All eyes are on Monday, because the union gave itself a period of five days to find a solution to the conflict
For Alejandro DiBiasi
01/27/2023 – 7:32 p.m.
While production in Vaca Muerta is growing at a sustained pace, a conflict threatens that could paralyze activities. It turns out that the leadership of the Private Oil and Gas Union of Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa ordered the state of alert and mobilization for the accumulated debt that companies maintain with the solidarity and health system of the institution. The union organization awaits a solution to their demands and He warned that if the situation is not regularized next week, they will order a general strike.
The general secretary of the union, Marcelo Rucci, warned about “the important accumulated debt that the companies maintain with the solidarity and health system of the institution” and pointed out that the lack of payment of the operators and service companies in concept of union contributions, of social and mutual work “They leave some 25,000 workers and workers, with their respective families, on the verge of losing solidarity benefits and the health system provided by the institutions (pharmacies, hospitals and doctor’s offices)” of the union organization.
He also stressed that “The health of members is at stake and we are not going to allow that” requesting the employers “not to differentiate with the workers and workers of the different basins of our country in terms of wage agreements and contributions.”
Oil tankers, in Vaca Muerta: cessation of activities as of Monday?
Although so far there is no date on which the measures of force will be deepened, all eyes are on monday, because the union gave itself a period of five days to find a solution. If the weekend is taken into account, everything suggests that the cessation of activities will be applied with the beginning of the week.
Specifically, the Private Oil and Gas Union of Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa urged the Chambers of Producers and Special Services to comply as soon as possible with their proposals or will begin with a strike that will paralyze the activity in Vaca Muerta, one of the most important productive poles for the country in terms of foreign currency generation.
The potential conflict has already knocked on the door of the Ministry of Labor, where its head Raquel “Kelly” Olmos looked, so it is not ruled out that it intervenes summoning the parties to a hearing or issuing mandatory conciliation. The Government has Vaca Muerta not only as one of its pillars in generating foreign currency, but also with various production and investment projects.
The oil workers’ union threatened a general strike if the claimed debts are not paid.
Investments announced for the construction of gas pipeline in Vaca Muerta
In fact, the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, held a meeting this week with the president of CAF-Development Bank for Latin America, Sergio Díaz Granados, where They projected a gas works plan for 540 million dollars that will be approved next March. In this regard, the Palacio de Hacienda reported that the agreement translates into “the disbursement of 540 million dollars for the construction of the La Carlota-Tío Pujio gas pipeline, the Reversal del Norte and the compression plants.”
The works plan will make it possible to considerably increase the gas supply to the north of the country through Vaca Muerta and will boost the possibilities of volumes of export of gas to Chile and Brazil. In his plan to generate announcements systematically, Massa confirmed: “Together with CAF, we closed the Gas Works Plan that will be approved in March and will be 540 million dollars to build the La Carlota-Tío Pujio Gas Pipeline, the Reversal of the Norte and the compression plants”
Day by day, Vaca Muerta has 31 companies -both local and international- that are fully operating and aim to provide the country with abundant, clean energy at an affordable price for SMEs, industry and transportation. The field ranks second in the world as an unconventional gas resource, and fourth as an unconventional oil resource.
