Last August 18, the transnational corporation Kraft Foods Argentina fired 150 workers in its General Pacheco plant. On August 26, the Union of Food Industry Workers (STIA) staged a large mobilization, marching through downtown Buenos Aires to the Ministry of Labor, whose order to resume production immediately was ignored by Kraft. The Ministry called the parties to a new mandatory conciliation hearing scheduled for August 27.

 

More than three thousand people gathered at 3 pm on Wednesday, August 26, in front of the Buenos Aires’ Obelisco monument, from where they marched down Corrientes Avenue to the seat of the Ministry of Labor.

 

The march included a large number of workers from the plant affected by the layoffs, as well as representatives of the Union of Food Industry Workers of Buenos Aires, and of other organizations and several regional chapters of Argentina’s General Labor Confederation (CGT), the Confederation of Food Industry Labor Associations (CASIA), the Argentinean Federation of Carbonated Beverages and Related Industry Workers  (FATAGA) and other trade unions and social organizations.

 

Upon reaching Ministry headquarters, the general secretary of STIA, Rodolfo Daer, addressed the demonstrators, strongly emphasizing that the march was meant “as a repudiation of the attitude of this transnational corporation that thinks it can trample Argentina’s laws, workers and organizations.”

 

“Our Union will not give up the struggle until each and every one of the workers laid off is reinstated,” he said

 

In addition to Daer, the STIA delegation that met with Ministry authorities was formed by union secretary Lidia Crespo, administrative secretary Silvia Villareal and two members of the Internal Committee of the General Pacheco plant, where the layoffs occurred.

 

After a meeting of more than an hour with Labor Deputy Minister Noemí Rial -during which the demonstrators maintained a lively vigil outside the Ministry-, the delegation informed that the Ministry had ordered the company to resume operations under completely normal conditions, including the reinstatement of the fired workers, beginning with that day’s night shift, at 10 pm.

 

Addressing the crowd of demonstrators, Rodolfo Daer thanked fellow organizations, including the IUF, for their support, and repeated STIA’s intention to firmly defend the jobs of the affected workers and not stop until they are reinstated, “as was decided unanimously by our Governing Committee.”

 

Consulted by Sirel regarding the latest developments in this conflict, Lidia Crespo said that “Kraft Argentina has not changed its attitude in the least and maintains the employer lockout despite the Labor Ministry’s order to resume operations, thus demonstrating once again its intention to trample our laws and disregard our government authorities.”

 

Crespo reported that a Plenary Meeting of Delegates was held today to examine the situation in depth and decided to keep the union mobilized pending the outcome of the new hearing convened by the Labor Ministry for later today.

The period for mandatory conciliation ends in the first week of September.