The start of classes is in danger in almost the entire country after the national government announced that will not send the money from the National Teacher Incentive Fund (Fonid) to the provinces and to ratify that the joint ventures will have to be administered by their local authorities. This is yet another blow to the tense confrontation maintained by the management of Javier Miley with the governors after the failure in Congress of the so-called omnibus law project.
Only in four of the 24 districts would the beginning of the school year be guaranteed, according to what he was able to find out THE NATION from official provincial and union sources. In provinces such as Tierra del Fuego, Chaco, Chubut and Santa Fe, the beginning is most uncertain and in many cases the resolution of the conflict is conditioned to what is defined at the national level between the Casa Rosada and the unions with representation throughout the country. country. The negotiations are in full process and will continue this week in search of a solution that until today is anticipated to be distant.
The discussion has a national and a provincial aspect for the 23 districts and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. On the one hand, the macro problem revolves around the Backgroundswhich covers between 10% and 15% of teachers’ salaries in the country, and the Teacher Salary Compensation Fund, which seeks to compensate in those provinces that cannot cover the value of the minimum teaching salary, which is today $250,000. The latter covers Catamarca, Chubut, Corrientes, Jujuy, La Rioja, Misiones and Santiago del Estero, according to the latest records from 2023. Since December the Government stopped transferring FONID money to the provinces, as well as contributions of Connectivity and Teaching Material and the Infrastructure Fund, as reported by the 24 provincial Ministers of Education in a letter.
Based on these decisions since the Government I did not want to call the national joint meeting is that Sonia Alesso, general secretary of the Confederation of Education Workers (Ctera) warned that classes will not start unless the Nation sends the funds and calls for salary negotiations. The signals from the Government are confusing: while the Ministry of Human Capital and the presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, assure that they will call for national parity, President Javier Milei denied that the Executive Branch is going to intervene. The threat of a national strike seems increasingly real and could even become official tomorrow at a summit held by the four teaching unions enrolled in the CGT and that sometimes act in tandem with the Ctera.
The positioning of the five national unions – Ctera, the Union of Argentine Teachers (UDA), the Association of Technical Teaching Teachers (AMET), the Argentine Union of Private Teachers (SADOP) and the Confederation of Argentine Educators (CEA) – influences the decision of some provinces to start classes, while others prioritize local dialogue when taking action.
The situation in the provinces
In the City of Buenos Aires, the management of Jorge Macri, moved forward with a salary agreement and brought the starting salary to $743,000. It plans to define staggered increases due to inflation. However, the UTE, the majority Buenos Aires union, and Ademys, referenced to the left, condition the start to what is resolved in the national joint meeting and to the struggle between the Nation and the provinces for the Fonid.
The governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, warned that he would claim before the Court the regularization of delayed items if shipments are not normalized these days. From the governor’s entourage they assure that, if there is a national strike, it will be seen directly affected the start of classes, which is scheduled for March 1. Even so, if it is not national, “they will not have problems at the provincial level to start classes.”
Although they assure that they will not be able to cover the percentage corresponding to the Fonid – which represents 14,500 million pesos covered by the province last month -, the government made an offer of a 20% salary increase and the unions that make up the FUDB accepted it so that the Teachers can get paid in the first days of March. Even so, the proposal is without national sums, without Fonid or connectivity. In the Unified Union of Education Workers of the province of Buenos Aires (Suteba) they assure that next week they will hold assemblies and plenary sessions of general secretaries to resolve. Suteba is the union led by Roberto Baradel, who reappeared after four years of silence and passive attitude during the administration of Alberto Fernández.
Everything indicates that in Santa Fe Classes will not start on the 26th of the current month. So much so that the Minister of Education of Santa Fe, José Goity, declared to the local media UNO Santa Fe that “he could not guarantee the start.” According to the Santa Fe Teachers’ Association (Amsafe), the local government ignored the joint agreement of the previous administration. “They had to pay us a 36% increase in our January salary and they told us that they were not going to pay it,” said its general secretary, Juan Pablo Castiello. In Rosario, they held a rally last Friday and the uncertainty is such that the 2024 joint meeting was not discussed, although they believe that there will be a call this week.
In Córdoba, the provincial government will make a proposal to teachers on Monday. The teachers ask to restore the 10 inflation points that they lost in the 2023 joint elections and negotiate an increase in 2024. The FONID is also important in the proposal.
In Mendoza The government and the teaching unions reached a salary agreement: a 15% increase in February and the same percentage in March plus a bonus of $90,000, which is non-remunerative and non-rewardable. Additionally, starting in March, the guaranteed minimum wage goes from $250,000 to $290,000. In the plenary session, the United Union of Education Workers (SUTE) decided to mobilize in the presence of any national official visiting the province for the National Harvest Festival. Regarding the start of classes on February 26, they explain that will be tied to what the Ctera resolves.
In Land of Fire classes would not start on March 1 unless the provincial government presents another salary proposal. The initial – of increases of 12.5% in January, 10% in February and 10% for March – was rejected and the Unified Union of Fuegian Education Workers (Sutef) requests the reopening of joint ventures. Although they clarify that they are looking at Ctera’s definitions, they comment that there are provincial issues that have not been resolved. The scenario, also plagued by street demonstrations, does not seem prosperous unless a greater salary increase is offered. The definitions will be given on February 29, when the last provincial congress of delegates will be held.
In Chaco The start of classes will be on March 4, although the national fight could alter the plans. The Chaco Education Workers Union (Sitech) refused to start the school year until the fight over Fonid’s money transfers is resolved. In The Riojateachers refuse to start classes unless there is a salary increase and there the provincial unions are strongly aligned with what the Ctera and UDA define at the national level.
In Chubut They expect definitions for today, when they have the joint meeting. Even so, the Chubut Education Workers Association (Atech) conditioned the agreement on what the Ctera resolves at the national level. In the province, an initial teacher without seniority today does not reach the minimum teaching salary, since he earns $195,548.
After the arrival of Rogelio Frigerio to the governorship of Between rivers, the unions are in a process of consolidating dialogue and constructive approaches. The first step translated into a salary increase in January of 18% and a fixed allocation of $25,000. From these conversations arose the first joint meeting at the beginning of February. The second meeting will be this Monday and the Entre Ríos Teachers’ Union Association (Agmer) is optimistic. Even so, the start of classes on February 26 is in danger mainly because Agmer would adhere to Ctera’s position and, as long as the decision is a national strike, the provincial teaching union would comply. Furthermore, the dialogue with unions that do not adhere to Ctera is positive and, in general, they tend to have a common position.
In Formosa, La Pampa and Corrientes the panorama is similar and there will be negotiations this week. The same happens in Jujuy, which opens talks with local unions today. In Salta The panorama is the same, although the unions have already asked delay the start of classes from February 26 to March 4 to continue the dialogue. In Tucuman y Neuquenwhere classes begin on March 1 and 4 respectively, negotiations begin this week.
In Catamarca, the unions met with the Executive last Friday, when they were presented with a salary offer of 25.5% to close December 2023, in addition to the province taking charge of Fonid and Connectivity. From the Association of Education Workers of Catamarca (Ateca), they consider that this represents progress and classes would begin next week.
In Santa Cruz, the teachers asked for the continuity of the trigger clause and a parallel recomposition to it that would bring the salary of the new entrant to $500,000. The unions assure that if the government’s proposal comes close to this, It is possible that the result will be favorable and classes will begin on February 29although it will be defined with the assemblies of the 14 localities and a congress in the province.
In San Juan, the UDA has already rejected the government’s salary proposal of a 15% increase, covering the percentages of Fonid and Connectivity provided by the Nation and a one-time bonus of $50,000 for being “very far from what is requested by San Juan teaching.” Even so, the union clarifies that negotiations will continue on February 26, although They do not guarantee the start of classes on March 4. Meanwhile in Black riverthere will be a joint meeting on the 23rd, but the provincial governor, Alberto Weretilneckannounced on Río Negro Radio that “the proposals will be those that can be paid.”
Missions It is one of the provinces where the start of classes on March 4 does not seem to be a problem since the local government and the unions are advancing an agreement to which some points would have to be recomposed due to lost inflation. The way is also paved in Santiago del Estero, where There has already been a salary agreement and we are waiting for what is resolved with national funds.
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