CGT Labour Confederation boss Hugo Moyano came on stage to ratify this Wednesday’s national strike, by emphasizing that “those who say the strike will be called off are talking pure rubbish.”
Before entering a CGT Board Council meeting, the former teamster remembered, “We’ll march at 2pm to Plaza de Mayo, where we’ll set a rally at 3pm.”
Likewise, Moyano aimed all cannons at the national government and expressed that “We, the workers, want our lady President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, to listen to our claims. Hence, we are marching on Wednesday.”
Furthermore, Moyano reiterated that he would drop his re-election hopes on the verge of July’s
Asked about the statements made by government’s officials describing Moyano’s action as “extortion” and being motivated by “political ambitions”, the unionist counterattacked.
“They said so because that’s what they were taught to say. They just repeat what the government tells them to say. They compete against each other to see who’s the most servile and obsequious one with the only purpose of being of the like of the President.”
Lawmakers from Buenos Aires province representing the national government’s Victory Front (FpV) yesterday rejected the strike, describing it as “extortion.”
After stating the national government “is on the side of those who have the least,” and that the workers were “the backbone for this transformation process and beneficiaries of all distributive policies, the FpV caucus slammed “an action that intends to directly collapse those services essential for the normal functioning of society, which is no longer a protest measure but rather extortion against citizens.”
The statements came as the Federation of Buenos Aires province teachers (FEB), which has 75,000 members in the province, announced yesterday that it would join the national strike.
Likewise, the head of Moyano’s main opposition group within the CGT, power workers union head Oscar Lescano, yesterday claimed that the CGT leader was trying to “overthrow” the government for political motives. However, Lescano, normally vocal in his criticism of Moyano, added yesterday the call to march to the Plaza de Mayo on Wednesday was positive, speculating that even people “who have nothing to do with the labour movement” could go.
Lescano also echoed statements made by the head of the dissident Blue and White CGT movement, Luis Barrionuevo, who said yesterday President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration sought to “imprison” the CGT head. Lescano also said he agreed with Moyano in terms of his demands for the elimination of the application of income tax to wages, and rejected the government’s offensive against the CGT head.
Although Lescano said his union would not march to the Plaza de Mayo in order to avoid giving “Moyano a political victory,”
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