MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Crackdown on phantom employees, “gnocchi”, in the Argentine Congress
Nearly 200 phantom workers at Argentina's parliament have been caught in a crackdown on employees who only show up sporadically for their jobs, it has been reported. According to La Nacion, the Argentine Congress implemented a new attendance control system for employees two months ago, and it has already caught 190 who had not shown up for long periods without a good explanation. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesDemon Tree is the point man on this one, raising it recently across several threads, but hasn't Macri appointed his own supporters to non-jobs while creating yet another moral panic against Cristina?
Jan 05th, 2018 - 11:13 am - Link - Report abuse -8So many KK clients thrown out of their ñoqui spots. No doubt close friends of BK and ridiculous reekie.
Jan 05th, 2018 - 01:10 pm - Link - Report abuse +2KFC would have gobbled them.....
Jan 05th, 2018 - 02:12 pm - Link - Report abuse +2BK is upset because he won't be able to retire to a non-job in BA.
Jan 05th, 2018 - 06:08 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Shhhh BK, are you trying to get me in trouble?
Jan 05th, 2018 - 07:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Getting rid of gnocchis is clearly a good thing, and I don't see how anyone can object to it. But the 190 mentioned here can hardly have had much impact on the budget. What I was talking about was whether the total number of public sector workers under Macri has fallen or risen, which is what matters when you are trying to reduce the deficit.
Demontree writes: “But the 190 mentioned here can hardly have had much impact on the budget.”
Jan 06th, 2018 - 02:09 am - Link - Report abuse +2The mass firing of 20,000 civil servants in January 2016 ...
The Macri government has been systematically firing employees suspected of not being loyal supporters, using the convenient slogan of “absentee employees”, aka “ñoquis.”
Jan 06th, 2018 - 06:07 am - Link - Report abuse -5Pure B.S. of course--more lies from a president who, one day says--without smiling, “We can't mortgage the future of our children with more debt” and the next goes on to borrow US $9 billion.
They have also been replacing the fired workers by others more trustworthy and go figure, with higher wages.
Where do you think the huge fiscal deficit, financed with foreign loans, is coming from?
@Don Alberto
Jan 06th, 2018 - 01:23 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Firstly we have no idea if any of those were gnocchi, but it seems highly unlikely that all or most were. Secondly they had been more than replaced by the end of 2016, according to La Nacion.
@EM
Jan 06th, 2018 - 06:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0When I read the headline I immediately wondered what you would have to say about the 'noquis'....well, didn't have to wonder for very long...besides, could have guessed it. And of course, although you didn't say as much, I'm sure you believe that CFK has 'absolutely nothing' do with this situation...
@DT
As to the impact of their cost to the budget, that's not the question that should be asked, but how many more - thousands ? - are in the same situation ?....the 190 are just the tip of the iceberg of a symptom that is widespread in South America...causing billions in losses and unfair burden to those who actually DO work.
Isn't it curious -- and quite telling -- that neither BK nor ridiculous reekie find any outrage or wrongdoing in the concept of such criminal ñoquismo?
Jan 06th, 2018 - 08:57 pm - Link - Report abuse +2EM I think I read you correctly, that all the so called noquis were supporters of CFK then that is of course why Macri decided to get rid. Argentina is so full of corruption it beggars belief.I wonder how long it will take to make Argentina great.
Jan 07th, 2018 - 10:55 am - Link - Report abuse +1@golfcronie
Jan 08th, 2018 - 12:25 am - Link - Report abuse -2“I wonder how long it will take to make Argentina great again”
Trumpism detected.
But seriously, the ñoqui thing, people, is the reddest of the red herrings, and those who fall for it just demonstrate large doses of gullibility.
The Macri government, drunk on its October electoral results, is now going full steam ahead on price increases that will make last year's inflation numbers pale with envy, while layoffs in the public sector festering. And to those who cling to the idea that a public employee is someone who scratches himself all day in a remote desk, know that doctors, teachers and street cleaners are also public sector employees. Oh, but I forgot every MP commentator already knows that and much more.
Here we go again....EM, the expert economist predicting Argentina's future as being dark...to the contrary, layoffs in the public sector will be a blessing, getting rid of the dead wood and alleviating the tax burden on the part of the population that actually does work. And just for his info, the parasites are not the street sweepers, but usually those in offices, who sit around all day, scratching their nuts and treating the public superciliously, ignoring who pays their salaries.
Jan 08th, 2018 - 05:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0JB,
Jan 08th, 2018 - 07:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Here we go again....EM, the expert economist predicting Argentina's future as being dark...to the contrary, layoffs in the public sector will be a blessing, getting rid of the dead wood and alleviating the tax burden on the part of the population that actually does work.”
Yes, in another thread, Reekie is so upset about news about things improving in Argentina he is inventing alternative statistics. Macri, isn't perfect by any means (who is?), but he's demonstrably been effective at reversing the damaging policies of CFK, stopped digging the hole she created and started the process of reversing the idiocy. Reekie predicted that it was doomed to failure, but the evidence is that Macri has actually started to turn the economy around.
I think he's making the environment better for those who actually work rather than those “workers” who don't and those who claim to support the workers and yet steal from them or make them less competitive. I see in other news, some union leaders are being caught for corruption. The union power should come from the workers rather than the union leaders and Margaret Thatcher's introduction of compulsory strike ballots among workers was one of the few good things she did IMO.
Getting rid of the 20,000 was clearly the low-hanging fruit but he's now got processes in place to prevent a repetition and this has caught another 190. I think the introduction of attendance checking is the long term positive news here. I've never worked at a job were my attendance wasn't both compulsory and monitored. Why should it be different for Argentine civil servants?
@Zaphod Beeblebrox
Jan 09th, 2018 - 06:47 pm - Link - Report abuse +1You hit the nail on the head. I've already mentioned what I'm going to say now, regarding attendance of civil servants....years ago, one of our mayors was a stickler about the attendance, and warned various departments that those who, on a certain date, did not appear for work would be sacked. On the fateful day, he and his aides were waiting at the the various different departments and as the workers poured in, he saw more people standing in corridors than those sitting at (their) desks...needless to say, those standing were the ones who appeared once a month to pick up their paychecks, so they were all sacked anyway.
But you're right, why should those lazy civil servants sponge off those who do work ? Makes me wonder if EM has ever worked ...
Even the NYT seems to be catching on
Jan 09th, 2018 - 07:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/world/americas/argentina-corruption.html?_r=0
@Marti Llazo
Jan 10th, 2018 - 04:47 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Yr link “..But his government is not exactly claiming credit for the crackdown underway, which so far has netted only political opponents.........leading to accusations that Mr. Macri is using the judicial system to neutralize the opposition””.
A reaction totally expected from the opposition...after all wasn't it the opposition that was in power 2 years ago ??? and the ones who had access to public funds ? who else but them could have syphoned off millions while they 'ran' the country ?? They aren't against corruption and stealing, they just think it's unfair to be caught.
JB,
Jan 10th, 2018 - 07:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Makes me wonder if EM has ever worked ...”
According to the man himself http://www.enriquemassot.ca/about-me.html he is a failed pilot, (“At age 16 I was accepted into aviation school, but the experience was brief”), has worked in construction, industrial electricity and taken various courses on Territorial Planning, a three-year Applied Degree in Communications, majoring in Journalism, worked on local newspapers, been a board member of various local schools etc., ran for Councillor twice but was unsuccessful both times and for the past four years he has been managing a community website publication and driving a school bus.
It is clear why he has plenty of time on his hands for MP.
“It is clear why he has plenty of time on his hands for MP.”
Jan 10th, 2018 - 07:37 pm - Link - Report abuse +1The same reason as 90% of posters here. He's past retirement age, though evidently he's still doing something useful with his time.
@Zaphod Beeblebrox
Jan 11th, 2018 - 06:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Seems EM has collected a few successes, but also a few more failures than his fair share...perhaps why he thinks lazy civil servants are entitled...and has it in for those who are successful, without resorting to stealing. The summary of his life-story, to a certain extent, explains his weird support for CFK and her cronies, and what he considers the ‘underdogs’ in Argentina, but leaves one question unanswered :” if he really believes that Argentina, under CFK , was going in the right direction, why didn't he return ? he seems to have had no problem with moving, as well as jumping around (between jobs) quite a bit…
But I'll give it to him....at least now he's being useful, driving a bus.........just had a nasty thought...what if he's training to become the next “Maduro”, and in Argentina ?
JB,
Jan 11th, 2018 - 06:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Seems EM has collected a few successes, but also a few more failures than his fair share...perhaps why he thinks lazy civil servants are entitled...and has it in for those who are successful, without resorting to stealing. The summary of his life-story, to a certain extent, explains his weird support for CFK and her cronies, and what he considers the ‘underdogs’ in Argentina”
I agree. Life tends to give you knock backs, and I've had more than my share, but it is how you respond to them that is important. Reekie seems to have railed against the unfairness of it all and tried to re-train but got stuck again and he resents this. This fits with his attitude to the world and CFK who he sees as someone who could have given him everything he wanted without him having to go through all of the pain he has endured. Understandable, but not the best attitude. Trying to get elected as a concillor fits this pattern - it looks like he is trying it because everything else failed and I guess the electorate picked up on that.
“but leaves one question unanswered :” if he really believes that Argentina, under CFK , was going in the right direction, why didn't he return ?”
Maybe he cannot afford it? He seems settled where he is, so why change?
ZB
Jan 11th, 2018 - 07:18 pm - Link - Report abuse -1“He seems settled where he is, so why change?”.......agree, but if he's happy where he is, why complain and defend the indefensible ? If I were living in Canada, believe me, I would be just too pleased to be able to forget about the problems in Brazil...I'd only talk about them IF someone asked my opinion...
@ZB
Jan 12th, 2018 - 09:04 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Why don't you point out the part where he rails against the unfairness of it all and explains how much he resents the fact CFK didn't give him everything on a plate? I must have missed that section in his biography. And if you want to know why he stood as a councillor you could try reading the platform section rather than inventing reasons.
I've seen you can be fair, even if you disagree with someone, so why not give him a chance rather than assuming the worst?
@JB
If you were living in Canada, but still had close family and friends in Brazil, you'd care about its problems wouldn't you? And you'd surely still have much more knowledge of them than any random person.
As usual, some MP commentators seek to shoot down the messenger when they don't like the news.
Jan 14th, 2018 - 05:33 pm - Link - Report abuse -2DT attempts to introduce some real argument but that is not of use to the guardians of MP orthodoxy.
I sense some frustration in said guardians. Why damn reekie doesn't go away? Why doesn't he forget about Argentina since he lives in Canada, etc.
They don't realize how boring life would be if everyone thinks alike. They should thank reekie for bringing a different view on things, and would gain sooo much by taking a look at the sources he presents instead of dismissing his facts as “alternative.”
And so they keep peeping and chirping and whining but, like the Fire and Fury character, refuse to step out of their comfortable but narrow confines of their certainties.
Come on people! Come out and have some fun...there is much to see beyond Reagan and Thatcher...
@DT
Jan 14th, 2018 - 08:46 pm - Link - Report abuse +1IF I lived in canada, and I could if I wanted to, I would not keep on worrying about something happening 6,000 miles away and which didn't affect me 'directly'..... my point is that while you can feel sorry for someone caught up in the mess, you don't need to pretend you know exactly how it is in that country, only because THEY complain and tell you all their misfortunes....perhaps THEY too have some responsibility in their own sorry plight ??? or is fate plotting against them, JUST because Macri is president and that CFK is no longer in power ?? If he's so concerned with the hardship they are allegedly enduring, why not invite them to live with him in Canada ? See no point in giving credit to someone who complains 2nd hand...that is the definition of Reekie, through and through....and when most of his bs is torn apart, he comes along with stuff like “some MP commentators seek to shoot down the messenger when they don't like the news”...Oh, I feel so sorry for him....
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