Argentina's Siconara union accuses Conarpesa and Agropez of more than 15 years of miscalculating year-end bonus, coastal fleet halted

Jorge Maldonado, national secretary of Argentina's Siconara union of maritime pilots and engineers, said in an interview with Puerto magazine on October 28 that Conarpesa and Agropez have "been miscalculating the year-end bonus (SAC) for more than 15 years," and that the resulting wage-difference dispute has halted Conarpesa's coastal fleet.

Maldonado said the main disagreement between the union and Conarpesa and Agropez centers on how the annual supplementary salary (Sueldo Anual Complementario, SAC) is calculated. He said the year-end bonus should be calculated on the basis of half of the highest pay within the six-month period, "any normal, regular worker, whether or not they work on board, receives half of the best month in the six-month period," and stressed that this standard "is not up to me, it is set by law, not by any agreement, by law." He said workers have turned to the courts to recover the wage differences.

Responding to the companies' claim that the lawsuits are the union's fault, Maldonado said Conarpesa head Fernando Álvarez Castellano "has these lawsuits because the year-end bonus was miscalculated," and said this position will not change "today, tomorrow or ever." He also said that some lawsuits involve high amounts because of interest accumulated during the judicial proceedings; as for the judicial injunctions affecting the vessels, these were decisions taken by the courts as a last resort, not something the union deliberately pushed for, "this did not happen overnight."

On the fleet halt, Maldonado said Siconara's first demand is to get the vessels back to fishing. "Two processing plants closed and eight vessels halted benefits no one. There are many people around these vessels who support their families with them," he said. He confirmed he had spoken with Fernando Álvarez Castellano but no final understanding had been reached, "he still says he will not send the vessels out." Maldonado said the union conveyed its willingness to resolve the differences to the businessman in Vigo, and hopes to finalize the two collective labor agreements for the freezer vessels and the Rawson fleet before the end of the year.

Maldonado also said union members are unhappy with the current labor situation, "colleagues are angry, very angry, because for three years we have been losing rights." He said decisions by the union leadership must have the consensus of workers in the relevant sector, "we will not act behind people's backs," and will not sign changes to agreements without first consulting members.

On contract renewal, Maldonado said Siconara is advancing updates to the collective labor agreements for the freezer vessels and the Rawson fleet in parallel with several business chambers. The freezer-vessel contract has "a lot of gray areas," and the negotiations cover towing, sailing days, pilotage, watches and days in port, "so they know clearly what to settle for colleagues, and colleagues know clearly what they should receive." The union is also seeking to add worker-protection clauses and adapt the contract to changes in the sector and its regulatory framework. Although it could apply to extend the current contract, the union still wants to move ahead with the update to improve the predictability of wage settlements, with the goal of completing negotiations before the end of the year.