The Association of Officials of the State Power Plants and Transmissions (Aute), will hold a 24-hour national strike. The same will take place on Thursday.
The slogan is in “defense of the public electricity service, against the general adjustment and cuts.” The Union of UTE, calls for a march that is destined for the Plaza Primero de Mayo. From there, the march will depart to the Palacio de la Luz, where the “central act” will take place. The platform of the call is “against the adjustment and cuts in UTE, for more budget to improve the quality of service, no more blackouts, no to the privatization of the public electricity service.”
It is also claimed for “real salary recovery, in defense of the coverage system of medical certifications, for a true collective bargaining, not for bailout restructuring, for a formal scope of negotiation within the framework of the UTE-AUTE labor agreement to regulate teleworking, due to the entry of personnel and working conditions and not to outsourcing ».
The word of Castelgrande president of AUTE
Gonzalo Castelgrande, president of AUTE, explained to the PIT-CNT that “Historically, our union has defended the state-owned public company, but for the benefit of the Uruguayan people and not for private interests.”
“We have been enduring very harsh cuts and especially, as a result of the policies applied in the last two years, we have the lowest workforce in the history of the UTE”. According to union figures, some 8,000 officials should be budgeted, but currently the figure is around 6,000. This means that in any climatic situation such as a storm, for example, the staff is not enough to maintain a service “which is essential for the social and commercial life of our country,” said the AUTE leader.
The points they seek to defend
- Against the general adjustment and the cuts in UTE.
- For more budget to improve the quality of service, no more blackouts.
- No to the privatization of the public electricity service.
- For real salary recovery.
- In defense of the coverage system for medical certifications.
- For a true collective bargaining.
- No to downsizing restructuring.
- For a formal scope of negotiation within the framework of the UTE-AUTE labor agreement to regulate teleworking.
- Due to personnel income and working conditions, not to outsourcing
