MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan fishing boats set sail after long union conflict

The National Union of Sea Workers (Suntma) intends to further negotiate guidelines with the Broad Front government

After an 80-day conflict between labor groupings and Uruguayan businesspeople, some fishing boats set sail on Thursday, with one captain stating that his crew consisted of “trusted personnel” who were not part of the union's online recruitment effort, as the PIT-CNT unions issued a statement affirming that work would resume with the usual crews.

The fulfilment of this initiative was in doubt until the last minute, given a dispute over unpaid vacations. Néstor Pedroza, boatswain, explained that the matter was resolved, so they decided to leave. “We were waiting for payment for the last holiday, which had not been paid, along with the Christmas bonus. It was made this afternoon, reason prevailed, and we are going to leave.”

According to Pedroza, it is “customary” for payments to be made 24 hours before embarkation, but that clause is not included in the collective agreement. “It was one of the reasons we decided to leave. We are not going to violate the agreement,” he said.

The ships will be at sea for seven to eight days, and most of the workers who left on Thursday are unionized, except for two crew members on one ship, who were hired as part of the last recruitment campaign.

The Pit-Cnt noted that fishing vessels were “setting sail with their usual crews” after 90 days of conflict, but said it remained “on alert” and “constantly monitoring the situation” to defend “the rights of workers” in the fishing industry.

Sources from the National Union of Sea Workers (Suntma) told Montevideo Portal that they intended to further negotiate guidelines with the Broad Front government.

“The Pit-Cnt calls for an end to the violent messages that are sometimes spread in certain media and on social networks, which do not help in the search for appropriate solutions for the country, its industry, and the creation of conditions for fishing activities that are developed in accordance with the needs of the country and its workers,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Uruguayan Chamber of Fishing Industries (CIPU) foresaw that “by the weekend, at least a dozen boats will have set sail.”