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Discomfort over the irruption of trucking groups in supermarkets to control prices

2023-01-14T15:03:20.770Z


The opposition criticized the measure, saying that inflation cannot be fought "with mobs" and there was even praise for Guillermo Moreno. Tombolini's threat.


The irruption of the truckers' union groups in the warehouses of the large supermarket chains, which in the coming days will be transferred to food companies and distributors, did not surprise the players in that industry.

Quite the opposite.

It was the confirmation of the threats that they had been hearing in the meetings with Matías Tombolini at the Secretary of Commerce, who privately invoked the name of Pablo Moyano whenever any tension arose.

I'm going to send Pablo

─the Sergio Massa official repeated, referring to the trucker, nicknamed "El Salvaje" for his manners when resolving conflicts.

The episode caused discomfort, although in principle it was more in the field of politics than in the supermarkets themselves.

Why?

Two reasons: the first is that it revived a long-standing rift between the big chains and the supplier companies.

The supermarkets say that they agree with the Government on the program to freeze prices but then they do not receive the stock committed by the distributors, and that generates that there are gondolas with shortages or empty.

Mark that since the implementation of Fair Prices they receive fewer products because companies turn to the Chinese and "informal" sales channels.

For this reason, they explained their position as follows: “We understand that it is not a 'Truckers' decision' but rather some operations arranged by the Secretary of Commerce.

We celebrate that these controls are carried out because the success of the program depends on the supply.

Examining the distribution centers and comparing the orders of the chains and the deliveries made by the suppliers, it is clear the responsibility of the shortages that can be seen in the gondolas", explained from the United Supermarket Association (ASU), the chamber that nucleates the chains.

"That responsibility that is not attributable to supermarket chains," they added.

The second reason is that some choose to silence in public what they let out in private, which is that they fear that empowering truckers to control supermarkets is a double-edged sword.

More taking into account that Oscar Borda, the secretary of the Logistics Branch of the union led by Hugo and Pablo Moyano, was the executing arm and face of the measure.

Borda is famous for being one of the most violent promoters of the blockades of logistics companies, with controversial participation in protests ranging from SMEs to the e-commerce giant Mercado Libre.

In addition, he was denounced for a beating against the owner and several employees of Logística Milo, a transport company from Avellaneda.

“It is a double-edged sword, it can also be used in parity negotiations.

If they had asked us, we would have suggested that they check how much merchandise the suppliers send to the chains and how much reaches other channels, such as the Asian ones," they slide in the chains.

Until now, COPAL, the chamber that brings together the large food companies, has not ruled on the matter. 

Repudiation of the opposition: "patotas", extortion and even praise for Moreno

The union of truckers and officials of the Secretary of Commerce in a warehouse in Coto.

One of the most critical opponents of the idea of ​​trucker price control was the president of the PRO and presidential candidate, Patricia Bullrich, who spoke directly of putting "Moyano's patoteros" in supermarkets. 

"Do you really believe that inflation is combated by putting Moyano's patoteros in supermarkets? Inflation is combated by stopping printing banknotes and reducing unnecessary public spending," Bullrich opined.

Another leader who came out at the crossroads of the truckers' control was the national deputy Graciela Ocaña.

"Where is the State? They put the wolf to take care of sheep. The Moyanos have been denounced in multiple cases in the Justice for extortion of SMEs benefiting their union," she said.

"How long will it take for supermarkets to be extorted? There is no difference between the mafia and these guys," he said.

The deputy Fernando Iglesias spoke along the same lines: "Do state employees dedicate themselves to verifying the coincidence between orders from supermarkets and shipments from producers? Is that why we pay them salaries? And if they do not coincide, what do?

Who runs all that, Stalin?

".

"Pablo Moyano takes care of you. The police state protects you. I went back to the figurines, which did less damage @matiastombolini", Iglesias chicaneó.


The Secretary of Domestic Trade, Matías Tombolini, revealed that this week they intensified the controls.

"We verified that the merchandise that arrives in the trucks coincides with what is requested by the supermarkets. In this way, we control the merchandise of Molinos Río de la Plata, Molinos Cañuelas, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Morixe and Colgate-Palmolive," he said in middle of controversy.

What's more, the truckers, in a video that they recorded touring supermarkets with Commerce officials, even before the measure was made official, announced that next week they will go to the distributors. 

The liberal economist and deputy José Luis Espert, went directly against price controls: "Price controls are an amorphous way to lower inflation. It means not understanding how things work. It is ignorant.

Adding a corrupt and violent mafia to it

like the Moyanos, so that they are fulfilled

, they transform the actions of the government into something eschatological".

Hernán Reyes, Buenos Aires deputy for the Civic Coalition and specialist in the Defense of Competition issue from Elisa Carrió's party, spoke of an

"official presser credential". 

“In the evolution of the failure of the Fair Prices program, the Government

grants the Moyano gang the credentials of 'official squeezers' to extort

merchants.

To this program that hurts consumers because it does not lower prices, and to SMEs because it leaves them out of the field, now they add and legitimize brute force with the extortion of truckers who have become experts in blocking and squeezing companies," he said. . 

"Price control is an old and ineffective measure. Now, as if that were not enough, are Moyano's truckers going to be responsible for carrying out the inspections? All that talks about is the close link between Massa and Truckers" , lashed out the PRO deputy Sabrina Ajmechet.

Laura Alonso, former head of the Anti-Corruption Office, was just as harsh: "Send the union mafia to control prices. A moderate Tombolini and his master Massa. Price control has never been seen to lower inflation. Guaranteed failure."

Irony was the recipe chosen by another member of Together for Change, Deputy Eduardo "Pilo" Assef, who in his message even briefly praised Guillermo Moreno, the controversial former Secretary of Internal Commerce of Kirchnerism.

"Who can believe that the Truckers mobs are going to control inflation?

Guillermo Moreno was more 'civilized'. What is happening in our country is very serious

. We cannot admit it anymore. It will end," he launched. 

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2023-01-14

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