- Title: ARGENTINA-STRIKE Striking labour unions paralyze downtown Buenos Aires
- Date: 20th November 2014
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (NOVEMBER 20, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS FROM THE ARGENTINE WORKERS' CENTRAL UNION (CTA) RALLYING BEFORE MARCH IN PLAZA DE MAYO VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS MARCHING WITH FLAGS AND HORNS PABLO MICHELI, SECRETARY GENERAL OF CTA, IN THE MARCH WORKERS ARRIVING IN PLAZA DE MAYO (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PABLO MICHELI, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CTA, SAYING: "[There are] three main demands that a number of problems workers in Argentina are having. One is to ask for an end of the year bonus of 4000 (470 USD) pesos for all workers; the demand for an emergency increase for retirees because they are in a very bad situation, many of them receive a minimum salary of $3200 (pesos or 375 USD) and with that they don't even make it to the 10th day of the month; and finally, we are calling for the elimination of income taxes for the half year bonus. These are the three things that would help us fight this drop in purchasing power during the current year." VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS ENTERING PLAZA DE MAYO FOR RALLY AND MARCH
- Embargoed: 5th December 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAA9XNQO80WVJLUQ0KSYDJRIRAF
- Story Text: Members from Argentine labour unions took to the streets in Buenos Aires Thursday (November 20) for a 24-hour strike.
The workers are calling for lower income taxes and higher wages in light of the country's soaring inflation rate.
Latin America's third-largest economy has one of the world's highest inflation rates, which some analysts say is already running at 40 percent on a yearly basis.
Thousands of workers under the country's main opposition trade union-federation, the Argentine Worker's Central Union (CTA), congregated in Plaza to Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires for a rally led by Pablo Micheli, the CTA secretary general.
Micheli said the worker's demands were three-fold.
"[There are] three main demands that a number of problems workers in Argentina are having. One is to ask for an end of the year bonus of 4000 (470 USD) pesos for all workers; the demand for an emergency increase for retirees because they are in a very bad situation, many of them receive a minimum salary of $3200 (pesos or 375 USD) and with that they don't even make it to the 10th day of the month; and finally, we are calling for the elimination of income taxes for the half year bonus. These are the three things that would help us fight this drop in purchasing power during the current year," said Micheli.
Local transit in the city ground to a halt as a result of striking transportation workers, making the commute home longer than usual for many Buenos Aires residents.
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