Buenos Aires, December 17 (NA) – The Secretary of Labor, Julio Cordero, affirmed this Wednesday that the labor reform project preserves the 'essential rights of workers' and highlighted that it seeks to return 'power' to the 'employer'. Cordero expressed this during the joint committee meeting of Labor and Social Security and Budget and Finance, chaired by Senator and head of the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Patricia Bullrich. Cordero referred to the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, and then focused on defending the text in a short introductory presentation that began after 11 a.m. and extended into the afternoon. After a series of back-and-forths, the CGT goes to the Senate over the labor reform. 'The bill is balanced. Work is a right and it cannot be erased from the worker with the stroke of a pen due to litigation.' According to Cordero, the changes that the ruling party intends to make in the matter were, in his opinion, distorted by a sector of the opposition: 'The other changes that were mentioned are interpretations that have deviated and lead to a solution that paralyzes hiring,' he stated. 'Indeed, labor laws create jobs,' he said and asked: 'Is it clear that the labor relationship already includes all the labor rights of the employment contract?' 'Work exists in Argentina and is valuable, and when it does not have the characteristics of the legislation, it must be considered as self-employed,' he said and continued: 'There is no detriment to work. It was analyzed for a long time and was prepared with a request from Sandra Pettovello to preserve the essential rights. This project preserves the essential rights of workers,' he said. The official affirmed that 'for a person to work, someone has to hire them.' 'The labor relationship already has all those rights.' And he insisted that 'there is no detriment to anything. It is not thought for large companies,' he highlighted. At the end of Cordero's speech, which was seconded at the table by Daniela Ramos, Undersecretary of Industrial Policy of the Ministry of Economy, the presentation of another panel with guests from the industrial sector, SMEs, and business chambers was expected. Subsequently, at 7 p.m., and as anticipated by the Argentine News Agency, the CGT representatives will present to expose their position of rejection to the norm. The start of the meeting, which was held in the Blue Room of the Congress, was marred by a prior crossfire between José Mayans, leader of the Peronist bloc, and Bullrich, over the composition of the committees. 'We return power to the employer.' 'It aims so that when the time comes (for a departure or dismissal), SMEs have the financial possibility to face this for the benefit of the worker. What we seek is to encourage that the burdens are not so strong that they lead people to work irregularly. Irregularity is not good.' 'Imposition is not part of the freedom of contracting; and the freedom of contracting must have clear rules that allow for promotion, and not a stagnation,' he reflected. With the start of the round of questions, it was the Senator for the Union for the Homeland (UxP), Mariano Recalde, who opened a series of pointed questions with a central focus on the area of litigation, one of the most controversial points that unites unionism with the Judiciary. Cordero, on the labor reform: 'It preserves the essential rights of workers'. Nevertheless, Cordero defended the text and admitted that 'it is thought in a modern way for SMEs' and 'for workers who want to enter the world of work'. 'All I tried to do is regulate this type of relationships.'
