On the verge of a serious conflict and with latent threats to suspend the service, the Automotive Tramway Union (UTA) finally reached an agreement this Friday with the Argentine Federation of Passenger Car Transporters (Fatap) and closed a six-monthly increase of salary of 29.47%.
The Ministry of Labor reported it on their Twitter account, where they confirmed the information after negotiations with the leadership of the union that groups bus drivers, led by leader Roberto Fernández.
As detailed, it is a wage increase that will materialize 10% in January, another 10% for March and the last 7% for May, which reaches short and medium-distance drivers.
“The six-month cumulative reaches 29.47%”, they published from the portfolio directed by Minister Raquel ‘Kelly’ Olmos.
He also indicated that a review of the clause was scheduled for next July.
For its part, the Uta reported in a statement that “the payment of the adjustment for the month of January will come into effect on February 23”.
Furthermore, he specified that the “base salary established in January-February” will be “220,000 dollars + 30,120 dollars a day. In other words, the drivers would earn a total of 250,120 dollars”. Also, the antiquity, which will be $3,300.
For his part, the “base salary set March through April” will be “$242,000 + $33,264 per diem. A total: $275,264” and “Seniority: $3,630.”
Finally, the union report says the “May-June base salary” will be “$258,940 + $35,472 per day, for a total of $294,412 and “seniority: $3,884.10.”
In this sense, what was stipulated respected the requirement formulated by the Minister of the Economy, Sergio Massa, who had expressed his intention to limit wage increases to around 60% in order to moderate inflationary expectations for this election year.
The deal came hours after the union threatened to suspend service for the next week due to a lack of negotiations.
They were demanding a salary increase and non-payment of a $20,000 surcharge agreed last September and which the workers should have received from January.
“The Government must intervene to resolve the agreement in parity. The increase is the support of the workers and we will not allow ourselves to be toys for the parties in the negotiation. So, if we do not have an agreement this week there will be problems in services”, they had anticipated close to Fernandez.
In mid-January, the trade unionist had taken positions with the Government and with representatives of the Chambers of Affairs of passenger transport to sign a wage agreement that would imply a 31% increase in three cumulative tranches, which in the end happened.
DB extension
Source: Clarin
