Unions clash, pension reform approved

At least five state workers were injured yesterday as demonstrators of the dissident CTA union umbrella group clashed with members of the UOCRA construction workers union outside the provincial legislature in Santa Cruz province. The clashes broke out during a demonstration by state workers against a pension reform bill sponsored by the provincial government.
The Santa Cruz branch of the CTA announced a 24-hour strike for today to “condemn the actions of the government, who allowed to the UOCRA gang (to act),” said Pedro Muñoz, secretary-general of the Adosac teachers’ union.
Demonstrations were announced for today across Santa Cruz to condemn the clashes. The five injured workers are members of the teachers’ union, the court clerks’ union and the healthcare workers’ union. All five were allegedly attacked by UOCRA members armed with sticks and stones.
UOCRA activists staged a demonstration yesterday morning in front of the provincial Lower House yesterday morning “to support the bills for the construction of dams on River Santa Cruz,” said UOCRA leader Carlos García.
The Santa Cruz teachers were on a 24-hour strike yesterday and marched with other unions to reject the pension reform bill, which was being debated at the provincial legislature at the time.
Teachers said there was no police at the scene of the protest when they were allegedly attacked. “The zone was cleared (by the police) for the UOCRA gang to act,” the teachers’ union said. 

UOCRA members had being accused of violence in the past. Last September, provincial Deputy Omar Hallar (Radical Party) was attacked by UOCRA activists during a protest. In October, UOCRA members clashed with activists of the farleft Workers’ Party (PO).
Santa Cruz deputies passed a controversial pension reform bill yesterday which increases the required years of contribution for retirement from 20 to 25 in order to receive 82 percent of the minimum salary. Those who do not reach the minimum years of contribution will suffer a discount of one percent per year (workers with 20 years of contribution would receive 77 percent of the minimum salary).
Personal contributions also increase from 12 to 14 percent, while employer contributions increased from 14 to 16 percent (teachers’ contribution are currently at 5.5 percent. Pension payments — currently based on the best salary of the last 10 years — will also be changed and will be based on the average salary over the last five years. The reform also establishes a “solidarity contribution” until the age of 60 for women and 65 for men with different scales — from seven to 12 percent — depending on each pension.

Federal forces bring calm to V. Soldati

Tension began to decrease at the Indo-American Park in the Buenos Aires city neighbourhood of Villa Soldati yesterday as the presence of the Border Guard and the Coast Guard in the perimetre helped to pacify the situation and prevented any new clashes between residents and the squatters who took over the park last Tuesday.
Buenos Aires city Judge Elena Liberatori visited the park yesterday — which is now surrounded by agents of the Border Guard while the Coast Guard patrols the surroundings — and considered “everything is calm.”
Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández released a statement yesterday expressing his vision of the conflict — during which at least three people were killed and several others were wounded or injured — and blamed Buenos Aires city Mayor Mauricio Macri for the incidents.
Liberatori said her presence at the park aimed to generate the necessary “climate” to “arbitrate” and “reach consensus between opposite interests.”
At least three people were killed and several others were injured during the violent clashes that broke out following the occupation of the park last week when police tried to evict squatters from the park.
Squatters received food and medical assistance yesterday while authorities of the federal and city Social Development ministries began to take the census of the people who had taken over the 130-hectare park.

The Judge considered the census is carried out to determine the “vulnerability” situation of the people currently camping at the park and the “living conditions” at the occupation.
City Social Development Minister María Eugenia Vidal said the census aims to determine “who took advantage of the situation” and added several of the squatters are residents from Buenos Aires province. Therefore, Vidal urged Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli to “come to Soldati” to see “what  the situation is.”
“It would be interesting that the Buenos Aires government could participate in the solution (of the conflict),” said Vidal.
Meanwhile, the political row between the national government and the city administration continued yesterday as Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández blamed City Mayor Mauricio Macri for the occupation of the park and the incidents.
Fernández said Macri instigated “the escalation of violence” in the area and aimed to evict the squatters “without caring about the blood, injuries or deaths” it could generate.
In an article posted by the Cabinet Chief at his personal blog, Fernández insisted the administration of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner “does not allow the occupation of any public space” and claimed “the solution to the conflict has to be political,” but he stated Macri “refused to negotiate with the squatters”
The Cabinet Chief insisted the “xenophobic statements” of the City Mayor led to the “violent escalation” of the conflict and claimed the national government “had no choice but to intervene (in the conflict) to avoid an escalation without limits.”
Incidents at the Indo-American park broke out last Tuesday following the decision of the city government to evict the squatters from the park. Two people were killed during the violent clashes that night and another was shot dead on Thursday when squatters and Vi-lla Soldati residents clashed after the police left the area. More incidents broke out on Friday as residents entered the park and tried to evict the squatters, beating them up and burning their tents.
A fourth victim was reported that night by SAME emergency service director Alberto Crescenti, which was later denied by city authorities and the police, alleging the man Crescenti referred to was hospitalized in critical condition.
No further incidents were reported yesterday, although press reports said a minor group of demonstrators — not clear if they were residents or political activists — had clashed with Coast Guard officers outside the park. However, the situation was reportedly calm at press time.

Border Guards deployed

Macri welcomes talks with CFK officials but decries ‘opportunism’

The national government ordered the deployment of Border Guard and Coast Guard troops to secure the surroundings of the Indo-American Park in the Buenos Aires City neighbourhood of Villa Soldati yesterday, following a meeting between city and national officials including Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández and City Mayor Mauricio Macri, after four days of violent clashes over the occupation of the park that killed at least three people since Tuesday. A fourth death was initially reported late on Friday but it was confirmed the youth was hospitalized in critical condition.
The government had initially summoned Macri and city officials to the Government House late on Friday, when a demonstration of local residents to protest against the occupation of the park ended in violent clashes with the squatters during which a fourth death was reported. The meeting began around midnight and extended well into the small hours of the morning when officials decided to take a recess and resume around noon.
In a new day of crossfire, Aníbal Fernández claimed the meeting had  to be halted when Macri “left the room without having reached a formal conclusion.” Representatives of the squatters and human right groups also took part in the negotiations.
Talks were resumed shortly before noon and although no agreement was reached between the parties, Fernández announced in a press conference the national government had ordered the deployment of both the Border and Coast Guards to secure the perimeter of the park and patrol the Villa Soldati neighbourhood in order to “avoid conflicts” between the squatters and the residents.

Representatives of the squatters staged a press conference at Government House earlier, stating they would not leave the park until they receive “decent housing” from the city government.
Afterwards, the Cabinet Chief also talked to the press where he announced the intervention of the Border and Coast Guards. Fernández fiercely criticized Macri, saying he repeatedly told the City Mayor during the meeting that the conflict “will not be resolved via evictions.”
Fernández also blamed the city administration for the incidents, as he considered “from a jurisdictional point of view, the national government has nothing to say on this issue.”
Macri held a press conference after Fernández’ statements where he praised the decision of the national government to deploy the Border Guard and Coast Guards at the Indo-American Park but criticized the words of the Cabinet Chief, which he considered “full of false information and political opportunism.”
“Despite the malice of the government’s rhetoric, I celebrate the fact that we were able to work together to resolve this crisis,” said Macri. The City Mayor insisted “the responsibility of public order in the city belongs to the national government, since they refused to transfer the Federal Police (to the city).”
The Border Guard arrived at the Indo-American Park around 5.10pm yesterday with hundreds of agents in trucks, vans, buses and helicopters flying over the area.
No incidents were reported throughout the afternoon, although left-wing demonstrators who had arrived at the park to support the squatters were denied entry by the police.
Villa Soldati residents also held a demonstration to reject the occupation yesterday, despite Macri’s request to suspend the protest in order to “pacify” the area.
Clashes in Villa Soldati began on Tuesday, when City Hall ordered the eviction of the people who had taken over the park. Squatters clashed with the police and two people were killed that night during the violent incidents — a 22-year-old Paraguayan man and a Bolivian woman of 24. Tension continued all Wednesday, eventually ending in new clashes on Thursday, when, given the zero presence of the police, residents and squatters clashed and another Bolivian citizen (38) was shot dead, with his wife blaming the city’s Metropolitan Police for the killing.
On Friday, tension mounted during the day as national and city authorities discussed who was responsible for security in the area — with Fernández stating the government would not deploy the Federal Police to evict the squatters. While President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced the creation of the Security Ministry on national broadcast, a demonstration of Villa Soldati residents escalated into a violent eviction of the squatters by the residents, burning down the tents of the people who had taken over the park while beating up and injuring several of them.
SAME emergency service director Alberto Crescenti told the media a 19-year-old youth had been shot in the head when doctors were putting him in an ambulance, but police and city sources denied such information yesterday and claimed the teenager was hospitalized in critical condition.

CGT, UIA: No pact to freeze bill

Deputy Héctor Recalde claims profit-sharing debate will continue

 

The Central Labour Confederation (CGT) union umbrella group and the Argentina Industrial Union (UIA) denied yesterday an alleged pact between the two organizations to suspend discussng the CGT-sponsored profit sharing bill — presented by pro-government Deputy Héctor Recalde — following the death of former president Néstor Kirchner.
Recalde, who is also a lawyer for the CGT, insisted yesterday the initiative will continue its debate in Congress and claimed only the meeting scheduled for tomorrow with members of the UIA was suspended by request of the entity due to Kirchner’s death.
“I though it was sensible (to do it) given the mourning, but that doesn’t (imply) the suspension of the bill’s process (in Congress),” said Recalde.
“It even worked out better for me because I am not in the emotional condition to discuss such important issues while suffering this loss,” added the Lower House lawmaker during a radio interview yesterday in reference to the death of the former president.
The legal adviser for the CGT also considered that the meeting between CGT leader Hugo Moyano and Héctor Méndez, the head of the UIA, after Kirchner’s funeral was “an important step.”

“The rapprochement with some business sectors, such as the meeting with the UIA, were an important step,” said Recalde. “It is good to resume the agenda of major issues that had been interrupted, but in no way that impedes the evolution of situations that had been developing previously,” he added.
Recalde insisted the bill which aims to distribute 10 percent of the company profits between the workers has not been “frozen” and insisted “it will continue its development and evolution, while the CGT also tries to reach an agreement with the business sectors in several other issues.”
“The project continues in the same situation as a week or two weeks ago, it does not alter the institutional life,” said Recalde. “It was impossible to debate the bill in November due to a legislative process, there are many pending issues; but I was not worried in any way about the suspension of the meeting (with the UIA),” he added.
In line with Recalde’s statements, Méndez rejected the
existence of a pact to “freeze” the CGT-sponsored bill, which was strongly criticized by the UIA, and insisted he and Moyano
“did not even talk about the issue” during their encounter at Kirchner’s wake in Government House.
“All I said was that we were in mourning and that it was not appropriate to meet on Tuesday (tomorrow). Due to that situation, people are not in the mood to go and argue about things,” said Méndez.
The UIA leader defined his meeting with Moyano as “an informal talk” during which they “spoke about the possibility of working together to bring security and guarantees in a process where all of us have to collaborate with dialogue.”
“We both agreed we have to sit down at the table together, we will see how things go the next few days but so far we gave a sign, which is important to society, that we can sit down and negotiate,” said Méndez.
On Saturday, Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli also praised the “maturity of the CGT and (local) businessmen” for resuming talks following the death of Kirchner.

CFK returning to work tomorrow

 President also confirms first public activity in Córdoba on Tuesday

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is scheduled resume her official agenda at Government House tomorrow according to official sources, while her presence at a rally in Córdoba province on Tuesday was also confirmed yesterday, which would be her first public activity following the death of her husband, former president Néstor Kirchner.
Media Deputy-Secretary Alfredo Scoccimarro confirmed yesterday Fernández de Kirchner will resume her official activities tomorrow while the Córdoba government announced later yesterday afternoon the President had confirmed her presence at the event.
On Friday, two days after Kirchner’s death, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo stated “the President will get back to work very soon.”
Also yesterday, Labour Minister Carlos Tomada expressed his support for the idea of Fernández de Kirchner’s re-election bid next year, in line with recent statements byForeign Minister Héctor Timerman.
Fernández de Kirchner spent the night in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz province, after the remains of her husband were taken to the local cemetery, and travelled to her residency at El Calafate after the coffin was placed in the Kirchner’s family vault yesterday morning.
The President was joined by her children, Máximo and Florencia, at a house in the Barrio Jardín neighbourhood, where her late husband planned to have his legal address changed to.

Fernández de Kirchner had suspended her official agenda for 48 hours last Monday due to an angina before the sudden death of her husband on Wednesday.
Kirchner’s burial was initially scheduled for Friday night, but official sources confirmed his coffin was placed in his family vault yesterday morning as the wake held at the Río Gallegos cemetery extended overnight due to the large number of people that went to the cemetery to pay their last respects to the former president.
The remains of Kirchner, 60, will remain in the crypt, owned by his cousin Carlos Kirchner, until the construction of a new family vault is finished.
On Friday night, Fernández de Kirchner thanked Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and the members of the cabinet who travelled to Santa Cruz for the funeral.

The President headed the official ceremonies following the death of her husband and is scheduled to return to Buenos Aires tomorrow morning to resume her activities.
Yesterday, the pro-government sectors of the Peronist party — which Kirchner headed at the time of his death — confirmed their support for the administration of Fernández de Kirchner and considered the President is “the political boss” and the “best representative figure” of the party, which is formally headed by Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli following Kirchner’s death.
Deputy Agustín Rossi, the head of the ruling party caucus in the Lower House, said “it is clear” that the President “is our boss.” However, asked about the statements of Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman who said Fernández de Kirchner will run for re-election next year, Rossi stated “it is not the time” to evaluate such a decision.
San Juan Governor José Luis Gioja agreed with Rossi as he considered as “inopportune” the statements by Timerman while he did not rule out the possibility of a reunification of the Peronist party as stated by Hugo Moyano, the head of the CGT union umbrella group.
Scioli is scheduled to meet with Peronist mayors and party authorities tomorrow to “honour the commitment of Néstor Kirchner with Buenos Aires province,” according to government sources.
The Buenos Aires Governor also praised the “maturity of the CGT and (local) businessmen,” who resumed talks following the death of Kirchner and confirmed the suspension of the CGT-sponsored profit distribution bill which was introduced by Deputy Héctor Recalde in Congress.
“I praise the maturity of the businessmen and the CGT,” said Scioli. “We have a big challenge ahead of us to continue the path of growth,” he added.

Opposition calls to ‘defend institutions’

Officials confirm support for CFK government but voice criticism

Opposition figures from different parties agreed yesterday on the importance of “defending the institutions” after the death of former president Néstor Kirchner and confirmed their support for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to stay in office until the elections of 2011 — although they confirmed their criticism toward the government — amid the power struggle which is likely to beunleashed due to the political void left behind by the head of the Peronist Party.
Left-wing Proyecto Sur leader and Lower House Deputy Fernando Pino Solanas called for anti-Kirchnerites to “help the country recover” and said he did not know how the ruling party would “resolve the void” left by the former president.
Since Kirchner’s death from a heart attack on Wednesday, the majority of the opposition kept a low profile and made cautious and respectful statements, avoiding any predictions about the political future of the country following the news of Kirchner’s death. However, many opposition figures began to refer to the probable political situation in the near future yesterday.
Radical Deputy Ricardo Alfonsín stated he does not believe “any major changes will be seen in the ruling party or the opposition” and also expressed his doubts about a possible reunification of the Peronist party — currently divided between pro-government and dissident factions — as suggested by CGT union umbrella group leader Hugo Moyano, a close ally to the late former president.
“We are not willing to generate conditions to achieve that rapprochement,” said Alfonsín, one of the two possible presidential candidates of the Radical Party along with Vice-President Julio Cobos. The son of the late former president Raúl Alfonsín also stated his party “will continue with the same (political) position as always” and insisted the Radical Party “does not change its opinions and considerations” about the national government.
However, Radical Party chairman Ernesto Sanz had a more conciliatory stance and said he hoped “the country can modify its confrontation agenda.”
On Thursday, a delegation of the Civic Coalition visited Government House to express their condolences to the President and her family, although coalition leader Elisa Carrió did not attend, neither did she make any public statement of condolences for the Kirchner family.
Civic Coalition Deputy Adrián Pérez tried to defend the attitude of the lawmaker yesterday and considered “absolutely hypocritical and harmful” the gesture by several opposition leaders who had voiced strong criticism against Kirchner and changed their attitude after his death.
Although Pérez did not made any particular reference, his statements seemed directed at Cobos, who had been at odds with the government since the farm sector protests in 2008 but referred to Kirchner as “a great president” after his death.
“That’s absolutely hypocritical and harmful, you can’t be a critic and all of a sudden praise (the government)” said Pérez. “There have been officials who had that attitude and I find it absolutely wrong, almost speculative,” he added.
Meanwhile, Solanas insisted on the importance of “defending the institutions” and expressed his concern on “how to resolve the void left by a man who covered so many fronts,” although he stated he was “not underestimating or denying the capacity of the President.”
However, Solanas also criticized the government for “the way they have handled the Congress and how they have distorted the institutional life of the country,” which he considered “unacceptable.”
“We cannot continue on this road,” said the filmmaker. “Congress had worked to 30 or 40 percent of its capacity,” he added.