenos Aires, February 4 (NA) – More than 35 industrial unions have rejected the labor reform project promoted by the Government, warning that the rules are being changed so that "workers lose out".
With the presence of Senator Mariano Recalde, Deputy Vanesa Siley, and labor lawyer Álvaro Ruiz, the unions grouped in the Coordinator of Industrial Unions of the Argentine Republic (CSIRA) questioned during a meeting held last Tuesday at the SMATA headquarters that the project will have a strong impact on labor rights, the role of trade union organizations, and the health system.
"It's all lies to believe that these labor reforms generate employment," stated Recalde and explained that "with the cheapening of labor, unemployment grew, and paradoxically, at the moment when Argentina had double compensation, that's when the most employment was created."
In this sense, the speakers agreed that the official initiative seeks "to weaken trade associations and strengthen business power" and that some of its provisions "are contrary to our Constitution." They also criticized that the project attempts to "limit the right to strike to take away from workers a tool for action and pressure."
The "hard line" of the Government maintains the position of reducing the Profit Tax despite the resistance of the governors.
For her part, Siley emphasized that the reform "facilitates layoffs, it does not create jobs" and stated that "we know the country we want, with more industries, with social justice, with an upward social mobility that restores the worker's dignity and respects all their rights."
Furthermore, during the exchange, it was denounced that the initiative proposes to remove 1% of the contributions to social works, which would mean "damaging the health of workers."
"Social works are already in agony with the terrible costs of medicine and drugs, to now add a new blow to their revenue," they expressed.
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For his part, labor lawyer Álvaro Ruiz stated that with this reform "they want to kill the National Labor Court and reduce it to a simple neighborhood justice" and added that "the creation of employment has to do with the expansion of the economy and the economic model, and not with labor laws."
The event was closed by the SMATA leader Mario Manrique, who warned that "this government wants to break the backbone of Peronism and it won't be able to, because it will find us all united defending the rights of workers."
"You will not see workers on their knees, they have plenty of courage and dignity," he said. "We also send a message to the governors: be careful, workers vote too," concluded Manrique to the applause of those present.
According to what the Argentine News Agency could find out, the members of the CSIRA's Board of Directors participated in the meeting, including Ricardo Pignanelli (SMATA), Héctor Ponce (ATILRA), Pablo Flores (AEFIP), Gerardo Martínez (UOCRA), Pedro Peguer and Marta Graña (UATRE), among others.
CSIRA brings together more than 30 industrial unions from across the country and aims to defend national production and employment against adjustment policies, denouncing a process of "induced deindustrialization" and the closure of thousands of industrial SMEs.
