LABOUR-ARGENTINA: Marching Workers Present Employment Plan

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 10 2000 (IPS) - Thousands of Argentinean workers marched 15 days through the country’s interior, reaching the national Congress Wednesday with a plan to fund subsidies for unemployed heads of household, grants for their minor children and an increase in pensions.

In a climate of joy and hope – uncharacteristic, given the labour demonstrations of recent years -, workers from various unions, under the umbrella Congress of Argentinean Workers (CTA), brought a list of measures to Congress at the end of their 350 km pilgrimage through the country.

“The people exist!” was one of the signs being waved overhead Wednesday outside the parliamentary building in a march that only a handful of legislators attended.

“We are overflowing with joy because this march shows that even though there is depression, anger and anxiety, there is still hope,” declared CTA leader, Víctor De Gennaro, upon reaching the end of the march.

“We workers wanted solutions and we found them, now the government must open its doors,” he challenged.

Surrounded by leaders from union, human rights, student, small manufacturing, retail and agricultural organisations, De Gennaro said he felt completely content with this “Grand March,” adding that “this is a just, intelligent and necessary cause that is good for our souls.”

Marta Maffei, leader of the teachers union that is part of the CTA, said the march “served to make society aware that unemployment is not only a problem for the unemployed.”

The marchers’ proposal, disseminated with the Sunday edition of ‘Página 12’ newspaper, recommends the creation of “employment and training insurance” for the heads of household who are out of work. It would consist of 380 dollars per month, plus a grant of 60 dollars for each child under age 18.

The amounts of these subsidies were established based on the minimum income that a typical family needs to subsist, as indicated by the National Institute of Statistics and Census. The Institute reports that 30 percent of Argentina’s 35 million people live in poverty.

The unemployment rate in Argentina stands at 15.4 percent, the highest in Latin America. Another 14 percent are under-employed, working less than 35 hours per week and looking for full-time jobs. But just 6.8 percent receive the unemployment subsidy of 210 dollars per month, for a maximum of six months.

A study by experts at the CTA’s Research and Training Institute indicates that to fully implement unemployment insurance in Argentina for one year would require 3.6 billion dollars, plus 6.1 billion dollars for the children’s subsidies.

The marchers also propose a hike in pensions, raising them from 150 to 350 dollars per month. The CTA says this would cost approximately 1.8 billion dollars, bringing the total for the reform package to 11.5 billion dollars annually.

The proposals are backed by a series of measures for collecting funds, summarised in the creation of a “redistribution shock” to replace the “confidence shock” which the Fernando de la Rúa government has implemented in an attempt to spur investment, growth and employment.

The workers say the money for their reforms would come from increased sales taxes, funding the subsidies that would give the unemployed access to the market and providing restitution for the benefits previously provided by companies that have since gone bankrupt.

They also suggest the need to halt subsidies for private enterprises engaged in public services (tollways, railroads, among others), redesignate part of the funds currently earmarked for social assistance, eliminate tax exemptions for profits and increase taxes on consumer and luxury goods.

The CTA study suggest that some 17.5 billion dollars could come from these channels, a goal that has the support of the Assembly of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and other sectors concerned about the recession that has gripped Argentina for nearly two years.

The workers presented the plan alongside a call for citizen support, hoping to gather a million signatures to push Congress to call a referendum on the issue.

The CTA was not able to gather the necessary signatures during the march but plans to continue its campaign to collect more, especially given the widespread malaise in Argentina arising from deepening unemployment.

In the latest Gallup poll, 48 percent of the respondents said they are worried most about the lack of jobs, the primary concern on a long list of complaints.

But the obstacle could lie in Congress. The constitutional norm that authorises referendums is established by the Constitution, in effect since 1994, but the authorities have yet to set up regulations for the process.

Wednesday’s march stood in contrast with those of recent years led by the General Confederation of Labour, which are more likely to be strikes and protests that end in aggressive speeches against the government, without providing recommendations for change.

Upon arrival at the plaza outside Parliament, De Gennaro said the CTA recommendations could be replaced by others the government might have. “We have hopes that the government will respond and that the issue will be debated in Congress. We are open to discussion. What we reject is saying ‘it cannot be done’.”

De Gennaro asked for the government’s “political will” to discuss solutions to the country’s social problems and for the unemployed workers’ motivation to support the proposals.

The CTA began its march July 26, passing through several towns in Buenos Aires and Santa Fe provinces so that workers from those areas – hard hit by industry closings – could learn about the proposals and show their support by joining the marchers.

The long march ended Wednesday with many of its leaders limping as they walked on blistered feet. “We are not tired,” assured a euphoric unionist, adding that the struggle “is just getting started.”