Argentine tire factory workers to march on Plaza de Mayo six months after closure

Six months after the FATE tire factory in Victoria, Buenos Aires province, ceased operations, the United Union of Argentine Tire Workers (Sutna) has announced a mobilization to Plaza de Mayo. The union is demanding the factory's reopening and advocating for broader issues including land, industry, oversight bodies, public education, health, and pensions.

During a rally outside the factory, Sutna's general secretary, Alejandro Crespo, declared the march for August 26. "We call for a mobilization to Plaza de Mayo for this August 26. We will be in Plaza de Mayo and we call on everyone to support this mobilization," Crespo stated. He rallied supporters under the slogans "FATE will not close," "End the lockout," and calls for the protection of national resources and public services, emphasizing that "everyone is at stake and this factory has become a symbol, we have to open it."

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We call for a mobilization to Plaza de Mayo for this August 26. We will be in Plaza de Mayo and we call on everyone to support this mobilization. We will do it under the slogan FATE will not close, end the lockout, and for the land, the industry, the control bodies this country must have, the protection of public education, health, and retirees. Everyone is at stake and this factory has become a symbol, we have to open it.

Since the closure was announced on February 18, a portion of the factory's 920 former employees have maintained a presence at the site. They are organizing popular soup kitchens for assistance and receiving support from other unions and workers. According to sources from the Workers' Party, approximately 250 individuals maintain a fixed presence, with another 600 rotating through the site.

The company's board cited "changes in market conditions" as the reason for the definitive closure. However, the union is pursuing legal action. Crespo highlighted that a court has rejected the eviction of the workers, recognizing the situation as a labor dispute over the right to strike. Furthermore, a judicial decision mandates the company to pay the workers' outstanding wages for the past six months, though full payment is still pending.

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The Chamber of Cassation ruled rejecting the eviction, because this is a labor dispute for the exercise of the right to strike. The Chamber of Appeals ruled that they must pay all the fortnights they owe. They have already paid some, but they must pay all of them. The 17th court [of the labor jurisdiction] says 'Do I pay all 900?'. Immediately, everyone who is fighting every day must be paid, immediately.