Social organizations and piquetero groups are mobilizing this Thursday in various locations in the center of the city of Buenos Aires in a day of protests that includes demands such as “the defense of wages and real work” and the rejection of the “criminalization of social protest”.
The groupings grouped together in the “Piquetera Unit” that make up Polo Obrero, MTR-Votamos Luchar, CUBA-MTR, the National Piquetero Bloc, the Armando Conciencia Group, the Organization of November 17th, the MTR Teresa Rodríguez and the Liberation Movement (MTL-Rebelde), gathered at the obelisk and then marched to the Plaza de Mayo.
Pillars of these organizations also came together at the intersection of Avenida de Mayo and Avenida 9 de Julio; before the Ministry of Social Development; the Ministry of Labor and the Plaza de Tribunales, before marching to the Plaza de Mayo under the slogans “real work, increases in the amounts and quotas of social plans, bags of food and economic support for families of the unemployed and pensioners”.
The different focal points of the protests led to long waiting times for car and bus drivers.
Unidad Piquetera spokesmen also reported that these protests are being repeated in different parts of the country with demonstrations, marches and gatherings.
In court, members of the Piquetera unit, along with some leaders of the Union of Workers of the National Economy (UTEP) — made up of Barrios de Pie, the CCC and Popular Front Darío Santillán, among others — offered a lawsuit this Thursday morning press conference, where they “ denounced the “criminalization of social protest and persecution” against social organizations based on various events recently recorded in several provinces.
“We condemn the more than 50 raids carried out against the headquarters of social organizations in various popular neighborhoods across the country. They want to criminalize the protest and our anti-adaptation positions,” said Eduardo Belliboni
“We are on trial with the Piquetera entity and the UTEP! Enough persecuting our organizations,” wrote Silvia Saravia, national coordinator of the Barrios de Pie movement, on her Twitter account.
In addition, the left-wing piqueteros organizations were simultaneously concentrated in different neighborhoods: “At the Ministry of Labor to demand that the vital and mobile minimum wage reach the level of the basic basket. At the Ministry of Social Development so that they can provide food and tools for the employment promotion projects,” explains Saravia.
And from there they will then march to the Plaza de Mayo, with the intention that the Minister of Economy, Silvina Batakis, will receive them and pay “a bonus of $20,000 to retired men and women who earn the minimum, to those who have Monotributo A and already have B [quienes] they deserve a boost job,” added the leader of Barrios de Pie.
UNIVERSAL BASIC SALARY
On the other hand, the Popular Front Darío Santillán – a member of UTEP – the CTA-A, along with other social organizations, held gatherings with the epicenter in the obelisk “as a continuation of the day of struggle carried out last week to demand the implementation of a universal basic wage”.
In connection with this call, the workers grouped in Independent Street Vendors of Once (Vaio, a member of the MTE in UTEP) also marched from Plaza Miserere to the Obelisk, with Rivadavia Avenue partially cut off, demanding the “implementation of a universal basic salary .
“With the fight, we won the Empower Work plan Christmas bonus, 11,000 pesos for all beneficiaries, but we must continue down the road to reach universal base salary,” Luzmery Villanueva, head of Vaio, told Télam.
The social leader announced that during the day “in addition to the protests themselves, a balance of these weeks of struggle will be taken and discussed, as we do after the 7th Day of San Cayetano, for Land, Roof and Work” (TTT).
In addition, the Independent Movement of Retirees and Unemployed (Mijd), led by Raúl Castells, implemented partial traffic restrictions at the roundabout of the La Noria Bridge that connects the south of Greater Buenos Aires, with demands similar to those of the organizations that are forming the block of the picket unit.
Meanwhile, the Front of Organizations in Struggle (FOL) focused on Avenida de Mayo and 9 de Julio, before marching to Plaza de Mayo to demand that “the crisis be paid for by the rich, rather than the poorest adjust to settle an illegitimate debt to the IMF”.
A nationwide strike by transport companies has also been announced for next Tuesday, August 2, at 10 p.m. to demand “decent wages”.
The head of Union Tranviarios Automotor, Roberto Fernández, assured that the organization “is forced to take unfriendly measures to be able to take care of salaries and asked to be heard”, pointing out that they want an increase in parity demanded.