hours following a new dialogue failed between the Ministry of Labor, the Tire Workers Union and companies in the automotive sector, the Secretary of Industry of José de Mendigou spoke regarding the salary claim of the employees towards the factories in which they work and debunked it in revealing detail.
During his time on LN+, De Mendiguren remarked that in the union conflict that has paralyzed the industry -not only due to the lack of tires at the country level but also due to the cessation of vehicle production in cases such as Ford- cannot be motivated by a parity and explained why.
“We are willing to find the best possible agreement for tire workers. But we must not forget that, of the 200 labor agreements that exist, his is located in position number 19. This means that it is a good agreement and one of the best paid. It even has a profit distribution clause”, he highlighted.
And he added: “Therefore, carrying on a dispute for so long, with 33 meetings and occupied plants… because one can have a wage debate and not necessarily stop production… in my opinion, it does not necessarily have to do with with a complaint regarding parity. there is something else”.
In view of the resumption of negotiations to reach an agreement, which will start once more this Tuesday, De Mendiguren was optimistic and said that “they are on the brink of agreement”. Still, he didn’t take that for granted and he admitted to being worried. “It is very difficult for us”lament.
And completed: “We intervene because we need them to sit down to talk. Today [por ayer] we mightn’t solve it. hopefully tomorrow [por hoy] Yes”.
Along these lines, he was certainly anxious for a quick resolution since “the automotive chain is very important.” “We are talking regarding a great damage absorbed by both the 120,000 workers in the sector and the important commitments of the companies abroad, which bring us dollars”, he remarked.
For the Secretary of Industry, The Ministry of Labor has the necessary tools to unblock the conflict: “They have a clear negotiating strategy. They know when to tighten and when to soften. And beyond not always obtaining the best results, we cannot judge how they do things”.
During the last sections of the interview, and far from the discussion of the automotive sector, De Mendiguren left a reflection that can be generalized to all areas of the Argentine economy: “Regardless of individual problems, if we don’t solve the growth problem, the rest is sterile discussion.”
Days ago, in a dialogue with Radio Continental, the government official had spoken regarding the conflict and indicated that “If they at least released access to the plant, there is a stock of tires that would allow production to continue,”
