While the Salary Council was meeting virtually, the social movements of the left demonstrated in demand of a minimum wage equal to the basic basket, which – in August, the last official data available – was 284 thousand pesos and today exceeds the 300 thousand. The organizations of the Piquetera Unit gathered at noon at the Obelisk, from where they marched to the Ministry of Labor. In the afternoon they lifted the protest, but after hearing the news that the new increase was set at 32 percent, taking the minimum to 156 thousand pesos, well below expectations, They called to «join forces» to call a national strike.
This year all the meetings of the Wage Council generated mobilizations of informal workers. One of the reasons is that the amount of Enhance Work, The complementary social salary that one million two hundred thousand people earn is, by law, half of the minimum wage. This month the Boost was 66,250 pesos. In order not to be indigent, a typical family needed twice as much, that is, Boosting is not enough to guarantee the feeding of a home. The minimum wage is also a floor that has an impact on the payment of informal work, in the sense of functioning as a reference.
The Piquetera Unit took to the streets with a critical speech towards the government, including the latest measures announced by the Minister of Economy Sergio Massa – such as the refund of VAT for the purchase of products in the basic basket and the new IFE for workers informal workers who are not receiving any type of assistance from the State – two bonuses of 47 thousand pesos, which they will collect through Anses in October and November. They consider them cosmetic measures.
Utep unified its order with the two CTAs
The social movements of the UTEP, the sector closest to the government, met on Tuesday with the two CTAs to establish a criterion. They agreed to demand an increase in 44 percent, which would bring the minimum wage to 170 thousand pesos.
Some organizations in this sector, such as the Evita Movement, Barrios de Pie and the Clasista y Combativa Current, this Friday are going to join the demonstration at Congress called by the CGT to support Massa’s measures and their transfer to bills on the payment of Profits and refund of VAT.
In fact, these three movements are carrying out a house-to-house campaign, relying on these measures to rally the vote for Massa. They understand that they were taken in an electoral context, but also that the UP candidate is the only one with whom the popular sectors will have a door to discuss policies. With Milei or Bullrich, the scenario will become one of sticks and gases.
The march of the Piquetera Unit
In front of the Ministry of Labor, the Piquetera Unit held an event. The organizations arrived with a banner of “Enough of starvation wages” and other posters for the reduction of the working day to 6 hours – the issue began to be debated this week in committees, in Congress.
«The deterioration of salaries is the direct responsibility of the Government. The minimum wage should be equal to the basic basket that measures poverty,» he said. Silvia Saraviaterritorial coordinator of Libres del Sur.
Damaris Rolóna representative of the FOL, added that “salary loss has been one of the biggest problems for workers, both formal and informal, because inflation destroys any increase. This year the Wage Council met several times to raise the minimum, but inflation is always higher. In that sense, complaining to the Salary Council is an important point, but we know that there is an express request from the IMF to keep salaries low to control the fiscal deficit. In that sense, we always complain to the Salary Council, even if it does not represent well-being for the working class, we make it visible and at the same time we continue to propose that what the country has to discuss is the creation of genuine work.»
The rejection of the agreement
The leftist organizations raised the protest in the afternoon, but rejected the agreement reached between unions and business chambers (see separate). «The percentages prolong a fundamental policy that is the downloading of the adjustment on the salary,» he said. Nestor Pitrola, candidate for deputy of the PO. «The increase in the minimum wage has left the salary floor very far from the poverty line,» he considered, for his part, Elias Cantero of the same space. «It is a blow to the salary, of this government, the union bureaucracy of the CGT and the CTA and the business chambers that, virtually and with their backs to the population, settled this new blow that will affect retirees, house workers individuals, from the Empower Work and unregistered. From Unidad Piquetera we call to join forces and push for a national strike in defense of wages and all demands.»