The state-level collective bargaining in Catamarca began with a head-on collision: the unions rejected the executive branch's proposal and demanded a strong initial recomposition, in a context where wages appear to be lagging behind the real cost of living. According to the Argentine News Agency, in the negotiation, UPCN and ATE stated that the offered scheme does not recover purchasing power and demanded an initial recomposition of between 15% and 20%, with a focus on basic salaries and a review of additional payments such as schooling and family salary. From ATE, they also questioned that the discussion is based on inflation indices and pointed out that the price increase "does not correspond to the reality" of daily consumption, especially with the start of the school year and the increase in family expenses. Tucumán began the school cycle with a teacher's strike and mandatory conciliation. The Government, for its part, argued a decrease in coparticipation and revenue and warned about the financial situation of the municipalities, an explanation that usually serves as an umbrella to freeze real improvements without making a transparent plan public. At the table, key ministers (Treasury, Labor, and Government) participated, but the critical point still has not been clearly published: what concrete proposal was put on the table, with what dates, what updating formula, and what impact it will have on the basic salary and the salary pyramid. With the failed start, Catamarca faces the same risk as always: if the collective bargaining drags on without solid figures, the province enters a permanent conflict mode and the administration tries to survive with press releases instead of verifiable agreements.
