Although the Lower House could avoid any demonstration by preliminary approving the new farm worker law at 3am, the Senate had to be fenced to face a protest summoned by UATRE farm hands union leader Gerónimo Venegas. The Agriculture Committee of the Upper House is expected to begin the debate at 6pm.
This afternoon, the committee headed by the Kirchnerite Senator Ana María Corradi de Beltrán will debate the bill that has already been approved by the Lower House last Friday morning which creates a new statute of the farm worker.
The head of the UATRE met with the leader of the CGT labour confederation union Hugo Moyano last week, and achieved the support of several unions that will also demonstrate along with the UATRE in front of the Senate.
Venegas has already announced that the “final battle” of his union will be held on Wednesday’s debate, even though the bill has been praised by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
The bill is aimed to reduce the retirement age from 67 to 57 and incorporates a paternity leave of 15 days. Nevertheless, the article that Venegas and Moyano are not keen on is the one that creates the Agrarian Workers and Employers National Office (Renatea) as an autarkic entity, under the jurisdiction of the Labour Ministry, that will absorb the role that currently has the Renatre.
buenosairesherald.com