The textile company Sueño Fueguino, which has been producing well-known brands such as Danubio, Cannon, Fiesta, and Suplesa since 1981, could not withstand the labor reform that reduced severance pay and fired 30 temporary and 5 permanent workers at its plant in Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego. On the eve of what is interpreted as a warning of closure, the company reported that it has 25 trucks with 700 tons of products that cannot be distributed, which led to the decision to reduce staff. In this context, it warned that all jobs are at risk if the conflict with the national government is not resolved. In this regard, it assures that the conflict not only affects the 35 fired workers but also threatens to cause a greater adjustment in production and employment. Sueño Fueguino has become one of the main producers of bedding in the country, with 450 points of sale and a central role in the textile industry of the Patagonian province. The voices of the fired workers The fired workers recounted their surprise and the impact of the measure, reports the Chubut media ADN Sur. In a radio interview with Aire Libre FM, Sebastián del Castillo said: “The news came from Buenos Aires and two hours later they were informed that they could pick up their belongings and leave the plant”. Gabriel Hoquart, for his part, added: “There are colleagues with 25 years of service, others with 7 or 9. Today they were left without their source of income overnight”. Attack on the Fuegian industry The Fuegian textile industry denounces a systematic attack by the government of Javier Milei. It was in this context that Sueño Fueguino was excluded from the promotional regime of Law 19.640. “We are prevented from exporting and there is no more space for storage. It is impossible to sustain employment,” declared Raúl Paderne, a lawyer for FM La Isla. The legal representative specified that a 2021 decree excluded textile companies from the extension of benefits under the law, and although decree 594/23 was signed before the elections, it offered “a limited extension with impossible conditions”. The regulation established a production quota with promotional benefits; upon exceeding the limit, the goods had to enter the country without those benefits. Sueño Fueguino did not adhere to the decree and filed a lawsuit, which resulted in its exclusion from the regime under the government of Javier Milei. He described the measure as “an absolutely unconstitutional decision, because it prevents the right to petition the authorities”. Although an initial precautionary measure allowed the company to continue operating, the Chamber of Comodoro Rivadavia revoked it; the company appealed and awaits a resolution that will allow it to resume exporting and rehire the fired workers. Industrial development of Tierra del Fuego It warned, through a statement, that “decree 594/2023 — along with other derived provisions — violates rights guaranteed by the National Constitution and alters the legal framework that gave rise and support to the industrial development of Tierra del Fuego”. And that “if this situation lacking legal basis, which attacks rights recognized by law and by the Constitution itself, is not reversed, Sueño Fueguino S.A. will be forced to reduce its industrial activity, putting at risk more than 130 additional jobs and a trajectory of more than 40 years of uninterrupted production in the province”. The Minister of Labor of Tierra del Fuego, Sonia Castiglione, highlighted that since December 2023, approximately 10,000 jobs have been lost, about 10% of the provincial workforce. “The decisions taken by the national government since it took office have done nothing but cause dismissals and destroy the Fuegian textile industry and the entire country,” she assured. No one has another job or a project outside, everyone depends on this income. Seeing them cry was very hard. Beyond the attachment, there are people who are the support of their families.
