MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine organized labour leader stays on; claims “destabilizing campaign”

Moyano, “I’m not tired, I’m staying” as head of CGT

Argentina’s Secretary General of the CGT Labour Confederation, Hugo Moyano, denied all rumours indicating his imminent departure from the CGT and attributed them to “a destabilizing media operation”. He added he was preparing to defend “workers’ minimum wage”.

The former teamster noted that some Buenos Aires media published the version of his leaving –originally triggered by the head of the Power Workers Union (Oscar Lescano) - because “they have nothing to say about the President, as the Argentines expressed their overwhelming support in the primary elections last Sunday (14 August)”.

Moyano also indicated that primaries “were also a defeat for the media as they no longer have relevance or credibility. That story they try to sell along with some power sectors saying that the country is isolated from the rest of the world, is no longer believed by anyone.”

Likewise, Moyano charged against the head of the Power Workers union, Oscar Lescano, who had suggested that the former teamster would resign to his post.

”I don’t know where he (Lescano) got that from. He said I was leaving sooner because I was tired. Well, that’s not true. I’m staying”, Moyano emphasized.

Although a formidable organizer of grass root support and street demonstrations through the unions, (and business intimidator when needed), Moyano has given the Kirchner couple since 2003 a decisive support in disciplining labour while Argentina climbed out of its historic collapse of 2001/2002.

In compensation among other things unions have a strong representation in Congress and Moyano was given hundreds of millions of dollars in workers health and insurance funds to manage.

But his thug methods and corruption scandals surrounding organized labour scare middle of the road votes and Moyano has been too demanding even by Argentine standards: he has asked for union representatives in corporation boards and access to the books so as to share profits with labour.

This has led to repeated clashes with Cristina Fernandez particularly when he demanded that her ticket companion for October’s presidential election should be from organized labour, in other words a person of his picking.

Following these outbursts Mrs Kirchner has taken prudent distance from Moyano and ignored his demands particularly when making the ballot lists reducing significantly the number of union representatives and benefiting ‘new, fresh faces’ from her son Maximo La Campora organization.

The president’s landslide support in the August 14 primaries rattled Moyano’s standing even inside organized labour and since then a cascade of rumours about the need for him to step down have flooded the Argentine media.

Obviously a lot of people would like to see Moyano out, not less the administration of President Cristina Fernandez, which would like to have a more palatable associate running organized labour. But he has decided to battle on.

Member of the Lower House and lawyer for the CGT umbrella union, Héctor Recalde, also refuted any speculation that Moyano would be stepping down as leader.

“I speak with Moyano everyday and he has in no way considered leaving his post at such an important moment for workers because he is ready to argue for salaries”.

Recalde said that “institutionally” the union boss “has a mandate until June of next year” and that although “any union leader has the right to replace Moyano if he wants it would not be in the best interests of the workers”.

Business, unions and the Ministry of Labour are expected to begin a round of negotiations to establish Argentina’s minimum national wage.

A negotiation not exempt of controversy since it will mean discussing the two tier inflation indexes in Argentina: the official one managed by Indec and the ‘other’, which is at least double but not admitted, although all organized labour contracts so far have been based on “workers’ super market shopping list prices and pocket”.