“It is not enough to declaim federalism. The internal transport conflict is the clear expression of centralism in the distribution of the resources destined to resolve it.” That was the Governor Omar Perotti’s criticism of the national governmentphrase with which he opened a thread on Twitter.
Both in Rosario and in the rest of the interior of the country, the stoppage of bus drivers takes place this Tuesday with high compliance. It is expected that the force measure will be extended to Thursday and Friday, while this Wednesday there would be normal activity due to the census. They do not rule out that, if the conflict is not resolved, progress will be made towards an indefinite strike.
The president highlighted “the inequality in the allocation of compensation” and argued that “85% of the resources are taken by the AMBA, while the provinces receive only 15%.” He stated that “this difference has concrete effects on the quality of service provision, frequency and rate charts. In the City of Buenos Aires and the AMBA, the rate is frozen at $18, while in the rest of the country that amount is triple or quadruple.
He rescued the role of the provincial governments that contribute their own resources to be able to sustain the transport system. He asked: “We demand progress in distribution mechanisms that allow us to eliminate this custom, so deeply rooted in our country, of having first-class citizens and second-class citizens.” He continued: “We must put an end to this unfair reality, which implies that living and producing in the interior is always more expensive.”
Unemployment for an indefinite period?
The general secretary of the UTA rosary beadsSergio Copello, said that the key to unlock the conflict The businessmen have it and he raised the possibility of toughening the protest measures if there is no agreement, he even mentioned launching a strike for an indefinite period of time.
“The compliance is total by the companions of urban and interurban transport throughout the country. The conflict began because Fatap (Argentine Federation of Automotive Passenger Transport) refused to sign the joint agreement because in the negotiations they had with the Ministry of Transport and with the Federal Transport Commission, they did not accept their requests, “said Copello.
Speaking to the program “First in the morning” from LT8, the leader of the UTA Rosario added that “the employers refused to sign the joint agreement and, therefore, the workers decided on this forceful measure, contemplating a suspension for the day of the National Census, but resuming on Thursday and Friday.”
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Photo: Silvina Salinas / The Capital
>> Read more: Rosario and Córdoba join forces to limit the collective strike that began this Tuesday
When asked if there is a chance that the strike will be lifted due to the efforts that the mayors of Rosario and Córdoba are promoting so that funds appear, the head of the Rosario union remarked: “The only way for this to be unlocked is for the Chamber that brings together businessmen signs the act of joint agreement. Then it would be necessary to see which province complies and which does not with that agreement. There it will be seen how the fight continues, ”he added.
“The condition set by the Automotive Tramway Union is that Fatap signs the agreement. Later there may be individual conflicts in each province beyond the joint signature. That’s what happens throughout the year,” he added.
Copello remarked that the National Ministry of Transportation “has already increased subsidies for the sector to 46 billion pesos. That is the aid that the government will provide this year. The provinces also say they are going to increase that aid. The Municipality of Rosario says the same. But it seems that all this does not convince the employers to sign the increase agreement. There is the key to solving this: that the employers sign so that the workers have a decent salary and we can return to our tasks.”
>> Read more: Transport strike: for businessmen, the ticket inside should cost 100 pesos
Regarding the probable worsening of the conflict starting next week if there is no progress in the negotiations, Copello was categorical: “If despite the strikes today, Thursday and Friday, plus the holiday in between, there are no news positive to reach an agreement, undoubtedly the conflict is going to harden and we will enter a very difficult alley to get out of, as will be a measure for an indefinite period of time. In the pandemic we spent 29 days of strikes and then it becomes difficult to get out of such long measures. The positions harden and each one wants to get a victory, so the agreement is not easily achieved “
“The next step would be an indefinite strike. The stoppages start with 24, 48, 72 hours and then for an indefinite period. That is the historical staggering of trade union struggles. The conflict may become more acute, but we hope that the employers accept or that the provinces guarantee the funds, so that the users are not in doubt as to whether or not they will have transportation and so that the workers recover the purchasing power of our salaries” .
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