In a very hard and extensive debate, The Unter Extraordinary Congress resolved this Thursday morning not to go ahead with the teachers’ strike in Río Negro. Consequently, classes begin today.
The sectionals that promoted the continuity of the measure of force, which had begun on Monday and was for 72 hours in the first instance, failed to gather the two-thirds that the statute provides for a direct action measure, reported the general secretary of the Bariloche section, Adriana Lizaso.
He reported that the proposal to extend the strike 146 congressmen supported it, while 82 voted in the negative. Since two-thirds did not meet, “then there is no strike,” Lizaso said.
In the end, I wentimposed the strategy of the central management of Unter, which had the support of some sections, to resume the parity with the Río Negro government. Thus, the representatives of the educational sector will attend the meeting on Monday with the representatives of the provincial Executive to open a new instance of negotiation.
Throughout the day all kinds of speculation and negotiations were woven to add adherence to one position or another. For this reason, a very close vote was reached with an uncertain result until the last minute. While thousands of families in the province were pending what the Congress of Unter. PDue to the 72-hour strike, the 2023 school year had not formally begun in Río Negro.
As the Congress was closed, only the congressmen from the sectionals could participate. The little information that transcended the meeting circulated in the accounts that the sectionals have on social networks.s. There, the debate was replicated and was red hot due to the positions found.
The definition of classes in Río Negro
The anticipation was building as midnight approached. The vote was postponed hour after hour and the uncertainty was total.
At 2.20 the general secretary of the Unter central leadership, Silvana Inostroza, announced the decision of the Congress. “We have just defined non-stop,” he told RÍO NEGRO. And he announced that this Thursday there will be classes in Rio Negro schools.
The vote closed when thousands of students from the province had gone to sleep without any certainty of what would happen to classes in public schools of all levels and modalities in the province. This is an enrollment of around 220,000 students, according to what the province’s Minister of Education and Human Rights, Pablo Núñez, told this newspaper on Sunday.
When Inostroza was asked if they will attend the joint meeting on Monday, he replied: “Yes, of course.”
The Congress was held in the gym of School 201 in Bariloche. It was called at 10, but it started late because some congressmen from sections far from this city arrived later than expected.
In addition, it had several stages prior to the debate that everyone expected. R.Just at 7:00 p.m., the congressmen of the 18 sections began to report the mandates of the teachers’ assemblies that had been held on Tuesday. The two conflicting positions were clear: the continuation of the strike or suspend it until the parity with the Río Negro government announced for Monday.
El Bolsón opened the round and announced that the assembly had resolved to continue the strike for 5 days. The intention was to stop this Thursday and tomorrow Friday. And continue Monday, Tuesday until Wednesday March 8. The same position was taken by the Bariloche, Roca and Cipolletti sections, which have a good number of votes for having more affiliates. There, the two sectors began to draw up the accounts.
But nothing was defined. Lhe clause of the Statute to gather the two thirds became an obstacle that the confrontational sections could not overcome and won the position of the dialoguistas sectionals just enough.
From Viedma, Governor Arabela Carreras pointed out this Wednesday that noor understood the framework of the Unter congress “when there is a call for new parities to come together to talk. There is no point in proposing more forceful measures until they listen. This is how trade union dialogue takes place”. And he clarified: “We do not hold dialogue meetings when there are measures of force. You have to wait for them to pass.”
The Unter Congress lasted for around 14 hours and revealed the fierce internality that exists in the union. The opposition sectors criticized the central leadership for betting heavily to weaken and nullify the strike and open a negotiation instance with the provincial government that offers “misery” wages. They blamed the Carreras administration for the strike.
From the other side they pointed out that the opposition sectionals only sought to promote the internal, attack and wear down the leadership of the union, in an electoral year.
The debate is not yet settled. A lot of water ran in Congress. The ruling party won with the minimum, but the internal one is red hot. What will happen next week will depend on the new salary offer made by the provincial government. At least today the thousands of students from public schools in the province will be able to start the school year.
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