Alejandro Sánchez defended the government’s intervention in Montevideo’s port conflict

Alejandro Sánchez backed the government’s handling of the conflict between Terminal Cuenca del Plata and the company’s workers’ union, which operates at the port of Montevideo. According to him, the Executive Branch first sought to maintain dialogue and, when it understood that path was not producing results, decided to establish minimum services.

According to Subrayado, the presidential secretary rejected the idea that the government had lost authority and stressed that this is a dispute between a private company and that company’s union.

This Saturday, a 24-hour strike called by the union is underway, having begun at 11:00 p.m. on Friday. The measure is being carried out with a union guard to ensure the minimum services defined by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.

Subrayado reported that the union was summoned for Tuesday at the Ministry of Labor. The company, for its part, had to call in staff to complete the minimum staffing levels needed to maintain services considered essential at the terminal, including dock services for loading and unloading ships, the receipt of full and empty containers for import and export, and storage and warehousing tasks.

According to that outlet, Terminal Cuenca del Plata must ensure that the positions required under the minimum-services scheme are covered and report the situation to the MTSS.

This Saturday’s strike is the second carried out by the union since minimum services began to apply, amid the conflict over negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

In addition, the Single Port Workers and Related Trades Union called a 24-hour nationwide port strike starting at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. The Ministry of Labor said, again according to Subrayado, that minimum services will also apply in that case.

The Supra measure is aimed at the resolution adopted last Friday by the MTSS and the MTOP, which temporarily and narrowly established the obligation to guarantee minimum services at the container terminal of the Port of Montevideo. The union argues that the decision is excessive, arbitrary, and restricts the right to strike.

Subrayado added that Supra also decided to hold a general assembly on Thursday, September 24, at 10:00 a.m., with work stoppages starting at 8:00. The meeting will take place on the esplanade of the National Port Administration in Montevideo and at the ANP gate in Nueva Palmira.

Sources

• Subrayado

About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do any original reporting on this event.