Stop attack on Argentine rural workers’ social security!

The Argentine Agricultural workers Union, UATRE, is calling for urgent assistance to defend the agricultural workers social security system, RENATRE.

In 1991 when the National Employment fund was established in Argentina, agricultural workers were excluded. The IUF-affiliated UATRE lead a long campaign to win social security protection for agricultural workers and in 1999, RENATRE, the National Registry of Rural Workers and Employers was set up. To-date 800, 000 workers are registered in the scheme.

RENATRE registers rural workers and gives them access to social security benefits. The scheme covers all agricultural workers, whether local or migrants and whether engaged on a permanent or temporary. Employers are obliged to register their workers and to assist them in obtaining an employment record card from local registry offices within five days. Failure to do so results in a fine. The employment record card serves as proof of employment and entitles rural workers to unemployment insurance, family allowance payments, access to health insurance and from age 65 onwards to a pension.

RENATRE is instituted under public law, but its board of directors is independent of government. The board is composed of four directors from UATRE and four directors from the employers’ organizations. Now the Government is trying to take control of the scheme and has introduced a law in Parliament to allow them to do this. UATRE has been informed that the bill will go before the Parliament on Tuesday, December 13, 2011.

Click here to send a message to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President of Argentina and to Carlos Tomada the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security to keep their hands off RENATRE.