2024-01-04 14:08:35
In the midst of the increase in bus fares and the removal of subsidies, The central leadership of the Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA) issued a warning to Javier Milei, pointing out the lack of guarantees in the payment of salaries for drivers. The uncertainty arose due to the absence of compensatory funds for the provinces and the conflict between the Government and the transport companies. FATAP also expressed its concern and even raised the possibility of a “business strike.”
Through a statement, The UTA warned regarding the risk that some companies will not be able to meet January salaries for drivers, who are “caught in the conflict between the Government and the transport companies over the removal of subsidies.” The increase in bus and fuel rates heightened the union’s concern.
Furthermore, the union expressed its discontentstating that collective passenger transport workers are in a “state of shock”. The removal of subsidies and the lack of clarity in compensatory funds generate uncertainty among employees. From the UTA, they stressed that they did not invent the subsidy system and that they are victims of government decisions.
The UTA, which brings together all workers in collective companies, warned that the situation cannot depend on the “arbitrary of the State”, demanding consideration and respect for the workers.
The lack of certainty in the payment of salaries generates frustration, and the union stressed that they are not willing to be “the duck in the wedding.” In the same sense, they urged the Executive and the companies to resolve their differences without affecting the income of workers.
What impact might the removal of public transport subsidies have in Neuquén and Río Negro?
The conflict worsens and uncertainty grows over the impossibility of paying bus fare subsidies due to the “removal of resources” by the Nation from the provinces. This situation would leave the workers of Neuquén and Río Negro in a vulnerable position, being affected by political and financial decisions.
“If they do not send subsidies, I do not know with what funds the companies will pay the salaries of the workers,” they indicated from UTA Río Negro and completed: “If companies wanted to transfer the cost to the ticket, it would not be the solution either because we are in a time where the number of public transport users is falling.”
From the leadership of the union they separated themselves from the political-financial disputes that exist between the Argentine Federation of Passenger Automotive Transporters (FATAP) and the new national government. “We want our salaries to be paid and the companies to resolve their situation with the government”they concluded.
In this tense scenario, the UTA reiterated its firmness in the face of the claims and demanded that the payment of salaries be guaranteed for the workers, who are in the middle of the dispute over subsidies and rates. All this conflict generates in the middle of a “price increase” on fuel that will end up having an impact on the operating costs of public transport companies.
Crisis in public transport: FATAP and the possibility of a “business strike” in the face of critical economic conditions
Not only the UTA expressed concern regarding the difficult scenario that public transportation is experiencing due to the removal of subsidies. The Argentine Federation of Automotive Passenger Transporters (FATAP) also issued a harsh warning regarding the “viability of public transport services in the interior of the country.”
They indicated that the current economic crisis, marked by insufficient rates and uncertainty regarding national subsidies, might trigger extreme measures, including reductions in services and job losses.
The transportation situation in the interior of the country reached a critical point, and FATAP expressed its “inability” to maintain services under current economic conditions. Restrictions on services and previous stoppages, in different parts of the country, generated conflicts with workers, affecting work commitments and financial obligations.
The federation denounced a “persistent inequity”, pointing out that while a transition towards new national policies is being proposed for providers in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), A similar response is missing for the Federation, which represents the majority of chambers and companies in the rest of the country.. More than 10 million people depend on public transportation in these regions.
Given the critical situation, The companies associated with FATAP considered proposing extreme measures to avoid total paralysis. These would include the reduction of night and day services, as well as the implementation of Preventive Crisis Processes, which might result in suspensions and loss of jobs.
Although the FATAP statement does not specify when or where these measures will be applied, the warning generates concern among public transport users.
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