MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine unions, social groups demand favorable gov't actions

Protests will continue if they do not stop taking the food plates off the people's tables, Moyano warned (Pic NA)

Argentine unionist groups and social organizations took over the streets of Buenos Aires Wednesday causing traffic jams during office hours as they protested against rising inflation and unemployment and the deterioration of living conditions in general under the administration of President Alberto Fernández.

Labor groupings CGT and CTA gathered under the motto “The Homeland comes first” to urge the head of state to show “what it takes” to reverse the current situation, while leftwing protesters targeted “speculator” price makers and the government alike.

The CGT leading triumvirate of Pablo Moyano, Carlos Acuña and Héctor Daer called for concrete action and requested the Government takes “the measures it has to take.” Moyano warned marching would not stop “if they continue to take away the food plate of the Argentine people.”

Daer said during a press conference that “it is necessary to find a favorable solution and not to take a solution as the sectors of economic concentration are trying to do, which are pushing for a devaluation process that would impoverish the people and increase the mass of structural poverty.”

Regarding the government's plan to turn social handouts into genuine employment, he insisted that workers should have their papers in order because there were no “first and second class workers.” Daer insisted President Fernández should have a sitdown with those constantly readjusting prices.

Moyano, who stems from the lorry drivers' union, added that the head of state needed to “take the measures he has to take, we are going to accompany him.” He also warned that Wednesday's could have been “the first” of many demonstrations.

“One of the measures that the Government could take and that we have conveyed to them several times is that there are 5 million truck trips per year, 40% of the grain” leaves the country without paying export duties. Rural producers would thus not pay 33% of those taxes, just 26%. Moyano also highlighted that “when the trucks enter the ports of Rosario or any other port in the country, the scales belong to the grain companies, and who controls them?”

“I believe that the Government, if it wants to collect dollars and if it wants to take a forceful measure, would have to nationalize the scales that are in the ports. They weigh their own product and sell it. Who controls them?” he added.

”Of course, there is room for self-criticism (in the government) but with self-criticism we do nothing. We have to take the necessary measures to get out of this moment“, Daer also said while calling authorities to ”put online the whole commercialization line, at least of the basic products of the economy“.

Moyano also asked for a bonus or a fixed sum for all registered workers plus universalization of family and child subsidies.

CTA's Hugo Yasky demanded the Executive to show a ”greater firmness” to confront the concentrated powers that raise prices and pressure for a devaluation.