Argentina: Hunger strike by Corrientes 8

IDC
31 August 2005

Eight Argentinian workers from the port of Corrientes on the frontier with Paraguay have begun a hunger strike as the ultimate measure of protest against their situation. The workers lost their jobs when they complained about the dreadful conditions under which they were forced to work. Neither the company Chaco, which was directly behind the sackings, nor the General Ports Office (AGP), has done anything to remedy an absolutely shameful situation. The International Dockworkers Council (IDC) fully supports its Argentinian colleagues.

The strikers have moved to the Plaza 25 de Mayo, in front of the Ministry of Public Works, in an attempt to draw attention to the Argentinian authorities’ passiveness in the face of this clear breach of employment law. The “Corrientes Eight”, as the striking workers are known, lost their jobs when they complained about the shameful working conditions in the port of Corrientes, especially those concerning health and safety. The Company sacked them and continued work.

This attitude - dismissal of workers who are members of a trade union - is not only shameful but also reminiscent of the situation of Dardo Viani in Buenos Aires. Viani is a delegate of the local SUTAP trade union who was sacked from his job for daring to demand improvements in the working conditions. In Corrientes, the striking workers have received solidarity and support from their colleagues in the AGP, and dockworkers in the Buenos Aires Dock Sud terminal and the ports of San Nicolás and La Plata.

The company Chaco S. A., run by the empresario Juan Manuel Rosas, has prevented the opening of any channel of dialogue with the workers, in an attitude which has prevented any agreement. The absolute impunity with which this company operates is reminiscent of the worst periods of the brutal dictatorship which ruined Argentina in the 1970s and 1980s and clearly shows that some political structures have not changed their modus operandi at all. The IDC, which represents more than 50, 000 dockworkers all over the world, condemns this type of behaviour, which only hinders the growth of a port. Corrientes, which has intense traffic with neighbouring Paraguay, is one of Latin America’s most important river ports. As a result, the stance taken by Juan Manuel Rosas can only be systematically damaging for the province’s economy, which needs investments and stability above all else. As a result, the IDC has reiterated its demand for the workers to be reinstated in their jobs immediately and for all their complaints in the employment health and safety field to be dealt with.