The Argentine government announces the end of a bus strike and accuses employers of forcing a blockade

The Transport union carried out a cessation of tasks due to salary claims that affected thousands of users throughout the country.

The Argentine government announced this Friday the lifting of a strike by bus drivers that caused serious problems in public transport in Buenos Aires and the interior of the country, and which was described by the authorities as a employer lock out. The measure of force began at midnight this Thursday and ended on the afternoon of July 7, after a meeting between the parties in conflict.

The workers presented a salary claim and channeled it through a strike that, according to the Casa Rosada denounced, was “forced” by the businessmen of the sector.

On Thursday, the Union Tranviarios Automotor (UTA), the transport union, announced a “cessation of tasks” for 24 hours in protest of the non-compliance of some companies in the payment of a salary increase “resolved and agreed”.

“UTA will not allow monopolistic groups to put pressure on the national government to obtain benefits,” the union said in a statement that was picked up by local media.

Finally, an agreement was reached between the Government, the businessmen of the sector and the union to lift the measure of force as of 5:30 p.m. (local time), confirmed the Minister of Economy and candidate for president for Peronism, Sergio Massa . Likewise, he explained that a dialogue table begins on Monday to “find a solution to the problems of the companies.”

Starting this morning, the measure affected thousands of bus users in the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires, who had serious problems getting to their respective jobs and places of study. There was also retention of tasks in six provinces of the interior.

A “strange” strike

Around noon, Minister Massa referred to the conflict and said that it was “a strange unemployment, who was summoned, or forced, by businessmen”.

“The State transferred the silver (money) from the salaries and some They withheld the money from salaries to force the workers to take to the streets”assured the minister during an official act.

In addition, it described some businessmen of the passenger motor transport chambers as “State parasites who intend to extort” and maintained that they want the government to “guarantee the profitability” of their profits.

According to Massa, these sectors of businessmen do not care about improving the conditions or the salary of their workers, which “was agreed”, nor the rate paid by users. On this point, he indicated that of every 100 pesos that the passenger pays for his ticket, “80 are provided by the State.”

“We believe in the Argentine businessmen who generate work, who run to pay salaries, who take risks and gamble, but to those who are parasites of the State who seek to extort, we say: We are not afraid of them, we are going to face them to defend the right of people to travel to go to work”.

“political intent”

The Ministry of Transportation called this Friday the business chambers and representatives of the UTA to try to end the strike in a negotiation. The minister of the portfolio, Raquel ‘Kelly’ Olmos, blamed the owners of the companies for not complying with the resolution of the last joint negotiation, in which the salary increases were defined.

“The State transferred the subsidies corresponding to this payment of wages. The employers, in some cases, paid it correctly, and in a majority case in the AMBA (Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area) they improperly withheld resources that are destined for the payment of wages,” Olmos said on Twitter.

The official also pointed out that the attitude of businessmen is known as “‘lock out’ employers”and said that behind this action there is “political intent.”

The protest measure took place in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, the city of La Plata and the provinces of Corrientes, Entre Rios, Santa Fe, Formosa and Tucuman.

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