Since last week, workers at the state-owned Intercargo, which provides loading, unloading and signaling services at all the country’s airports, have been in conflict over a pay rise. This Friday morning, more than 20 flights had to be rescheduled due to new assemblies held by the APLA union. The union leaders have proposed resuming staggered assemblies for next week to demand a salary increase. The company refuses to give a positive response to the demand and the government announced fines and sanctions for the aeronautical unions that carry out strike action.
For his part, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni threatened the workers: “Fines and sanctions will be applied against all those who carried out these abusive measures, as has already been done with more than 200 employees. Aerolíneas Argentina has as a priority to maintain a quality, safe and reliable service. Due to today’s strike, At Intercargo there will be discounts for 108 workers, for a total of 1.4 million pesos”.
In return, their outsourced colleagues at GPS-Aerolíneas Argentinas, who are facing layoffs, expressed their solidarity. We reproduce their press release.
Since the GPS Internal Commission We express our unconditional support for the measures being taken by workers enrolled in all the aeronautical unions, except for our union UPADEP, which, despite meeting with the Ministry of the Province of Buenos Aires, remains aligned with the national government. Since last week, APLA, AAA, UPSA, ATEPSA, APA, among the most important unions in the airline industry, are part of the gradual measures to demand a salary increase that has been delayed for months and that means that for many permanent workers they are below the basic basket, for example, our colleagues who are baggage handlers or check-in workers.
The mistreatment suffered in wages corresponds to the working conditions that they seek to make precarious every day, and in addition, when workers exercise their legitimate right to strike, they are branded by the government as ‘extortionists’, they are threatened with dismissal and the company claims that it will take disciplinary measures, suspensions and salary cuts against the workers instead of giving a response.
Since the beginning of 2024, the attacks against Aerolíneas Argentinas have been permanent. The government wants to destroy it for the benefit of its business friends and the vulture funds that are on the lookout to take over the aeronautical business in Argentina. Aeronautical professionals from all companies will prevent this.
From day one, GPS opposed the sale of Aerolíneas and we took to the streets with that slogan and in defense of our dismissed colleagues, as we continue to do today while the company continues threatening to lay off workers, sending blacklists to the union, a true extortion, contrary to the legitimate right of workers to defend ourselves. The unity of all aeronautical workers is the only guarantee to confront the plan to liquidate our flagship airline and our source of employment and leave thousands on the street and thousands more in ultra-precarious conditions.
AIRLINES ARE NOT FOR SALE!
SALARY RECOMPOSITION NOW!
NO LAYOFFS, NO PERSECUTION!
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
