Argentina Oilseed Workers Call Off Nationwide Strike, While Vicentin Workers Remain Resolute

A major strike that would have practically paralyzed Argentine soybean processing, a world leader in the supply of soybean oil and meal, was just called off after government intervention. Aggrieved Vicentin workers, however, remained firm on their protests against unpaid wages.

Government Order Halts Nationwide Strike

On April 12, 2023, from 6 A.M., a nationwide oilseeds workers’ strike called against Vicentin and other oilseeds-based enterprises over wage demand was scheduled to go into operation. But only hours before it was to start, the government applied a compulsory conciliation order, keeping the union in stalemate for 15 days until negotiations had been completed.

Vicentin Workers Refuse to Back Down

Despite the calling off of the strike, workers from Vicentin had already started their protest on Tuesday and vowed to continue with it. The processing plants in question include Ricardone, San Lorenzo, and Avellaneda all in Santa Fe Province.

Morales underlined that these workers are determined not to give in since they received only a small fraction of their wages for the last month. “The workers who were not paid last month do not want to go to work,” he said.

Vicentin went bankrupt in 2020, and since then, it’s been accumulating more debts. It only paid 30% of the salaries for February, arguing a “critical financial situation.”

The CIARACEC chamber representing oilseed producers and grain exporters condemned the scheduled strike and asked for union members and Vicentin to settle this issue without disrupting the operations. The chamber stated that it has previously been in dialogue with unions regarding wage adjustments and has committed that no worker in oilseeds would see their salary increase less than the annual inflation rate.