CGT thwarted by international anti-Macri campaign

After celebrating the tone of the statement for the first time, the leaders first confirmed that they did not know it was published before starting to distance themselves. Especially for the focus on a slogan like "Out Macri" which, in the middle of an election process, can be read as an invitation to move the president. In fact, it is with the CGT, affiliated to the ITUC and the CTA of the workers and the independent workers, that they regret that the text lends itself to this interpretation.

But the biggest discomfort was triggered by the two-day "global action" call on September 12 and October 16. promote mobilizations at embbadies and "Argentine missions" around the world to organize events. "It is not uncommon for the international trade union movement to take steps of this kind in solidarity with the workers of a country," Víctor Báez, deputy secretary general of the ITUC, told the newspaper.

The Paraguayan leader confirmed that the ITUC was "aware of daily allegations of persecution, repression and union busting", among other accusations implicating the Argentine government: "Thanks to our office in Washington, we monitor daily what they are doing. and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank talk about the agreement (with the IMF) and its consequences, "he said.

The harshness of the ITUC statement deserved an answer from the executive. From the Ministry of Production and Labor, they circulated a position in which the multilateral organization claims to be "Cautious when talking about trade union persecution" for having understood that it was "a very serious practice that suffers from many countries that have undermined their democracies and their right to exercise their freedom of participation and freedom". 39; expression. " On the contrary, the portfolio headed by Dante Sica mentioned having participated in forums such as those of the International Organization in which Argentina "was not included on the list of nations to provide explanations for violations of international agreements or to attend ". existing complaints by that organization's Committee on Freedom of Association for reasons of persecution on the part of the unions ".

Keeping the statement in its most difficult aspects, Báez has expanded: "It is the Argentine people who will decide whether Macri will leave or stay, but it is our duty to inform the world of the terrible economic and social consequences of his government". As part of its last congress in Denmark, the ITUC has agreed between its internal sectors of a more confrontational stance on international rights with phrases such as Donald Trump in the United States, the Brexit in the UK or Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Together for Change in Argentina.

After reading the text, Hugo Yasky of CTA workers came to support him and sent a letter of thanks. On the other hand, the CGT chose to minimize it and made sure that it transcended some discomfort due to the seemingly incoherent way of spreading it.