The dialoguing parties of Pescapuerta and STIA will be meeting next week in Madryn Port. (Map: Stock File)

Mandatory conciliation for two Chubut companies

The Secretariat of Labour of Chubut decreed a mandatory conciliation in the conflict that befell Pescapuerta SA in Madryn Port, and summoned the parties to engage in a dialog next Monday. A similar measure was passed by the Argentine Ministry of Labour in the case of the conflict that affects captains and patrons with the Alpesca company, in the same Chubut city.

The Food Industry Workers Union (STIA) had resolved together with the workers of Pescapuerta SA to strike for an indefinite period due to the dismissal of about 10 workers.

As a sign of protest, a group of demonstrators burned tires at the company’s entrance, demanding some response to the situation.

According to the trade union secretary of STIA, Oscar Hughes, the workers felt bothered and worried after hearing about the possibility that Pescapuerta leave another 30 workers out of a job.

“What we want to know is what is the policy that they are planning to implement, as it is a company that has functioned normally, processing a significant amount of raw material held in its cold storage chambers. For now, there is no certainty as to more dismissals, and for that reason an urgent intervention by the Secretariat of Labour of the province is called for, with the intention of securing an official response as to the reason behind these dismissals,” he explained.

He further added: “We have tried to focus the effort, all these years, to ensure that companies do not dismiss personnel, which is why this news is nothing more than another instance of the intention of the executive to always punish the weakest, which is the worker. Now the restoration of workers and the defence of the continuity of jobs is requested.”

Pescapuerta “is a frozen products company that was always dedicated to operating with frozen fish and to maintaining job posts (on land) with a production that was gathered by its trawler ships. Today we see that this company wagers on the weakness of its workers, [and] sells its products so that other companies process them, as in the case of Pesquera San Isidro, which processes the squid (Illex argentinus) of Pescapuerta,” Hughes lashed out.

“As much the union as the rest of the workers of Pescapuerta decided to come out in defence of their jobs. We are convinced that this is not about a crisis or shortage of raw material,” said the delegate of the company’s plant personnel, Karina Martinez, to Diario de Madryn.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General and representatives of the unions listed in the Coordinator of Maritime Unions and Ports, and the Food Industry of Madryn Port issued an official statement in which they declare themselves “in a state of alertness and mobilisation.”

“We emphatically repudiate the dismissals produced in that company. This situation again reflects the scarce social commitment that these companies have with the community that has received them and allows that our resources be taken by them, making the social situation of so many precarious,” said the entity’s spokesman, Ariel Sudan.

“We will accompany the STIA in the mandatory conciliation decreed by the Secretariat of Labour, committing ourselves on Monday to accompanying the leaders of that union to the audience,” he added.

Meanwhile, the fleet of the Alpesca company is expected to begin fishing following the ruling of the Argentine Labour Ministry to decree a mandatory conciliation with captains represented in the Argentine Association of Fishing Captains, Pilots and Patrons. The union demands wage reform for captains and crew officials.

The captains seek an improvement in the amounts that they receive as basic pay, pay orders, port duty, anchor duty and days off.

“They are concepts that did not have any type of increase for two years,” noted the regional delegate of the Association, Rodolfo Pisauri. “The only variation was observed from the increase of the value of the dollar with respect to the peso,” he emphasised.

Related article:

- Preliminary agreement struck in Chubut dispute

By Analia Murias
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