In recent months the country has been divided between Yes and No. The referendum process —which will lead to a citizen consultation on March 27 around 135 articles of the Law of Urgent Consideration (LUC)— displayed acts of campaign, but it is also accompanied or escorted by social mobilizations that – not strictly with the referendum – contribute to a context of greater conflict and polarization.
In that framework, the PIT-CNT will define this Friday if it finally calls for a general strike on March 8, or if it reverses the decision that its Representative Table had adopted, and that generated certain questions from feminist groups. This Tuesday, the Executive Secretariat of the trade union center decided to convene an expanded Representative Table, which will discuss the matter again and decide whether or not to modify the characteristics of the general strike called on March 8, according to Elbia Pereira, executive secretary of the PIT-CNT.
If the initial decision is confirmed, it would be the first time that the trade union center supports International Women’s Day with a national strike. The measure came into consideration in December, but its link to the campaign for the Yes to the referendum –the PIT-CNT had proposed including proselytizing activities against the LUC in the day– generated criticism, even from within the social movements.
PIT-CNT sources assured that at the time of deciding the general strike, the vote in the Representative Table was unanimous. Days later, the Police Union, the Federal Association of Officials of the University of the Republic (AFFUR) and the Federation of Ancap, requested the convocation of an extraordinary Representative Table to reconsider the characteristics of the general strike of March 8.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for the Yes resolved not campaigning on International Women’s Day and left to the discretion of the feminist organizations themselves the possible manifestations in this regard. The decision took place after representatives of the Feminist Intersocial expressed their dissatisfaction with a decision that would be “counterproductive” within the framework of the day for the vindication of women’s rights.
In addition to the questions about the “overlapping” of the causes, there was also the usual criticism from government authorities of a measure that would affect essential services such as education.
The president of Codicen, Robert Silva, joined the dissenting voices with the measure and requested that the characteristics of the strike be reviewed. In addition to Women’s Day, the date coincides with the return to classes of more than 250 thousand students throughout the country, and so Silva requested that the unions “not hold public education students hostage” since “every day of class they miss is one less day of opportunity.”
join the cause
On the day of this Tuesday, a general strike of the Uruguayan Health Federation (FUS) took place that lasted until 3:00 p.m. and had among its demands the campaign for Yes.
The general secretary of the FUS, Jorge Bermúdez, previously announced in a press conference that the workers they would demonstrate in favor of repealing the 135 articles of the LUC. “This law is the product of a government, of a model, of a political conception that concentrates wealth and power that has expanded poverty,” he said.
Likewise, the measure was “in solidarity with the workers of Casa de Galicia”, who have been in conflict since December 23, when the mutualista’s closure was decreed. In protest, two officials held a hunger strike for almost two weeks , but the measure culminated when parliament Law 20,022 was approved, which determines the distribution of members to other mutual insurance companies. In the process, the Association of Officials of Casa de Galicia (Afuncag) came into conflict with the FUS, dissatisfied with its representation in the agreements with the Ministry of Public Health (MSP). However, Bermúdez stated that the FUS works to recover jobs from day one.
Another reason for the strike was the conflict with Casmu. The FUS denounced “arbitrary dismissals” in the mutual society that is carrying out a “permanent attack on the union organization.” The demonstration also demanded the reinstatement “of two colleagues from Sistrasis Salto (Asisper Workers’ Union, the escort service company) who suffer union persecution,” they announced in a statement.
They do not reach an agreement
The season was also marked by repeated demonstrations of hea Association of Bank Employees of Uruguay (AEBU).
The union is dissatisfied with the Executive Branch’s proposal for a 5.8% salary adjustment and insists that the government does not plan to compensate for a 3% salary loss generated in 2021. As a result of this “stalled negotiation”, In mid-January, the union stopped reloading money at ATMs during a weekend-long strike. The measure was repeated the second weekend of February.
AEBU called a march to Punta del Este next Friday, February 25 and the measure raised the alarms of the mayor of Maldonado, Enríque Antía, who wants to stop the mobilization with traffic controls. As he stated, if the demonstrators “block traffic”, then “they will be diverted to another place”.
The President of the Republic Luis Lacalle Pou also spoke about it at a press conference. “Stop banking, financial, public activity, is to stop a large part of the country’s economic apparatus. It doesn’t seem fair to those who are going to suffer it.”he claimed.
Trade unionists point out that the measures could be extreme in the absence of dialogue. “We could leave Uruguay without a financial system for more than 10 days“said the leader of AEBU, Lorena Lavecchia in dialogue with Telemundo.
Unemployment against “compulsive” license
Last monday, Plant No. 8 of Conaprole in Villa Rodríguez stopped its activities for 24 hours. The complaint of the Association of Workers and Employees of Conaprole (AOEC) was that the company imposed a “compulsory license” on workers.
For maintenance, the plant would close its doors for 15 days, and the operators were offered to take leave. 22 workers accepted the payment, but another 12 preferred to be relocated. Despite this agreement, the company announced that the license would be compulsory for all.
Conaprole was unhappy about possible losses of raw material. But the Federation of Dairy Industry Workers (FTIL) will impose measures in the event that the Chamber of the Dairy Industry (CILU) does not take up the Salary Councils.
