MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine organized labour admits a “difficult relationship” with CFK

Hugo Moyano missed the swearing-in ceremony of Cristina Fernandez on Saturday

Argentina’s organized labour has admitted a “difficult relationship” between the government of President Cristina Fernandez and the CGT Labour Confederation, but there’s “no break-up or anything like it”.

The statement belongs to union leader Juan Carlos Schmidt, one of organized labour CGT leader Hugo Moyano closest aides following his unexpected absence from Saturday’s second mandate inauguration ceremony of President Cristina Fernandez.

“It’s not news to say that there is a difficult relationship between the government and the CGT” said Schmidt who emphasized “anyway, there is no break-up or anything like it”.

Likewise, Schmidt questioned the President Cristina Fernandez speech, which included critiques to former ruler Juan Domingo Perón and were interpreted as an indirect attack to Moyano.

During her speech before Congress, CFK said that “the Constitution introduced in 1949 during the presidency of Juan Perón did not include the right to strike. But with us, Unions can strike. But strikes should not lead to blackmail or extortion” and recalled a labour dispute incident in Santa Cruz province that caused losses equivalent to 800 million dollars.

The conflict involved teachers and oil workers from the Patagonian province and the Kirchner’s turf which CFK underlined, are “the best paid in all of Argentina” in their categories.

However Schmidt responded that “I do not know who was advising the President. As far as I know, there were many strikes during the Peronist governments”.

In Congress the head of the Victory Front’s caucus in the Lower House, Deputy Agustín Rossi also played down the situation and told reporters he was feeling “very positive” about the future relationship between the national government and the labour unions.

“I have no doubt that we will continue to build together in the coming years“, and added, “We (Victory Front) are a political space that has defended the value of work in a very loud and clear way during this time in power. Plus, employment has grown and the unions have played a huge role.”

When asked about the absence of CGT Labour Confederation’s boss Hugo Moyano to President Cristina Fernández swear-in ceremony, Rossi said: “We don’t see any political intention behind his absence. Actually, the deputies who respond to the labour movement, including Facundo Moyano, son of Hugo, were present yesterday at the Congress”.

The government of President Cristina Fernandez and Hugo Moyano have been increasingly distant over several issues particularly the organized labour leader’s attempt to have a greater influence in the list of Deputies to Congress when the October election and even his declared intention to digit the Vice president nomination.

CFK ignored all these advances and furthermore said that a bill to share corporations’ profits between shareholders and workers sponsored by organized labour representatives in Congress was a “bilateral issue to be discussed between labour and corporations and no bill was needed and will not be sponsored”.

Moyano who has seen his leadership questioned in the CGT has based much of his promises on the profit sharing bill and a greater say in government through congress seats. His teamsters’ union is organizing its own celebration for the new ‘labour-elected’ government for December 14.