The
salary strategy of the main private sector unions
for the first half of the year, in a context of strong uncertainty and inflationary acceleration, finished consolidating this week, just days after the Indec released the CPI for December, which registered an increase of 25.5%.
The model that contemplates
very short-term joint agreements
(monthly or bimonthly as a limit) with a
floor of 20% increase per month
was inaugurated in the negotiation of the construction industry and in the last hours it was replicated by the rest of the activities who reopened their salary discussions.
This Thursday, the
banking sector
defined its understanding under the same umbrella.
The union led by Sergio Palazzo agreed with the chambers that bring together the banks a salary increase of 20% for the month of January and taking into account the inflation reported by Indec, which will bring the
initial salary of the activity to $904,357, 68.
"The increase for the month of January is in advance, since if inflation exceeds 20% it will be automatically adjusted, and banking entities must apply the corresponding retroactive salary difference," the Banking Association explained.
In February the parties will meet again to define the recomposition parameter that will be applied to salaries for that month.
In addition, as
Clarín
had anticipated and was ratified in the joint agreement, bank workers will receive retroactively to December 1,
an additional increase of 23.2%
equivalent to the difference between the annual increase agreed in the 2023 joint 188.2% and accumulated inflation in the same period of 211.4%.
The monthly salary update scheme was also defined in the agreement sealed this Thursday in the case of
the metallurgical industry
.
In this agreement, the authorities of the Metallurgical Workers Union (UOM), headed by Abel Furlán, signed with the representatives of the six business chambers of the sector (Adimra, AFAC, Afarte, Camima, Fedehogar and Caiama)
an increase of 25.5 % (equivalent to the December CPI)
for salaries for the month of January, an improvement that will be applied to the salaries in force in the activity as of December 31.
The union representatives and employers also agreed to resume discussions in February, once the inflation for the first month of the year is known, to define a new salary update in that industrial sector.
In another manufacturing sector, they also advanced with their joint review and, after setting a new update, they anticipated that between February and March they will rediscuss the increase based on the evolution of prices.
This is the
case of the Oil Union Federation
, which after having agreed to update salaries in December, this Thursday sealed a new readjustment of 41% with the representatives of the CIARA, CIAVEC and CARBIO chambers, which brings the
initial basic salary to almost $992,000 since January
.
In addition, the parties agreed to pay a salary bonus of $600,000 for workers in the sector.
"On the scales resulting from the aforementioned readjustment (from December), the agreed increase for the year 2024 of 41% was applied according to the detail of categories and values that arise from the scales of the collective agreement, which contains the basic salary for the initial category -peon- at $992,161.89," indicated the union led by leader Daniel Yofra through a statement.
The union member, meanwhile, anticipated: "today we have an initial salary that makes it possible to have a break in these months of 2024.
In February or March we will have a new negotiation
."
The UOCRA agreement signed at the beginning of the week launched a permanent joint venture scheme, with a guarantee of monthly or bimonthly salary updates, in the bid not to lose ground against inflation at the start of Javier Milei's administration.
The union led by Gerardo Martínez signed a 20% increase for January only, on account of the monthly price increase and with a month-by-month review scheme.
The
same model was replicated this Tuesday by the Buenos Aires governor, Axel Kicillof,
in the salary negotiation with the state unions of the province, with whom he agreed to a 25% recomposition from January 1 and to resume discussions in February for a new increase. .
In addition, the
SMATA mechanics union,
headed by leader Ricardo Pignanelli, signed an understanding with the automotive terminals by which a salary increase of 39% was established for the months of January and February on account of the evolution of accumulated inflation in the two-month period