2024-04-28 14:18:46
In the Federal Capital, and in many other places in the country, The CGT marched for university cuts. In fact, union leaders took the stage to “defend education,” but they gave the Government an alibi: “Universities have not much to do with the CGT,” Minister Guillermo Francos made them evident.. The presidential spokesperson also disavowed them: “If you think that this way you can take away the legitimacy of this Government…”, ironically Manuel Adorni. And he completed: “They are almost the ghost train.”
mercy and his cabinet do not miss the opportunity to hit Argentine unionism. They hold him responsible for many of today’s ills. They take advantage of the terrible image that unionism has to bring grist to their mill and they are not afraid of any of the answers that the CGT may give them.
In fact, in its first quarter, the Government challenged the unions in every possible way. There were hundreds of layoffs from the State, they were not approved by the joint agreements that they agreed with the employers and now they are going for labor reform. The reaction was almost non-existent: the CGT plans a new general strike, the second against Milei, knowing that the first had no effect on the management. Unionism looks lost. They moved his goal and he doesn’t know where to kick.
Guilds without banks.
“Unionism has the enormous challenge of recovering its credibility,” acknowledged days ago the general secretary of ATE, Rodolfo “Rudy” Aguiar. And he completed: “We have been accumulating our own mistakes. There are millionaire union members in Argentina with workers represented who are poor.” The strong self-criticism is silently repeated by other representatives. They are in a delicate moment.
Yes even the always reckless Hugo Moyano went to the Casa Rosada and had to give in to the Government’s harsh position to negotiate the approval of their joint venture: they accepted the 45% increase established in the original agreement, but for a period of three months, not two as intended. “We came out tied,” they convinced him. The trucker leader ended up complying with the order of the Minister of Economy, Luis “Toto” Caputo.
The guilds were also unable to impose conditions in the face of Milei’s furious chainsaw. After the last national broadcast, where the President strutted about the fiscal surplus for the first quarter, the CGT issued a harsh statement ensuring that they reached that result by “liquidating the income of retirees” and with a “brutal recession,” among other factors. At Casa Rosada they ignored the proposal.
The future of the Guilds vs. Milei fight.
The Government has so little fear of the light unionism that it faces, that after learning that the CGT announced a new general strike, it challenged them. He put on the table a topic that is always taboo: announced that he will accompany a UCR labor reform project.
Some of the articles they propose had already been imposed in the DNU, but Justice suspended the effects of that chapter. They will insist through Congress on eliminating union dues, creating new compensation mechanisms and reducing fines for unregistered work, among other changes. There were modifications to the project, but the theme is already installed.
Even some union members recognized the need to accept modifications. “Unionism must face a labor reform,” said in “Modo Fontevecchia” the general secretary of the Union of Onboard Dredging and Beaconing Personnel, Juan Carlos Schmid. After the university march, The CGT ratified the general strike for Thursday, May 9. And they also said that on Labor Day they will mobilize and act. They did not get any reaction from the President.
Unionism is disoriented. Neither the negotiators nor the rupturists find a comfortable position in the face of a Government that imposes conditions on them. They dance to Milei’s rhythm. Due to the little credibility that the polls give them, Casa Rosada even celebrates another general strike. “If these guys are in front, it’s all profit for us,” they say near the President. For now, the only thing that unionism has achieved is to feed the story of the fight against caste.
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