Headline: Unexpected Morning Strike: 18 Collectivo Lines in Buenos Aires Demand Aguinaldo Payment
In an unanticipated move, 18 collectivo lines in the sprawling Area Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) went on strike Thursday morning, protesting the outstanding payment of their Christmas bonuses, or ‘aguinaldo’. The surprise action left commuters scrambling for alternative transportation.
The affected lines, as per reports, are: 4, 10, 22, 49, 86, 88, 96, 97, 148, 159, 176, 185, 193, 205, 300, 500, 448, and 621. MOQSA, a transport services company, had announced the day before that lines 22, 148, 159, and 500 would remain stationary until the aguinaldo was deposited into workers’ accounts. However, the full extent of the strike was not anticipated.
The strike, which commenced without prior public announcement, took commuters by surprise. As of now, there’s no specified duration for the action. The unions involved haven’t released an official statement regarding the ending of the strike.
This turn of events comes amidst repeated warnings from transport chambers about their inability to fully pay out Christmas bonuses without either increased government subsidies or fare hikes. These warnings followed similar concern expressed during negotiations with trade unions.
In a related development, the Secretaría de Trabajo had imposed a conciliation order the previous day to avert a planned strike by the Unión de Tranviarios Automotor (UTA) targeting companies based in the Argentine interior.
