Argentine Fuel Union Begins Indefinite Strike
Energy workers reject a law that taxes their salaries as if they were profits.
On Thursday, the Argentine Federation of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuel (FASiPeGyBio) began an indefinite strike in rejection of the restoration of the tax on salaries.
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Supported by almost 22,000 employees, this strike could affect the supply of fuel at service stations and airports, especially at the Jorge Newberry and Ezeiza international airports.
“The tax established by Law 16,176 oppresses and discriminates against oil workers, punishing their purchasing power, quality of work and full development of energy activity, which is strategic for the economic progress of the country,” FASiPeGyBio argued.
The Federation also indicated that the decision to go on an indefinite strike was adopted in workers’ assemblies held throughout the national territory and after exhausting the dialogue with the authorities.
On June 28, the Argentine Congress approved the implementation of the income tax as part of a set of economic policies aimed at deregulating the economy. Argentine unions have argued that workers’ salaries are not “profit.”
“This unjustified tax affects 6,000 workers related to refineries, including those who work at fuel terminals at airports and those who work in Vaca Muerta oil exports in Puerto Rosales,” FASiPeGyBio said.
The energy workers’ strike comes amid growing discontent with President Javier Milei’s agenda of privatization, deregulation, and state downsizing.
On Wednesday, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) published a report showing that the Argentine state laid off 20,449 civil servants and public workers between January and June.
