“Never again will a worker vote for the boss,” said general secretary Abel Furlán at the closing of the national congress of the Metallurgical Workers Union held in Mar del Plata. There, the Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof warned: “To move forward with a model of industrialization and inclusion like the one our country needs, a present State and organizations that act to benefit the interests of the great majorities are required, and the UOM has been a great example of that.”
So far this year the metallurgical sector has lost 8,600 jobs. This was confirmed by its general secretary Abel Furlán, who also warned Radio Provincia that “the scenario for the next 30 days is very complicated,” since “there are many complex situations that are hanging on by a pin.” He assured that throughout the country “demand has disappeared”, which means that “there is less and less to produce.”
“Undesired situations are beginning to appear such as the cancellation of contracts, the disappearance of overtime and employability,” expanded the reference, who later received the support of Kicillof when the governor indicated that the fight of metallurgists “for a decent wage” has given “an example of how we must move forward so that Argentina is not a country for the few.”
In his closing speech, Furlán asked the union delegates to “have tools to understand politics,” and thus be able to discuss in the factories. He remarked that “every time neoliberalism came to solve the problems, it subjected the big companies.” popular majorities to the worst conditions and poverty in general.”
Ariel Aguilar, Undersecretary of Business Development and Investment Promotion of the province of Buenos Aires, was one of the officials who attended the congress. In dialogue with BuenosAires/12, Aguilar explained that “this is a very complex context for the UOM”, because the metallurgical sector “is one of the industrial sectors that is seriously affected by the policies of the national government”, since “now that it has weakened again, it has entered into a layoff scheme that is especially affecting SMEs”.
Aguilar highlights Furlán’s actions when he emphasizes that “he has a view of the industry in terms of the future,” and says that “the discussion is not only about salaries, which is a stage that comes at certain times,” but that “the leadership of the UOM provides a very rich discussion on how to propose industrial growth, aiming for productive automation processes to include all workers,” adds the undersecretary.
He says that the provincial government that he is a member of believes that “this country moves forward with more industry, with more production and with more State,” unlike the Nation, which “proposes that we do not have to have an industrial model.” And he adds: “The political discussion has an industrial key at its core, it is political and it is industrial, because we cannot propose political sovereignty if we do not have productive sovereignty.”
During the meeting, the provincial government renewed the cooperation agreement between the UOM and the Buenos Aires Ministry of Labor, through which they implement actions related to work, job training and social security. “Our obligation is to defend the people of Buenos Aires, and it is not about discussing economic theories, but about taking care of employment,” the governor explained.
The province he leads represents 60 percent of the national metallurgical industry. Of that percentage, 70 percent is represented by the Buenos Aires suburbs, which has a wide productive diversity. In La Matanza, San Martín, Tres de Febrero, Avellaneda, Lanús and other municipalities there are factories of all types, which generate a great metallurgical density.
“The national government is not fulfilling what it had promised because the adjustment is not against caste, it is against workers, small and medium-sized businesses, and the most vulnerable sectors of our society,” he warned. Although the suburbs mean a broad percentage of metallurgical activity, the difficulties pointed out by Kicillof extend throughout the province of Buenos Aires, since the interior is not far behind.
In Mar del Plata, for example, there is the production of machinery for food, and another of the main activities there is the naval industry, which has the production of ships as its axis. In the south, in the Bahía Blanca area, the metallurgical industry linked to petrochemical producers is located, an activity that responds to the productive logic of the municipality. In the center of the largest province in the country are Tandil and Olavarría, districts historically linked to metallurgical activity, since in the beginning they specialized in the foundry and machining branches. Towards the center, in Junín and surrounding areas, is the center of agricultural machinery in Buenos Aires, and in the northern area, in addition, are the automotive factories and supply rings of the automotive industry.
Along those lines, Furlán said: “We are proud to have a provincial government present, which represents workers through an industrial model of development and inclusion.”
The congress
The previous year Kicillof had also led the closing of the national congress. Held at the 13 de Julio hotel, the meeting began its activities last Tuesday and was attended by 500 delegates from the 54 sections of the country. In the run-up to the federal university march on April 23 and the general strike called by the CGT for May 9, one of the main axes of the meeting was the debate around how and what the metallurgical sector would contribute in the possible labor reform that the national government seeks to promote through the new Bases Law.
Before Kicillof spoke, those present discussed the declaration of principles. With the motto “dignity first” as their flag, the members of the union led by Abel Furlán also discussed the union’s Miltifunctional Pole project, talked about the presentation of the Political-Union Training Institute belonging to the union, and drew common points on the role of the labor movement under the current situation, among other activities.
On Wednesday, one day before the closure, those present debated the salary update agreed upon by the union for the metallurgical branch. This was 20.6 percent from February and 13.2 percent from March 1. The third clause of the agreement indicated that the retroactive payment will be non-remunerative, but that the corresponding contributions must be made to the social work and the union. The minimum wage will be 547,580 pesos, and as explained, that 42 percent increase in the two months’ wages will be incorporated into the basic salary as of March 31, and this percentage will be taken as the starting point for the negotiation 2024/2025.
Last Monday, in the joint hearing held at the National Ministry of Labor, the UOM and the Argentine Chamber of Steel did not reach a common port regarding the salary rates of workers in steel plants. The UOM, as a measure of protest, accumulated six days of strike and four marches that took place in the Buenos Aires municipality of Campana, while the workers of Ramallo and San Nicolás remained alert and are still waiting to see what to do. .
Although the UOM had agreed with Adimra and the various metallurgical and metalworking chambers last week, the meeting with the chamber made up of Acindar, Terniun, Tenaris and other steel companies did not reach an agreement. On Monday the 22nd, as ordered by the national Secretary of Labor, there will be a new intermission quarter.
At the end, the Buenos Aires governor emphasized the disputes that the sector currently has and stated: “We have a supportive society, which will know how to defend its rights and will fight for the industry and the development of a country that includes us. to everyone.”
