Argentina: Subway workers of Buenos Aires reclaim union democracy and demand an end to persecution Argentina Share Tweet Workers in the subways are facing an extremely grave situation: the Committee for Ethics of the Transit Workers Union of Argentina has decided to revoke the mandate of our delegates and expel them from the trade union organisation. We ask workers, social organisations, unions and political parties to send us their support and solidarity. Workers in the subways are facing an extremely grave situation: the Committee for Ethics of the Transit Workers Union of Argentina (Union Tranviarios Automotor-UTA) has decided to revoke the mandate of our delegates and expel them from the trade union organisation. For this reason we are organising an extraordinary congress next Tuesday, September 2nd. This resolution violates basic democratic rights and endeavours to eliminate minority opinion. The trade union leadership accuses us of not fulfilling its orders. This demonstrates that we are facing a clear case of ideological discrimination. At the same time the trade union leaders have violated our right to defend ourselves because we could not intervene in this unfair trial that has been used against us and our shop stewards. As workers and delegates we have been struggling for many years to defend our rights and have achieved the following: no layoffs in the last 10 years, 6 hour working day because of unhealthy work, which succeeded in creating 1200 jobs, incorporation of over 800 workers into the main company from outsourcing companies, denouncing the bad state of trains and poor passenger security. All this was achieved by us and our delegates alone. It was our accomplishment and this is why they want to expel our delegates. Once again we ask only to be allowed to work in peace and to end the persecution of our delegates. We ask only to exercise our legitimate labour and union rights. We demand trade union democracy and an end to persecution! Therefore we ask workers, social organisations, unions and political parties to send us their support and solidarity. Buenos Aires Subway Workers and Delegates *** We request sending the below appeal to: Minister of Labor: ctomada@trabajo.gov.ar Senior Cabinet: infosig@jgm.gov.ar Ombudsman: mondino@defensor.gov.ar Copy to: solidaridadsubte@metrodelegados.com.ar *** In English: We show our support and sympathy with the workers of the Buenos Aires subway and their UTA delegates. We demand an end to the unjust process of ideological discrimination carried out by the leadership of the Union Tranviarios Automotor (UTA), which has decided to revoke the mandate of its delegates and expel them from the trade union organisation. For this reason we give our support to the just demand of the subway workers to exercise their right as workers to freely choose their union representatives. In Spanish: Nos solidarizamos con los trabajadores y cuerpo de delegados del subte frente al injusto proceso de discriminación ideológica llevado a cabo por la dirección de la Unión Tranviaros Automotor (UTA), que ha decidido revocar el mandato de sus delegados y expulsarlos de la organización gremial. Por esta razón adherimos al justo reclamo de los trabajadores del subte de ejercer su derecho como trabajadores a elegir libremente sus representantes sindicales. Source: Corriente Socialista El Militante (Argentina)
