Judicial workers have begun a 48-hour strike, occupying the central building of the National Labour Court, located at Diagonal Roque Sáenz Peña 760, in the City of Buenos Aires. This is a protest against the transfer of powers to the jurisdiction of Buenos Aires, as stipulated in the Labour Reform project promoted by the Government.
According to information collected by the Argentine News Agency, the assembly decided on this measure as an “emergency” action in response to what they consider an attempt at the “dismantling” of the national labour jurisdiction. The occupation lasted until 9:30, and a demonstration has been called for tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Article 91 of the project is the most contentious, as it approves the agreement on the transfer of judicial functions in labour matters between the Nation and the City, with a 180-day deadline to complete the transfer of judges, infrastructure, and competencies. The National Labour Court “will maintain its validity until the transfer agreement is implemented” and, once formalized, “the necessary acts will be taken for its progressive dissolution,” the rule states.
The union denounces that the scheme would turn the national jurisdiction into a “residual” one, as new cases would go directly to the Buenos Aires courts, while current judges would be limited to cases in progress. This simplification would imply the closure of courts and the suspension of competitions to fill vacancies, a situation that has also been rejected by the Association of Judges.
The Buenos Aires downtown area is under high tension, and in this context, the debate over the autonomy of the City is reignited, following the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation's “Levinas” ruling, which recognized the Buenos Aires Supreme Court of Justice as a prior reviewing instance for cases of national jurisdictions with a seat in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
