Source: Resumen Latinoamericano
The Dawn News
February 15, 2018
On February 15, 40,000 workers of the Confederation of Workers of the Popular Economy (CTEP), the Classist and Combative Current (CCC) and Neighborhoods On Their Feet (Barrios de Pie) marched along with other social organizations and trade unions to the headquarters of the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires, located in the city of La Plata, in the context of a national day of protest directed at all provincial governments of the country. When they arrived at their destination, they demanded the government of María Eugenia Vidal to pass the law to declare a state of Social and Food Emergency (which comes with measures to provide urgent help to those in need), and to allocate 25% of the public works budget to the lower sectors of the economy.
The march was attended by many union leaders. Besides the three leaders of the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) Héctor Daer, Juan Carlos Schmid and Carlos Acuña, there were Pablo Moyano (Truck Drivers’ Union), Sergio Palazzo (Bank Workers’ Union), Pablo Micheli (Central Union of Argentine Workers), Roberto Baradel (Unified Union of Education Workers of Buenos Aires, SUTEBA), the Front of Organizations in Combat, the Darío Santillán Popular Front, the 19/12 Neighborhood Front, the Front of Popular Organizations and the October 17 Social Front.
Esteban “Gringo” Castro, Secretary General of the CTEP, spoke to the crowd and said: “We’re sending a message to the government that due to the ruthless adjustment that it is applying to transfer resources to the most concentrated sectors of the economy, our own comrades are being left without work, even the informal jobs they had created for themselves. According to the government, the money they took from retirees will supposedly be destined to public construction work, so we want that 25% of that work to be done in the most marginalized areas, for our cooperative enterprises and for our neighborhoods”.
Social movements announced they will participate in the upcoming day of protest on February 21 and in the women’s strike and march on March 8.
