MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No end in sight to Mar del Plata fishermen's strike

The Argentine government and the fishing unions are locked in a salary dispute which has paralyzed the country's main fleet in Mar del Plata. Unions are demanding the implementation of Ministry of Labour resolution 254/05 stipulating salaries must be paid in US dollars.

Fisheries vessel owners reject point blank the resolution and warn that having the fleet docked generates economic losses estimated in a million US dollars per day.

The conflict has become so serious that the federal government is taking part but so far to no avail.

"Nothing happened during the last meeting; in fact Minister Fernández talked about the need to end to the strike, but what he proposed is not consistent with our interests" said Roberto Toledo, head of the Marine workers association.

"The government will be responsible for what happens from now on, because we are going to extend the strike to the tugs and container shipping sectors plus taking protests to the streets and inviting other fishing ports to join us" warned Toledo in an interview with Mar del Plata's La Capital.(FIS/MP).-