Argentine oilseed crushing workers are considering total or partial strikes at Cargill’s soy processing plants in Rosario, Sergio Diaz, representative of the SOEAR oilseed crushers union, told Agricensus.
The union confirmed it will carry out different protest actions to oppose the dismissal of 33 workers from Cargill’s plants in Villa Gobernador Gálvez and Punta Alvear.
The company had ratified the dismissals once the mandatory conciliation ordered by the national Labour Ministry had expired last week.
Diaz said that Cargill had halted all its operations in Rosario from Thursday to Sunday.
“On Monday, the company resumed operations, but it is producing at a capacity level of only 20%. We will analyse the situation in the coming days and will make the decision on what kind of strike we will implement,” he said.
The union official also said that strike actions could affect Cargill’s overall production or just partial strike actions, which would affect specific production sectors.
Cargill said in a statement it was restructuring its operations in Rosario and Bahia Blanca (Buenos Aires province) and laying off a limited group of workers who would later be replaced by other workers with different professional profiles.
“The aim of this measure is not to eliminate or sub-contract jobs, but rather to ensure the continuity of operations in an effective and efficient matter compatible with the business’s new challenges,” the statement said.
In Argentina, Cargill has over 3,000 employees. The firm has operations in eight provinces across the country.
Read the full report at Agrcensus.
