Argentine organized labour splits and pledges to challenge Cristina Fernandez
Argentina’s CGT Central Labour Confederation leader Hugo Moyano, who on Thursday was re-elected for a third period during the umbrella organization’s congress warned that “we will have to rethink our vote in 2013 if the Government (of President Cristina Fernandez) does not give an answer to our claims.”
Moyano, whose rift with President Cristina Fernández administration deepened in the last months addressed supporters in a rally during the CGT Congress, which he stressed “took place despite that ministers and government officials tried their hardest to prevent us from being here.”
“Despite the fact we’ve been pressured and harassed this historic day took place all the same. Never before has a Government, either democratic or a dictatorship, tried to meddle with unions’ organization. Each government official, each minister tried to the best they could to prevent this Congress from happening” Moyano added.
The re-elected labour leader anticipated that in 2013 “we are going to rethink our vote to see if it is really true that without the support from the workers, that 54% does not contract significantly”.
“Let not the government forget that the 54% it boasts has a high percentage of workers” and called on the administration to begin giving replies to demands or “we will be forced to think in political terms”.
Moyano added that “we can’t give our vote to those who continue attacking us, to those who deny legitimacy to our claims, to who with arrogance despises workers”.
In October 2011 Cristina Fernandez was re-elected with an overwhelming and historic 54% of the vote and 35 points ahead of her runner up. CGT leader Moyano could only bow to such a victory. However in 2013 Cristina Fernandez faces mid term congressional elections and the economic situation is not so bright or promising.
In effect as the global economy slows down and exports stall, “official” manicured inflation in Argentina is just below two digits but for the rest of the country, IMF and World Bank it is closer to an annualized 25%.
In anticipation of what can be expected and besides the repeated demands to lift the minimum for paying income tax and lowering the maximum for having access to family allowance and other benefits, Moyano also addressed the two very highly sensitive issues of inflation and security.
“This issue of inflation is getting unsustainable” Moyano told supporters after his unanimous election, demanding the government hike the minimum threshold for income tax as wages rise. “The workers can't support this unjust tax any longer.”
He added that “workers are living under constant fear because of the rampant insecurity that threatens the whole community, and workers are desperate trying to find a solution to a problem which is the State’s responsibility to address”.
Moyano then asked “why are you so afraid of the workers union organizations? You should not be afraid of us, you should respect us. You cannot ignore the power of workers, and our claims should not be ignored.”
The re-elected CGT leader also assured that “the National Government refused to hand over the money to Buenos Aires province Governor Daniel Scioli for him to pay salaries and bonuses in time. All of us know that. The National Government pursues permanent confrontation instead of dialogue”.
According to the data released by the CGT congress, Moyano obtained 54% of the votes cast. A total of 1.009 congress members were registered to vote. Before the vote was taken, an assembly approved the incorporation of another 45 unions and 241 congress members of which 109 were allowed to vote. The CGT unions’ voter registry before the latest incorporations was 1.610 of which 901 registered for the congress.
Thursday’s congress and Moyano re-election definitively underlines the rupture within the umbrella union, considering the fact that his opponents sponsored by the administration of Cristina Fernandez are to hold their own internal election in October putting forward UOM metal workers union head Antonio Caló to be president.
With the new scenario there are three CGT: the one headed by re-elected Moyano and his dominating teamsters’ union; a second under Luis Barrionuevo and the third led by Antonio Caló supported by a grouping called “the fat cats” and the CFK administration.
The head of the pro-government UOM metal workers union Caló commented on the crisis within the CGT umbrella union and said that they took “all the possible steps” in order to avoid the fracture within the union, reaffirming that “the labour movements rift does not benefit the workers.”
“The rupture within the labour movement is not something that benefits the workers. We were working until the last minute in order to bring together the two congresses, so that both take place in October”, the union head Caló said.
“Moyano has decided to go ahead with a congress that he believes to be legitimate. It is not however, what the Labour Ministry agreed to”, concluded Caló.
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thats enough. time to retire !
This will end bloody but who's to say who will come out on top. I am not willing to wager yet. Let it stew a couple more weeks. The financial crumbling of the Prov and Fed gov't can't last for much longer. It is all flying apart very quickly....if something spooks the general population CFK is finished.
Why retire? He was relected with a 54% majority. When CFK did the same in the election it was hailed as a whirlwind victory. Moyano is fast becoming one of the most political powerfull figures in Argentina. Instead of his support fading it is growing the union incoporated an additional 45 unions and 241 congress members. NO government in Argentina can rule without a mandate from the unions and especially the CGT. I beleive we will see his power base increasing in the run up to the mid term elections in 2013 and the presedential elections and I think he is likely to stand as a candiate.
He ever seems to udnerstand that inflation is a problem so he has better economy credetials than the entire CFK administration.
@2 You still insist on saying CFK is left wing. Prey tell me how the Peronist party started and to which side of centre it was at conception and still is today. HINT: It is no conisidence that many Nazi, Franco and Mousalline (bad spelling i know) supporters fled to Argentina in the mid and late 1940s.
Engineer
Moyano's mission is finished..has some raps(misdeed)in the past.
. . . . . . . .
You were right on milk/lt price
~~1,5Ps/Lt is raw prices which i had said..to test your reflexes.
If you can be honest cheese/youghurt producer in this country
You can be a richman quickly.
I don't think Moyano will stand for an electoral post, he will put his sons and entourage up. He's far too canny for that, his power comes from the workers and demands that he stay close to his power base.
That said, I would agree that he has a far better feeling for the economy than the Kirchnerists, but then a 5 year old probably has a better take on the economy than Kretin, Axel,De Vido or Moreno!!!!!
When he controls the gas supply network (as we saw a few weeks ago) and now with problems with electric his control of a major engery resource can not be underestimated.
Moyano is never a Lula da Silva.
dont forget his passification option in the swift Argentina ruling machine.
when /if decided,..it could very easy.
What is a Peronist government it can not gain the support of the workers? The middle and upper class or Argentina will never vote personist and if she looses the workers unions we will be looking at a very different result. Given that CFK cannot stand for the next election I think Moyanos power base will give him a big say within the Peronist party as to who stands. Kirchniite loyalist may not like him but senior Peronists will not lose an election over a labour dispute and will appease him to guarantee the vote.
or Ruling Machine might bring a new name worker boss.
They have been trying to bring in a repalcement union and leader throught this whole affair and trying to declare the CGT ilagitamte but as we have seen from events of yesterday this does no seem to be working when he gains a 54% reelection rate plus the additional 45 unions and 241 congress members. His support is growing despite government interferences. There is only so far the administration can go before it reduces itself to the same level of a milatry Junta or totalaterian state i.e. banning non government sanctioned unions. The 3,000,000 of so members of the CGT (7.5% of the Argentine population) have a right to be reprenseted by this man they have elcted as their leader no matter how much he disagrees with the government in power. The current UK government is not supported by the unions but you dont see them attempting to influence the free vote of the unions in electing their leaders, why because it is morally and democratical repugnent.
But the 3million didn't, unlike Cristina's victory Moyano's 54% (pretty low when there wasn't another candidate, right!) was of delegates at a rally of questionable (at least!) legitimacy
I think that this is a classic case of “divide and rule” on the part of CFK. She has managed to split the CGT into 3 factions, her problem now is that she has to keep the 3 factions apart, because if Luis Barrionuevo and his “gastronómicos” join up with Moyano Kretina is finished!!!!
Her ACTUAL vote was just over 1/3, so 2/3 did not vote DIRECTLY for her. Don't put crap on here about other parties would vote for her in the chambers. They DID NOT VOTE FOR HER in the election.
So Moyano, who did get 54 % actually polled more votes than TMBOA.
The trick is to create an illusion of sustainable growth and freedom. And when it inevitably goes to shit because the economy is deliberately mismanaged (-we cant have industry or the economy getting too big and independent now can we?-) lay the blame on numerous scapegoats and play the nationalist card -we are strong, proud Argentinians and we are suffering but will fight to get Argentina on its feet again (says multi millionaire 'politician' )
Keep them dependent and restricted in the box marked -Argentina-
In your head, you may be the greatest thing since BK put ya name up in lights,
But in reality,
The sooner you go, the better for democracy,
And the real argentine people .
.
Like the railways.
Since the Argentines have disowned the British they have fallen from the 5th richest country in the world to a shambles.
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