Transport company closes, lays off 220; son of union boss among dismissed

Express Beer, a transport and logistics firm involved in distribution for Quilmes brewery, has ceased payments and shut down, leading to the dismissal of 220 employees. The Sindicato de Camioneros (Teamsters Union) has responded by declaring a state of alert and mobilization, vowing to defend the jobs of the affected workers.

Notably, among those laid off is Jerónimo Moyano, the youngest son of powerful union leader Hugo Moyano. Moyano had served as the union shop steward at Express Beer, reportedly earning a monthly salary of 2.2 million pesos as of November last year. The owner of Express Beer, Juan Aguilar, is a prominent figure in the Argentine Federation of Transport and Logistics Entities (Faetyl), one of the main employer chambers with which Hugo Moyano typically negotiates labor agreements.

Sources within the union indicate that the company was unable to meet its latest salary increase obligations and also owes outstanding payments for the mid-year bonus (medio aguinaldo). The most recent salary agreement between the Sindicato de Camioneros and the sector's employer chambers included a 10.1% increase spread over six months, along with an extraordinary fixed payment earlier in the year.

The union has denounced the company's closure without providing adequate responses and has pledged to initiate union and legal measures to safeguard employment. According to a union statement, the dismissed employees have an average seniority of 26 years. The conflict escalated recently as workers reported that the company emptied its plant in La Matanza over the weekend, removing vehicles. Other transport companies serving Quilmes have expressed solidarity with the Express Beer workers. Pablo Moyano, deputy secretary of the Teamsters Union, has demanded that Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes guarantee severance payments and ensure the immediate relocation of affected workers.

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guarantee the payment of the corresponding indemnities and arrange for the immediate relocation of the workers affected in the companies that continue to provide services for the company.