Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich opened his daily press briefing at the government house stressing that the president’s decision to exempt the half-year bonus from the income tax for those who earn less then 35,000 pesos is a result of “thorough consideration” and in no way forced by the growing pressure from labour unions.
“President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s decision, as always, seeks to protect the interests of Argentina’s working class,” the chief of ministers said. “Her decision comes not from unions’ pressure but from a thorough consideration of all variables,” he added.
“We, the peronists defend one kind of man, the working man, just like Perón did,” Capitanich said. “It is an ideological and doctrinaire keystone of Peronism.”
Capitanich reiterated that the president never takes any decision succumbing to pressure, always out of conviction.
Asked about the possibility of anti-government union leaders still launching labour actions despite Ms. Kirchner’s announcement, the official said that it would only prove that the strike threats were politically motivated from the start.
“When a (labour) action is being launched against a policy and that action stays in place even when there is no reason for it, then there is a political strategy, not a unionist one,” he said.
Yesterday afternoon the anti-government union leaders had launched a 24-hour strike for December 15 but after the president’s speech forced them to question whether they would go ahead with the labour action.
buenosairesherald.com