The train strike decreed by La Fraternidad, the union that brings together train drivers, will begin at zero hour on Wednesday and, according to the unionists, will be of "national scope."
However, the effect will be felt stronger in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, where the five lines that connect the City with the GBA will force millions of users to look for
alternatives to get around
.
The Fraternity
announced the train strike
to demand salary increases, due to "
the lack of equal discussion
" and an "adequate salary proposal" for a "galloping" inflation.
Until this Tuesday at noon there was no news regarding a possible mandatory conciliation on the part of the Government.
Therefore, if the strike announced last week continues, according to the union, it is expected to affect
long-distance and freight services, and also metropolitan trains.
In the AMBA, the trains on the Roca, Sarmiento, Mitre, San Martín and Belgrano Sur lines, managed by the National State, will stop operating.
And the machinists of Belgrano Norte and Urquiza, which are in private hands, will also join.
On occasions like Wednesday's strike, the Government may try to provide service with
hierarchical personnel,
something that is complicated due to the number of trains that must move.
Train stoppage for this Wednesday throughout the country. Photo Guillermo Rodriguez Adami
This scenario is more feasible with some
long distance service.
In February, the one that is most active is the one that connects
Constitución with Mar del Plata,
on the Roca line.
Everything seems to indicate that the drivers of that branch will go on strike, although since there are three trains per day it is more feasible for the company Trenes Argentinos to make them work, since otherwise it would leave thousands of passengers stranded who are starting or ending their vacations. .
In this case, the difference with the bus ticket is abysmal, since it costs up to ten times more than the train ticket.
What will happen to the subways?
The service will not be affected, since the workers are not at La Fraternidad.
Both drivers, guards and ticket takers are either in the UTA or in the Subway and Premetro Union Association (Agtsyp).
The call for unemployment
The measure was announced last Friday in a statement
signed by the general secretary of La Fraternidad, Omar Maturano
.
He determined that the strike will take place on Wednesday, February 21 from 0 a.m. to midnight.
"In a meeting on 02/16/2024 it was decided to exercise the right to strike (Art. 14 Bis of the CN), on February 21, 2024, from 00:00 to 24 hours; in response to the
lack of discussion parity
and a salary proposal appropriate to the rampant inflation that deteriorates the salaries - which are of a nutritional nature - of the train driving staff, causing them irreparable damage," the document detailed.
Likewise, the union that brings together locomotive and train drivers indicated that the measure will be adopted "within the explicit recognition of Argentine constitutional law since as General Perón said 'within the law, everything; outside the law, nothing'" .
Maturano detailed: "We have just started discussing with the previous government to close the joint ventures on March 31, 2024. The previous government gave us a 10% increase in November, then calculating 9% in December, and we were out of date. In "December, January and February we were going to sit down and discuss to close annual joint ventures."
"When we went to the first meeting with this Government... You saw that
they are rude
... With this 'there is no money', not this or that; but they increased the tickets, the cost of living increased, they killed us out of our pocket. worker. We went to claim what belongs to us," he noted.
Omar Maturano clarified that the measure of force will be "at the national level."
Photo: Twitter
Along these lines, the trade unionist acknowledged that "for many years" they have been running "behind inflation" and explained: "It is not that now we want to move forward but that they give us the (money) that they owe us.
We are talking about they owe 55%."
Along these lines, the railway leader highlighted: "We do not expect it to be only La Fraternidad or another union. We
want a national strike,
but at the national level of our beloved CGT. I hope they fold, but we decide for ourselves. The other union organizations "They will do what the organic bodies tell them."
"
We need a 24-hour general strike and a 12-hour mobilization
," highlighted the union leader, who clarified that the call must be made by the labor union.
Regarding the possibility that they could be deducted from the work day for carrying out the force measure, he stated: "It is up to us.
If we stop they have to deduct the day from us by law,
because that is appropriate.
We don't want them to give us anything."
S.C.