Argentina - June 7th, 2021

Joint declaration (La Marrón, Astillero State Tribune, Avanzada Obrera (Workers' Outpost)- Black Ticket, and Shipyard Alternative - ANCLA) plus independent workers

IN FRONT OF THE ATTEMPTED CHANGE TO THE LEGAL REGULATIONS OF THE RIO SANTIAGO SHIPYARD (ARS)

WE DEFEND A 100% STATE OWNED SHIPYARD IN FULL PRODUCTION, -NEITHER STOCK CORPORATION, NOR STATE COMPANY.

Pedro Wasiejko assumes the presidency of the ARS and immediately proposes modifying the legal figure as a solution to the abandonment in which the factory has been laid. The intention is to convert the naval plant into a Public Limited Company.

We reject this attempt to advance over the 100% state owned shipyard, which we have been defending for decades, preventing any type of total or partial privatization. The blackmail they pose is that, for the ARS to reactivate, it should change its legal status -Kicillof / Waseijko would rather have a Stock Corporation (SA); ATE Ensenada prefers an State Society (SE)-. Both are a scam to workers, as according to law 20705, both are governed by the regulations of a Public Limited Company.

What they hide is the future negotiations that they are planning to develop with the shipyard, making private companies enter it, outsourcing jobs, as we are already seeing with Tandanor, which is presented as a "successful state shipyard" which the government provides loans and important financial funds to, but it is actually a screen for private business, like so many other state companies, namely, YPF (oil company) SA, ENARSA SA, Trenesargentinos (Railroads) SE, Subterráneos de Bs As (Buenos Aires City Subway) SE, etc.
Along with the “business climate” that Wasiejko is so excited about, the legal figure that he proposes is accompanied by job insecurity and eventual work by contractors. Where the Labor Contract Law governs and there is no job stability of the State workers and the rights that we have in our CCT(collective contract bargaining).

WORKERS HAVE TO REJECT THE PRIVATIST PLANS THAT THE NEW MANAGEMENT AND THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OFFER TO MAKE THE SHIPYARD A PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY OR A SOCIETY OF THE STATE.
The union leadership of ATE (State Workers Union) local Ensenada called a virtual assembly by sector, and in them it did not propose the absolute rejection of the Public Limited Company figure and any other form of privatization (either total or partial) of our factory. This should be the first motion we put forward in each section. On the contrary, the leadership of ATE, wants to oppose the legal figure of "State Society"(S.S.), to the "stock corporation"(SA) of Wasiejko and Kicillof, and has been seeking to convince comrades of the advantages of the Shipyard passing to that legal status. They present it as the magic solution to all the ills of the ARS, saying that we cannot continue working as now, that if we want to be able to reactivate the ARS it has to be an S.S. and that it would be the possibility of leaving the Free Trade Zone, hiding behind a historical claim.
This exit from the Free Zone would not be total, but some workshops and a plate beach would be “on the other side”. Are they going to build again the fencing that we pulled down? What does ATE Ensenada say about ARS becoming a Stock Corporation? Why is the active rejection of all possible privatization advances not being organized?

FACING THE ATTEMPT TO MAKE ARS A PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, WE HAVE TO PUT THE SHIPYARD ON ALERT AND DEBATE HOW TO FACE THIS ATTACK ON OUR LABOR SOURCE AND OUR LABOR ACHIEVEMENTS.

The attack of the provincial government of Kicillof to the state workers is not limited to the shipyard, but also goes to the workers included in law 10430, it is intended to take them to a labor regime where they will be going to work from 30 to 40 hours a week, and in exchange of that a miserable sum is offered; the bureaucracy and the government take advantage of the meager income of that sector that today receives between 30 and 40 thousand pesos (~150-200 dollars per month), almost 50% of the basic food basket.
Kicillof, with the complicity of the union leaders, seems determined to carry out the tasks that the IMF demanded of Macri-Vidal: "reduce the state" and advance in the labor reform.
In the 90's the Menemista policies wanted to liquidate the Shipyard, then came the provincialization "for its privatization"; thus, the abandonment of the shipyard is a line followed by all the governments that passed. In 2015, Vidal and Macri arrived with the "dynamite" and failed, but it is now the government of the Frente de Todos that lends itself to lighting the fuse. All of them maintained the validity of the decree that subjects the ARS to privatization.
The bureaucratic obstacles that we have to operate today are part of the plan to prevent the reactivation of the Shipyard. Those who blackmail us saying that to make it possible we have to change legal status fail to say that the last 2 bulk carriers (MADRISSA and CASSANA) were built in the Shipyard under the figure of Administrator, and that in 18 months from sheet cutting to delivery, or that we built the tugboat ONA DON LORENZO for the domestic market. These are some examples that despite all the "legal and bureaucratic" problems, the Shipyard can produce in a timely manner and remain 100% state-owned and with all our achievements in place.

IT IS NECESSARY THEY EXPLAIN WHERE THE FUNDS HAVE GONE FOR THE C 79 and 80 DURING THE 2012-2016 SCIOLI PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IN CO-MANAGEMENT WITH THE UNION.
FOR THE BANCO PROVINCIA ACCOUNTING BOOKS TO BE OPENED!
FOR (PROVINCE OF BUENOS AIRES GOVERNOR) KICILLOF TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TO FINISH VENEZUELA'S SHIPS!

Not to a Public Limited Company or a State Company, for a 100% STATE OWNED SHIPYARD and in full production.

- Let's promote the general assembly preceded by sector assemblies to reject this attack and impose a work plan and investments in the naval plant through the struggle on the provincial government.

Out with all the Menemist policies in the ARS, down with the privatization decrees.

Signatories:

-AvanzadaObrera (Workers' Outpost) - ListaNegra (Black ticket)

-Tribuna Estatal Astillero (Astillero StateTribune.)

-Alternativa Astillero (ShipyardAlternative ) – ANCLA.  

-La Marrón (Brown Ticket)