After the expiration of the mandatory conciliation and the lack of a collective agreement between the union and the business chambers, the conflict persists in public passenger transport in Argentina. According to sources from Noticias Argentinas, the negotiation stagnated after the transport chambers offered three non-remunerative payments to the Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA).
The proposal of $40,000 to be paid on May 26, $50,000 on June 16, and $70,000 on July 15 was rejected by the UTA, which considers this offer insufficient and remains firm in its demand for a basic salary of $1,700,000. In response, the delegates' body of the UTA in various areas urged the National Directive Council of the union to call for an indefinite strike.
In a statement, union representatives expressed their concern about the loss of purchasing power and the need for a prompt response to their salary demands. They also emphasized the urgency of activating a plan of action that includes measures of force until a satisfactory salary recomposition is achieved.
If there are no advances in the negotiations with the Ministry of Economy and the Labor Secretariat, the UTA plans to confirm the strike in the coming hours. The Government is in a critical situation, seeking to avoid the strike of buses announced by the union, which could affect transport in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires starting Tuesday, May 6, also impacting medium-distance services.
In light of the imminent conflict, the Government is evaluating various options to intervene and reach an agreement that avoids the interruption of public transport service and harm to millions of passengers at the beginning of the workweek.
