Argentina - January 20, 2025

UOM (Steelworkers Argentine union) - Acindar, Villa Constitución

In the face of furloughs and dismissals at Acindar... Let Christian Miguez of the Internal Commission of Acindar and Politica Obrera (Workers' Policy) stop hiding…

Either prostration before the bosses so that the workers pay for the crisis or a decisive fight by the metalworkers in the face of the catastrophe that is already here

After having left the Acindar workers isolated and separated from each other, in struggles and demands sector by sector, the board of the UOM of Villa Constitucion and the Internal Commission of Acindar issued a statement in which they report that they agreed with the employers an advance payment of between 400,000 and 500,000 ARS$ for the months of November and December, when thanks to Furlán our wages have been "frozen" since June of last year!
But while the Board and the Internal Commission accept "the carrot" of an advance payment due to collective bargain, they are already announcing the blow of furloughs, which they will not tackle, but they will negotiate the method and percentages. Not only that, they are also announcing the dismissal of 200 outsourced workers and 100 full contracted workers by the end of January. As a “preview”, the employers have already gave the chance of "voluntary retirements".

With the employers liquidating the collective agreements, with agreements by factory, which is the way to liquidate the unions by branch, with layoffs and a 1% top wage increase, they can even increase production, but we will never be able to recover what we lost! And they will have already inflicted a brutal defeat on us.
In the midst of a brutal attack by one of the employers who has made the most profits in recent years and who, under the blackmail of low production, imposes on the workers that they should pay for “the crisis” by giving up wages and jobs, Christian Miguez from Política Obrera, who heads the Internal Commission, accepts without hesitation the wage cuts and the furloughs because if not “the layoffs will come.” Enough of this deception! The layoffs are already here and they will not stop by accepting suspensions. On the contrary, only with a decisive struggle going for everything, we will stop this brutal attack on the workers. Miguez’s policy is to capitulate without fighting.

In his latest article in Política Obrera website, Miguez It says “Threat of layoffs at Acindar Villa Constitucion, how do we confront them” but there is not a single proposal for struggle!
https://politicaobrera.com/13452-amenaza-de-despidos-en-acindar-villa-constitucion-como-los-enfrentamos
If a defeat is imposed on the most concentrated battalion of the industrial proletariat in Villa Constitucion, a catastrophe will extend to the entire workers’ movement. Let the Internal Commission, Miguez and Politica Obrera take responsibility if this tragedy occurs.
Enough! Politica Obrera with Miguez and Altamira must stop playing hide and seek. Either yes or no, do you vote for a program of prostration before the bosses so that the Acindar workers pay for the crisis?Or do you vote for a program of workers’ demands and a decisive struggle to fight for them? You have to take a stand. The ball is on your court.

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We reproduce the statement of the Board of Directors of UOM (Steelworkers Argetine Union) Villa Constitución and the Internal Commission of Acindar

Comrades/as
The meeting ended with an agreement  reached with the company regarding the advance payment for all colleagues in branch 21 for the months of November and December of 400,000 to 500,000 ARS$ depending on salary, alimony and embargoes. For all without leaving any sectors discriminated for any reason.

This payment will be made on 24/1.

After the national collective bargaining hearing on January 23, if there is no agreement, a meeting will be held to define a new amount to be paid in the first days of February as an advance.
Next week we will meet to discuss percentage and suspension modalities.
Thank you very much to all colleagues for knowing how to endure and act when necessary.
Tough times are coming, nothing is more important at this time, with debates, opinions, etc. than that the union organization as a whole be strengthened by the support of colleagues.

Directive committee,
Internal committee,
Delegate body