Despite the warning issued by Vice-President Amado Boudou yesterday, and the Ministry of Labour’s call for a conciliatory agreement, the truck drivers’ union escalates actions today as part of a 72-hour fuel transport strike. As part of the strike, around 300 trucks have been stopped from leaving refineries in different parts of the country.
The strike was announced yesterday afternoon and will last until Friday. In a television interview last night, Head of the Labour Confederation (CGT) Hugo Moyano announced that if the Cargo Logistics Chamber did not offer an adequate salary increase , the union would escalate their actions. “We are thinking of a nation-wide strike, and of bringing 100,000 people to the Plaza de Mayo,” said Moyano yesterday.
The decision to strike was the result of a dispute between the union and the Cargo Logistics Chamber, when the company refused to give in to the 30% salary increase demanded by the union. The union is also demanding that the government eliminate the tax applied to salary, as well as eliminate the limits in place on family allowances. Moyano also heavily criticised Boudou’s speech yesterday, and particularly his threat to implement a law that would fine the truck drivers’ union for impeding the transport of fuel.
Moyano said that more measures would be taken after the strike if the government and the company continued ignoring the demands of workers and assured last night that, at least for the time being, “there will be a lack of fuel”. Today, while Vice-President Boudou is leading an official act in Rosario as part of the national ‘flag day’ holiday, Pablo Moyano, head of the truck drivers’ union and son of Hugo Moyano, is scheduled to speak in Dock Sud, Avellaneda.
