Striking workers resume talks in Argentina

24 July 2007 00:24  [Source: ICIS news]

By Cristina Kroll

BUENOS AIRES (ICIS news)--Union leaders in Argentina will meet on Tuesday with industry representatives and Labour Ministy officials in an attempt to end a strike at the Zarate and Campana petrochemical complex, a source said on Monday.

Jose Maria Fumagalli, executive director of the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Association (CIQyP), said the meeting was arranged after workers at the Zarate and Campana industrial areas agreed to new terms that the negotiations would be handled through the association.

“Earlier, they wanted to reach a solution with each company separately,” Fumagalli said of the negotiations in Spanish.

On Friday, the Labour Ministry ordered workers to return to their posts and ensured that 122 workers fired earlier this year would have their jobs restored.

A return to negotiations was welcome since the strike has cost the industry close to $80m (€58m), following a walk-out by workers over salary demands earlier this year, Fumagalli said.

All of the companies in the complex have experienced some form of disruption, with some more serious than others, he said.

Some of the companies who have been involved in the negotiations include Petrobras, Carboclor, Eastman Chemical, Monsanto, Lanxess, Merissant, Quipro, Quimigas and Cabot Argentina.

($1.00 = €0.72)

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