It took a week for the unions to assimilate the 20% devaluation blow produced by the candidate minister Sergio Massa the day after the national primary elections. The skyrocketing prices foreshadowed double-digit inflation that will take place in the 60 days prior to October 22, when the country will vote again. lump sum –between 75,000 and 100 thousand pesos– to recompose wages, urgent opening of paritiescall to Minimum Wage Council, increase in retirement and a curb speculative businessmen are the slogans painted on the union banners that rise in front of the Ministry of Economy.
The two CTAs, the “autonomous” one, headed by Godoy Puppyand that of “the workers”, led by Hugo Yaskyagreed to demand an urgent fixed sum from the Government to rebuild wages.
“It is urgent to advance joint discussions, a fixed sum of 100 thousand pesos and immediate actions by the Government to stop the speculators who came out to remark wildly,” Godoy told Letter P. Massa must “prioritize the workers over the IMF, because the majority of the votes of the humble sectors moved from Union for the Fatherland a Javier Miley”, he added and complained that the Minister of Economy has not received the Autonomous CTA since last March. “We want the government to reflect, because it has the tools to turn this around,” he demanded.
Yasky officially claimed a lump sum of “not less than $75,000 for all wage earners in the country, for the public and private sectors”. Also, he requested “a new increase for retirees and pensioners and advance the increases set by the Council of the Minimum Vital and Mobile Wage ($112.000), which would also have an immediate effect on social programs, and immediately discuss the values for the last quarter of the year”.
For his part, Hector Daerone of the co-secretaries general of the CGThe told Letter P that “all the unions are discussing joint agreements, the dynamics are permanent.”
I know what I want
The unions coincide in asking Massa urgent measures. The minister has already announced that, as soon as the agreement with the IMF is closed for the disbursements to arrive for $8 billion that is negotiating, will focus with the CGT on increases, bonuses, retirements and other social benefits. “There will be a fixed sum; I cannot ask someone to vote for me for the next four years if I do not finish giving them the minimum framework of order and predictability for the next four months, ”he said in Chronicle TV.
For his part, Juan Graboiswhich seeks to represent part of the nine million people who work informally, reiterated the request made to Massa: “universal basic salary for informal, salary increase for workers in the private and public sectors and the popular economy, land distribution for construction of family homes and food production”.
Grabois calls for an increase in the Empowering Work Program -currently in $65.000half of the Minimum Vital and Mobile wage- and the implementation of a “universal basic wage” that reaches four million people who work in the informal sector and are below the poverty line.
Sonia Alesso, general secretary of CTERA, demanded from the Government “the urgent call to the National Teachers Parity to recover the purchasing power of our salaries.” The teacher pointed out Letter P that “many provinces have automatic updating clauses, but it is necessary to open the parities now”.
The Banking Associationthe organization that leads Sergius Palaceasked the Minister of Labor, Kelly Olmosthat “urgently convene” the joint wage negotiation, but clarified that “this was planned since last May, because in July the previous agreement was terminated”.
Speaking to Radio The Uncoverthe Buenos Aires Minister of Labor and Secretary General of the Tanners Workers Union (mother-in-law), Walter Correa, also claimed to “do everything possible to improve the purchasing power of workers. The parities are being made and we have several unions that are already requesting the opening, but there are many salaried colleagues and in other situations who are finding it extremely difficult to maintain the daily table ”.
