The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, summoned the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) to “work together” and said that this “involves everyone’s responsibility”, during a meeting held this Thursday afternoon with the leadership of the manufacturing entity in which the issues under analysis were the way to guarantee the dollars for the purchase of intermediate goods, the question of prices and the way to increase the industry competitiveness.
Massa, accompanied by the Secretary of Industry and Productive Development, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, and the Undersecretary of Industry, Priscila Makari, visited the UIA headquarters, located on Avenida de Mayo at 1100, in downtown Buenos Aires, where he was received by Daniel Funes de Rioja and by the entire board of directors of the entity.
During the meeting, which lasted four hours, Massa said: “We have to work together, but that implies everyone’s responsibility.”
“There can be no situations that stop the production of our companies or abuses of those businessmen who receive benefits from the State”, the minister completed.
After the meeting, and through his twitter account, the official stated that he met “with the UIA to discuss the most important issues on the national production agenda. Among them, guaranteeing dollars for intermediate goods, finding a fair price scheme and work on increasing competitiveness”.
“Formal production and employment in Argentina are the challenges that we share, and those that we committed ourselves to face in a joint and coordinated manner.Massa added.
Production and formal employment in Argentina are the challenges we share; and those that we committed to confronting in a joint and coordinated manner.
– Sergio Massa (@SergioMassa) September 22, 2022
Funes de Rioja, for his part, agreed on the need to work together with signs of “certainty, trust and consultation”.
“We believe that there should be agreements on State policies. On this issue, the primary responsibility lies with politics and we are willing to accompany and dialogue, as always, but we do not get involved in functions that do not correspond to us,” said the head of the UIA to the press after the meeting with Massa.
Regarding the import of inputs, Funes stressed that “there is the political will” to resolve specific issues that affect the sector.
The evolution of industrial activity, the UIA’s proposals to promote productive investment and exports with added value, were also part of the dialogue.
The representatives of the manufacturing entity and the economic team agreed that the productive sector is a “key player” to generate economic, productive, social, federal and sustainable development.
“The industry can and wants to provide solutions for Argentina to grow and develop. That is why we need to work to overcome the bottlenecks and difficulties that today generate uncertainty. We need to agree on an agenda that values industrial assets to respond to the challenges and difficulties of the country”expressed Funes de Rioja.
The UIA did not miss the opportunity to warn of the difficulties that arise in the payment of Earnings Advance, which “affects working capital”, as well as the discrepancies before the advances of a new fiscal consensus, particularly due to possible increases in taxes and rates.
Regarding imported inputs, they discussed the need to articulate the actions of the Ministry of Commerce and the Central Bank that allow generating certainty regarding the acquisition of intermediate goods.
After the meeting, De Mendiguren stressed that official data shows that there is no brake on the industry.
“Our priority is to continue growing while the macroeconomic variables are put in order; We are avoiding a difficult situation due to the shortage of dollars, but production is responding and there are almost no suspensions,” De Mendiguren said.
“The data shows that in the July-September quarter of this year, only 51 files were opened for work suspensions and almost none in industry but in commerce and services. From the national government we are working to sustain and increase employment in all activities”, added the secretary.
Prior to the work meeting, Massa toured the facilities of the X Industry Center, where different demonstrations of 4.0 technology solutions applied to the production process were carried out.
It would be very good if thousands of SMEs in Argentina participate in this project, promoted by the Ministry of @Economia_Arto ensure that more small and medium-sized companies can improve their competitiveness and develop their full technological potential.
– Sergio Massa (@SergioMassa) September 22, 2022
The X Industry Center is a space designed for companies to learn about digital transformation processes and their positive impact on productivity.
There, the relevance of national policies to be able to leverage and generate that more SMEs from all over the country can participate in the UIA’s Route X program for the adoption of 4.0 technologies was weighed.
