Workers on line B of the Buenos Aires subway carried out a four-hour work stoppage this Tuesday as a result of what they denounced as a “violent aggression by a hierarchical staff against a worker” at the Rancagua Workshop, and said that the situation was occurs in the midst of the conflict over “the debestization” of vehicles claimed by the Union Association of Subway and Premetro Workers (AGTSyP).
The termination occurred between 12 and 16after which, according to the union, an audience with the authorities was obtained.
“The workers of line B in an assembly decided to suspend the stoppage of the line and resume service from 4:00 p.m. We demanded an urgent appointment with the City Labor Undersecretary to request, once again, a response to our demands and we have achieved the first objective,” the AGTSyP said in a statement.
He added that “If we do not get positive answers, we will resume the measures voted in new assemblies”.
“We denounced the violent aggression by hierarchical personnel against a worker in the Rancagua workshop of this line. Faced with our demand for de-bestification, which has already been going on for five years, the company responds with tightening, sanctions and physical aggressionpointed out the workers of line B in a statement released in the morning.
the presence of asbestos
They remarked that “the aggression is part of the crisis in the workshop due to the presence of asbestos, which prevents workers from carrying out tasks on certain pieces and certain trains, given the prohibition that has existed in our country since 2001 to work in contact with this carcinogenic material. Despite the laws in force, the company exerts all kinds of pressure on workers in the sector to carry out tasks without the conditions to be carried out.”
For its part, the company Emova, the subway concessionaire, said in a statement that “it rejects and repudiates all types of violence that exist in any workplace, but there is no reason for these situations that occur in the workplace to affect the subway service, and consequently the users”.
“Regarding the event that occurred this morning at Taller Rancagua, we want to report that in the framework of a hostile climate generated for some time by the union sectors due to discussions and various provocations, a confusing episode occurred between a supervisor and a union delegate, which At this time we are investigating given the short time that has elapsed since the event occurred,” he added.
“We want to emphasize again that we repudiate any act of violence and that we always work to keep the channels of dialogue open for the resolution of conflicts“Emova said.
The AGTSyP denounced in 2018 the presence of asbestos in trains and subway network facilities and assured that since then “67 workers have been affected and three colleagues have died.”
In this sense, it was stated that “this true health crisis due to the presence of carcinogenic material in the underground network needs an urgent solution and this cannot be the persecution and aggression against workers that we demand a response to.”
“We already have a balance of several colleagues who have died from cancer caused by asbestos, in addition to dozens of colleagues whose lungs have been affected by this mineral that has been banned since the beginning of the century and which, however, has not been withdrawn from the network. We demand an immediate response to our We claim and hold Emova and Sbase (Buenos Aires Subways) responsible for this situation,” the statement concluded.
