The secretary of the Association of Dairy Workers of the Argentine Republic (Atilra), Ariel Héctor Sanchez, and the delegate of said union at the Lácteos Vidal company, Rafael Alberto Ale, were accused by the Attorney General Sergio Martín Lapadu of blockade carried out at the company’s plant in the Villa Devoto neighborhood of Buenos Aires in August 2022.
On August 16, 2022, at 5 am, Atilra started a union protest in front of the Lácteos Vidal factory, in Tinogasta 4995 street, in the city of Buenos Aires, which including pressure and threats to workers of the plant wanted to go to work. The conflict escalated with union blockades of the company’s factory located in the town of Moctezuma, western Buenos Aires, and resulted in the dismissal of 26 workers.
Then there was a precautionary measure against these dismissals and the jurisdiction of the case. Alejandra Bada Vázquez, owner of the company, with the legal support of the lawyer María Florencia Arietto, joined the civil party and the case was assigned to the Criminal and Misdemeanor Prosecutor’s Office no. 26, directed by Dr. Luis A. Arnaudo,
The trial was suspended until prosecutor Lapadu decided to reopen the case and examine the testimonies. give rise to the accusations of the subjects involved in the seizures of Villa Devoto. The public prosecutor had closed the case due to insufficient evidence, but Arietto had asked for the file to be re-examined. Now, the interim judge, in disagreement, asked for his removal and ordered the production of a series of documents.
The testimonies
Héctor Pitavino, an employee of the company, said at the police station that while he was at the entrance, shortly before 6am that day, a member of the union approached him and said: “We have to wait for those who came to work. at the exit and rub them hard so they learn.” The same individual scolded him later when he tried to open another door of the factory, the one on 1925 Bermúdez Street.
Alejandra Bada Vázquez, owner and representative of the company, claims that the union initiated a blockade of the CABA factory that prevented several employees from carrying out their usual tasks. And she assured that the measure was led by Rafael Alberto Ale, delegate of that establishment. Likewise, he stated that Atilra protesters threatened the company’s workers, including Julián Carabajal, Héctor Pitavino and Javier Espíndola and that, while he recorded the episode with his cell phone, two women and a man physically attacked.
Matías Ibarra also testified, who said that on August 17, while he was going to Lácteos Vidal, three people from Atilra approached him and said: “You can’t go to work because we are on strike and no one comes to work . ”.
For his part, Armando Espíndola reported that while he was going to work together with his colleagues Olivera, Carabajal, Galarza, Ibarra, Algañaraz and Griffo, they were intercepted by protesters, who warned them: “Don’t go to work, it will be better for you, people are sick, you will see the benefits.” And he added that when they responded that they wanted to go to work, they received some pushes from the protesters.
Likewise, Ricardo Galarza told the police headquarters that the Atilra protesters did not allow him to enter the factory to start his working day. At that moment, he saw that his partner Emanuel was trying to access the factory and a group of people began to push him and scold him.
On the other hand, Oscar Griffo stated that on August 17, 2022, at the intersection of Quevedo and Tinogasta streets, he was intercepted by a group of protesters who told him that he could not enter his work.
Meanwhile, Esteban Argañaraz said he was approached by a group of Atilra who did not allow him access to his workplace and threatened him: “We have marked you, tomorrow we will make fun of you.”
Emanuel Olivera said that as he headed towards the factory with his colleagues, they were intercepted by people from Atilra who told them in a threatening tone: “You can’t enter, it’s closed, there’s a strike, go home.” And that some trade unionists shouted “we must kill them all, you stupid sons of bitches”.
Finally, Julián Carabajal stated that as they were about to enter the plant with other colleagues, they received pushes and verbal attacks from Atilra members. And he reported having received threats from Ariel Héctor Sánchez, the union secretary.
Carlos Alberto Díaz, an employee of Lácteos Vidal, declared to the Prosecutor’s Office that during Atilra’s forceful arrest, he arrived at the factory at 5.45am and was unable to enter because the demonstrators were blocking the access gate. And he said that he “did not contradict the strikers because they were very violent and he felt that they could physically attack him”. Furthermore, he mentioned that among them could be identified the union secretary Sánchez and the factory delegate, Alejandro.
David Alejandro Achagna, who buys goods daily at Lácteos Vidal, also testified that, during the month of August 2022, strikers blocked the main access to the CABA headquarters and that for two weeks he had to load the products into his truck through an alternative gate.
Likewise, the judge took as evidence the video provided by the complainants in which a group of people belonging to Atilra, in union clothes, are seen in front of the factory door demonstrating and rudely trying to convince the employees not to go to work .
Source: Clarin
