ANDE workers call Monday protest over risk of electricity ‘tariff shock’

Workers at Paraguay’s National Electricity Administration, ANDE, are preparing to take their protest to the streets of Asunción on Monday, warning that electricity users could face a sharp increase in costs.

The Sitrande union and other ANDE labor groups will hold a news conference and a protest outside the utility’s headquarters on Avenida España. They say the government and business sectors are maneuvering to make electricity more expensive and accuse authorities of failing to act during negotiations involving Itaipu.

Union leaders describe what they call a “macabre maneuver” by technicians and business groups aligned with the executive branch to quietly privatize the energy business. Sitrande secretary-general Adolfo Villalba also criticized ANDE president Miguel Báez, calling him “absent” from key discussions, including the review of Itaipu’s tariff and a new operating agreement for contracting power.

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macabre maneuver

The workers say ANDE could face a multimillion-dollar additional cost next year if it fails to negotiate favorable terms for buying electricity from the binational plant. They warn that the burden would ultimately fall on the public through a “tariff shock.”

The government tried to defuse the protest through ministers Javier Giménez and Marcos Riquelme, who said there was no urgency to submit bills creating an energy regulator. The unions nevertheless maintained the call, saying the price ANDE will pay for energy to supply Paraguay remains unresolved. The initial mobilization targets workers and retirees from the Metropolitan, Central, Cordillera and Paraguarí areas. Leaders said it could become the first step in broader action involving rural and social organizations if the government continues to ignore their demands.

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absent