At the stroke of midnight on Monday, the Government managed to avoid the collective strike in the City of Buenos Aires and the Buenos Aires suburbs, but not in the interior of the country. Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA) ratified the measure of force for 24 hours in the provinces by not receiving the wage increases claimed. The Ministry of Labor had decided to extend the mandatory conciliation for five days for those districts, but the union also confirmed the cessation of work. On the other hand, Labor and the Transport portfolio raised the subsidies to cover the salary increase in the AMBA, with which the UTA canceled the strike and guaranteed the provision of the service.
The ministries of Labor and Transport held highly tense negotiations throughout the day, until around midnight they decided to issue a joint resolution to avoid the strike at AMBA: “It is essential that the authorities intervene immediately to resolve the conflict, which is extremely serious due to the characteristics already mentioned”, they pointed out.
After that, they specified the salary increases granted, which the UTA finally accepted, although they were somewhat less than those requested. Basic remunerative salaries were 262,000 pesos as of April, plus a fixed sum of 32,000 pesos. In May they rise to 284 thousand; in June, 320 thousand; in July, 346 thousand; in August, 374 thousand, and in September, 404 thousand. There are also improvements in travel expenses and other expenses.
The UTA, before that proposal, sought to raise the basic salary in a staggered manner to 348,800 pesos in July, 380,192 pesos in August and 414,409 pesos in September. In addition, he claimed a one-time non-remunerative sum of 32,000 pesos, which was granted.
UTA statement
Faced with the disposition of the Government that resolved the conflict in the AMBA, the UTA issued a statement:
“In response to the issuance of the Joint Resolution by the Ministers of Labor and Transportation of the Nation, who have granted the salary increases requested only for the workers of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, the lifting of the union action measure has been resolved in the AMBA,” he said.
The resolution of these portfolios called for “immediately to nullify the direct action measures that affect urban and suburban public services,” which the UTA accepted.
On the other hand, the union’s statement marked differences with the situation in the rest of the country. “Under the premise ‘equal remuneration for equal work’, for the UTA all workers are equal, which will only proceed to annul the union action measure in those provinces in which the proportional salary increase is complied with, in the same terms and under the same conditions as those resolved for the AMBA”.
That is to say, the UTA also transferred the pressure to the provincial governments so that they increase the subsidies to pay for the salary increases. “We urge those responsible for Transportation in the Provinces and the National State, to take charge of the damage that will cause them with their disdainful behavior, for the damage that will generate towards the users of our services, the refusal to pay the salary increase in the interior of the country,” they warned.
