MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine government disavows the strike and confirms current policies

“Not a speck of chance of modifying the current course” said Labor minister Tomada

The Argentine government said on Friday there is no turning back of current policies despite the massive national strike that paralyzed the country on Thursday and insisted that the real impact was the result of the roadblocks in the accesses to the main cities.

 “There's not a speck of chance of modifying the current course of President Cristina Fernandez administration policies”, said Labor minister Carlos Tomada who admitted the strike caused “a strong impression” but it was “the result of the roadblocks manned by left wing groups” in strategic points of the city.

However Omar Maturano, head of the railways workers union warned that a new strike has not been discarded, “if the government does not change course” and added “when there are needs, there is a limit to patience. Yes, we can be patient, patient, ...but there is a limit”.

”Today (Friday, a day after the strike) does not seem the best day to talk; give time, time; let's see how the government reacts, what measures they are prepared to present, but it they don't change course you can bet we will be heading for another major decision such as a national strike“.

Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich said that ”it's hard to assess the impact of these strong measures because of a very simple reason: sometimes you can't differentiate a strike from a lock-out“.

In effect the government of Cristina Fernandez had warned public transport companies they were liable to lose substantial subsidies if they did not comply with public service on Thursday.

Capitanich went further and criticized the union leaders behind the major stoppage, Hugo Moyano and Luis Barrionuevo. ”None of the two has the moral authority I have. I was re-elected governor of Chaco province (2011) with 60.7% of the vote. When any of the two manage that number of votes, they will then have the moral authority to criticize me; meanwhile respect; that respect that they can't show or achieve through their unions' election systems“.

Thursday was the second national strike against the administration of President Cristina Fernández organized by the three main organized labor unions, which are no longer aligned with the government. Since Moyano dominates teamsters and other transport unions, this was crucial to ensure the success of the strike, even if people wanted to go to work.

But Hugo Yasky from another union organization aligned with the government argued that the strike was simply ”a demonstration of force from a grouping that has been longing to control the workers' movement and regroup unions ahead of the 2015 presidential elections“.

However Yasky also admitted that inflation is ”one of the main problems to address, since the salary rounds are useless if prices in two, three months gobble what was achieved by negotiations”.

Argentine political analysts have pointed out that by calling the strike to protest inflation, lack of security, a bonus for the retired and a higher income tax bracket floor (in a country with two digits inflation), the demands clearly moved from the unions to absorb the Argentine skimmed middle class.

Argentina has the second highest inflation in Latin America behind chaotic Venezuela and rampant crime has led to an outbreak of lynching by furious neighbors.