Clik here to view.
Alicorpt workers protested ealier today (photo: José Casal/Télam/lz)
Council workers from the province of Buenos Aires cut off Av. 9 de Julio at its intersection with Cordoba earlier today, demanding the start of collective wage negotiations. Seven people were arrested as the police intervened to end the protest.
General secretary of the Council Workers Union of Argentina, Ruben Garcia, explained that “we had to take this measure, we apologise to the citizens; it’s a seven-year old demand, we want our salaries to stop being minimal.” García added that 68% of the workers are outsourced, and some of them “earn less than $1,200 per month.”
At around 3pm, the Federal Police moved in to end the protest and deviate traffic. The organisers complained that they were beaten up and arrested after they had already agreed to end the roadblock.
The demonstration took place in front of the headquarters of the Argentine Federation of Municipalities (FAM) and severely affected the Metrobus service, which was only opened 24 hours ago by Mauricio Macri. Deputy Secretary of Transport of the City Government, Guillermo Dietrich, described the demonstration as “outrageous and unjustifiable, affecting thousands of commuters.”
Earlier on in the day, workers from Alicorp (formerly known as Jabón Federal) also staged a protest on Corrientes and Carlos Pellegrini, near the Obelisco, to demand for better wages and the re-integration of dismissed employees.
The city government has announced that it will file a lawsuit for the interruption of public transport and that there is a replacement service ready for these situations.
Due to the pickets, the stations of Santa Fe, Marcelo T. de Alvear, Paraguay, and Cordoba of the Metrobus had to close and buses had to change their routes.
The post Incidents on Av. 9 de Julio as Police Disperse Protesters appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
