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'Vacations and fixed salary': Argentine city helps street windshield washers become company employees
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

'Vacations and fixed salary': Argentine city helps street windshield washers become company employees

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • In Córdoba, Argentina, a city initiative has successfully transitioned 12 former street windshield washers into employed maintenance workers.
  • The program, a collaboration between the UTN university, the municipality, a foundation, and a local company, arose after the activity was prohibited.
  • Participants now receive fixed salaries, social security, and paid vacations, a significant improvement from the unpredictable income of street work.

In Córdoba, Argentina, a unique initiative has transformed the lives of former street windshield washers, offering them stable employment and a dignified future. The program, born from a collaboration between the National Technological University (UTN) Regional Córdoba, the Municipality of Córdoba, the University Foundation of Trades (FUO), and the local company Kazaró, has already employed 12 individuals.

The initiative emerged after the province enacted stricter regulations, effectively prohibiting windshield washing on the streets and leaving many individuals without their sole source of income. Recognizing the need for a solution, UTN spearheaded the effort to create new opportunities.

On the street, there were days when you made money and days when you didn't. We worked in the cold, in the rain, in whatever it took to bring a plate of food home at night.

— Ángel CaroDescribing the hardships of working as a street windshield washer.

One beneficiary, 26-year-old Ángel Caro, shared his transformation. For a decade, he worked on the streets, starting at age 15 to help support his large family. His previous life involved unpredictable earnings, working in harsh weather conditions just to put food on the table. "On the street, there were days when you made money and days when you didn't. We worked in the cold, in the rain, in whatever it took to bring a plate of food home at night," he recalled.

I still can't believe it. I'm very happy.

— Ángel CaroExpressing his feelings about his new, stable employment.

Ángel's life changed when municipal workers approached him with an offer to participate in a gardening and green space maintenance course. This training opened the door to a registered job, a concept previously out of reach. "I still can't believe it. I'm very happy," he said, describing his new routine of waking early, commuting, and working an eight-hour day with a fixed salary, social security benefits, and the prospect of paid vacations and holiday bonuses.

The program aims to expand its opportunities, providing a pathway for others who previously relied on precarious street work to transition into formal employment. This initiative highlights a successful model for social reintegration and economic empowerment.

In Argentina, there are many free training courses that end when a certificate is issued. We wanted to solve what is called...

— UTN RepresentativeExplaining the motivation behind the program's focus on job placement beyond just certification.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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