2024-02-16 21:08:00
Axel Kicillof with Roberto Baradel and Hugo Yasky
The Buenos Aires governor, Axel Kicillof, closed a joint agreement with the public administration unions that implies a 20% increase for the month of February, covers state and teachers and has as an addition the monthly review instance. However, in the case of teachers, the agreement does not contemplate what corresponds to the Teacher Incentive Fund (FONID); which represents between 10% and 15% of salaries and is paid with national resources that the Casa Rosada has already stopped transferring to the provinces. Thus, the unions and the PBA seek Javier Milei to take charge of a possible conflict with the teachers.
The FONID section is no less than weeks before the start of the school year. This week, Kicillof had announced that from the provincial government he was going to support the sectors affected by the withdrawal of resources. The message had two recipients: the unions as allies and the national government. Then, with the provincial joint agreement underway, the conflict moves to the national level.
The governor’s oily relationship with the Buenos Aires Teaching Unity Front (FUDB) made it difficult to think of a conflictive class outburst. However, the tension continues but with the Nation; even more so following the ratification that it is not planned to proceed with a national joint initiative and that the FONID, in addition to other funds that were transferred to the provinces such as Connectivity and Teaching Material, will no longer be effective.
The adjustment and cut in regards to the FONID and other funds already had its debut with the salaries for the month of February in the province of Buenos Aires. Kicillof’s management absorbed that payment, which represented – according to the director of Culture and Education, Alberto Sileoni – $14.5 billion. At the time of depositing the salaries, the Buenos Aires government warned that it will not be able to cover this addition – which was covered by the Nation since 1998 – in the following months. For teachers it represents 10% of the salary.
Alberto Sileoni, Minister of Education of Buenos Aires
“This is a very complex context of a drop in economic activity and provincial revenue, as a result of the policies that the National Government is applying, among which is a fierce adjustment of the non-automatic mandatory transfers that the provinces received,” had been raised by the Minister of Economy of the province of Buenos Aires, Pablo López, following the meeting with the state and teacher unions.
The possibility of keeping the negotiation open in the Buenos Aires area was a request from the union representatives. It will be month by month. Kicillof had ordered the last salary increase by decree. It had been 15% for December and 10% for January. The unions “accepted” in disagreement. Now, the increase for the month of February of 20% is over December.
“We have an open discussion with the union front. We are committed to starting classes, but well… in a framework of political decisions that tend to disorder the educational system,” Sileoni stated in statements to El Destape radio, pointing directly to the national government.
Milei himself was the one who proposed that this year there will be no national joint meeting. Although this instance had to later be signed by the provincial agreements, it did establish a basis for negotiation with the teaching unions.
However, within the framework of his shock and adjustment plan, the president confirmed this Friday that parity “is a problem for the governors of each province.” For his part, the presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, had detailed that “the national teaching partnership as it is does not exist,” but “what is going to happen is that the parties will come together to try to unblock the conflict and the administrative part will begin. to hold that meeting.”
The teaching unions, both those grouped in CTERA and the CGT, insisted days ago that the national government must call a national joint meeting, in addition to guaranteeing the sending of funds to the provinces; Otherwise the conflict with the sector would worsen. “There have been no increases since November, inflation and rents have increased, there are tariffs, transport increases. The national government must send the funds to the provinces and urgently convene the National Teaching Joint Committee,” said the head of CTERA, Sonia Alesso.
Due to the cut of funds to the province of Buenos Aires, Kicillof stated that he will make an administrative claim to the Ministry of Economy of the Nation: a letter to Minister Luis Caputo. The most sensitive funds correspond to educational funds (FONID) and Transportation with regard to the Compensation Fund and which was reflected in the price of the ticket. Once this instance has been exhausted, it is not ruled out that the lawsuit will be brought to justice in conjunction with other provinces.
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