Tremblay 1

Jessica Tremblay
English III- Phillips
1 May 2015
The Push-me Pull-you of Government/Labor Strife
Unions are groups of workers that have a common goal of obtaining equal rights within
their career fields and protesting legislation or political actions that have been deemed
inappropriate. These protests usually occur in the form of strikes, which can often be physically,
economically, and politically dangerous. Unions may also take on the role of providing services
for workers, such as training, certifying specific skills, and finding the right job for a specific
person, which will make the unions who precede with these services dominant and leading
influencers of an economy (Kosters). However, many unions become very powerful, and their
influence can have great effects on the economy of a country, such as Argentina. In response to
these powerful unions, the Argentine government should follow the Greek governments
example of getting legislation passed without inhibiting workers democratic rights as compared
to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers example of squashing unions simply to eliminate
oppositional views.
The Argentine government has recently been dealing with transportation strikes that are
protesting the recent economic inflation and income tax that will be enacted upon workers. 80%
of the 220,000 members of Pablo Mayanos trucker union pay an income tax because of the 35%
inflation rate that increased workers salaries. This exposes them to specific taxes that they
werent required to pay before, and they are now denied certain welfare benefits that are
provided to those under a certain income level (Argentina unions threaten strikes).
Additionally, according to Peter Prengaman, Roberto Fernandez, leader of the Automotive

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Tramways Union and endorser of these strikes, stated that "there is no happiness here because
the country loses." He also reports that the unions are striking against the work of a senseless
government (Prengaman). These high taxes mean that more of the workers money is going to
the government and not into the peoples pockets. Fernandezs quote specifically means that the
people who make up a country are losing the battle to live comfortably without a significant
threat of being unable to feed their families; they feel the frustration of such circumstances when
the government places inappropriate taxes upon them with seemingly unjustifiable reasons.
However, because Argentina is a democratic nation, the people have the right to report their
concerns in a manner that suits them, such as strikes and protests.
In the case of the strikes in Argentina, the government also resisted getting involved
because of political reasons. The strikes themselves may also have political motivations.
According to an article about Argentine unions threatening more strikes, some Argentine
government employees, such as the Economy Minister, Axel Kiciliof, believe that the strikes are
politically motivated, and that the minimum level of which one is required to pay an income tax
is at a very good place (Argentina unions threaten strikes). Kiciliof refers to the fact that the
Argentine primary elections will be held in August, and the strikes are decreasing support for the
current presidents party. The strikes are being held because the leaders of these unions know that
the government will most likely not participate, which frustrates workers and causes them to
become opposed to the party that is not helping their situation. They will then turn their attention
to a new candidate of a different party who will hopefully assist them in their endeavors.
Few leaders have taken the initiative to take a stand against unions and their means of
getting their ideas through to those that can affect them; however, British Prime Minster
Margaret Thatcher was one of those few. As the controversial leader of the UK in the 1970s and

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80s, Thatcher ruined the power of many unions and stood against their strikes. She was a very
conservative politician who put a stop to powerful union leaders allowing their workers to do no
more than the bare minimum required for their jobs, which slowed down the economy (Taylor).
One such union was the National Union of Mineworkers. The National Union of Mineworkers
strike was a year- long, often violent strike that Thatcher defeated by cleverly waiting for the
economy to go into a boom stage (Taylor). This action was intended to allow time for the
economy to gain the strength to withstand the effects of a conflict between the government and
the workers (Mandel). In addition, Thatcher supported and allowed the operation of the
Nottinghamshire mines, which did not participate in the strikes, while simultaneously impeding
protesters efforts to bring in supporters from other parts of the country (Mandel). Thatcher used
her power as the prime minister to get several laws passed that allowed the police force to end
strikes and arrest strikers (Mandel). Margaret Thatchers methods of controlling these unions can
be considered threatening these unions democratic rights, as it is a right in a democratic nation
to be able to gather, organize, and assert ones grievances in whatever method one chooses.
Thatchers laws allowing the police to blockade the mine strikes was in opposition of the
strikers rights. Should a member of the government be able to assert such power upon the
people? Simply speaking, the violence involved in these altercations was the result of a police
force that was backed by a government that allowed them to do whatever was necessary to end
the strikers demands fair and reasonable pay. In contrast, the Greek government has gone down
a different path in an attempt to calm tensions there.
The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have been giving money to the
government of Greece to help keep the country running smoothly. Now the government has
enacted an austerity measure in an attempt to pay back these loans. However, Greek unions have

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protested the austerity measures for several years, and these protests were recently exasperated
by the governments decision to change the date of a public holiday, which resulted in many
shops remaining open when they would have been closed during the Orthodox Holy Week
(Greeks protest austerity on May Day). By keeping these shops running, spending increased
for that week, which helped the economy and brought more money to the government. In regards
to the striking of these austerity measures, the Greek government did not prohibit the strikes, but
they did pass the laws despite of them. It is the peoples job in a democratic nation to elect
officials that will support or help them when needed. If an elected leader enacts laws that hurt the
people or do not allow them to organize and protest, such as in the case of Margaret Thatcher,
then that leader has destroyed the trust between workers and government authority. Not allowing
the people to speak their mind is a characteristic of a dictatorship, in which the people are
expected to listen and act without opposition even if it is rightly placed. The Argentine
government has been following a similar example to that of Greece as opposed to Britain.
For instance, the Argentine government, related to the recent transportation strikes, has
not used executive power to end the protests there. According Gabriela Pontoni of the Argentine
Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Services (MTEySS), the MTEySS does not consider
union strikes or disturbances as something to be penalized. The government recognizes this
activity as a relationship between capital and labor, which extends to include the public sector
(Pontoni). The government will subsidize a branch or form of public transportation to avoid an
increase in transportation prices during a strike (Pontoni). But it will not use its power to destroy
the protests themselves. As of April 21, 2015, the refusal to work had died down, but union
workers had not been consulted with by the government. However, the strike is still ongoing, and
union leaders are still demanding that their issues be addressed (Pontoni). The Argentine

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government has not infringed on the rights of the people in these unions because they have not
implemented laws that allow other organizations to impede protesters efforts to strike. Some
governments do not want to work with unions to come up with a compromise, so they use their
executive power to squash them before they can demand attention. By destroying the power of
these unions when they have the attention of the nation, it causes people to second guess the
government and whether or not its view of democracy is the same as the peoples.
Unions have been battling governments all over the world for their rights as workers.
Some previous labor disputes, such as in Britain, have ended with the government squashing the
unions, revoking their power, and preserving the status quo. Other labor debates, such as those in
Greece and Argentina, have ended less dramatically, but with more circumvention on the part of
the government to effectively deescalate the issue without weakening the power of the unions.
The Argentine and Greek governments passed legislation, such as the income tax, without
consulting the unions, but in the case of Argentina, the unions are still demanding to be heard. A
third option of obtaining an agreement should involve negotiations between labor unions and
government where both sides can claim victory. The Argentine government could promise
workers a change in welfare benefits to take into account the level of inflation within the country,
and the unions could continue work as normal to lessen the effect of the strikes on the economy.
These negotiations should include a compromise on the both sides, and both parties should be
willing to peacefully meet again if tensions should rise again.

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Works Cited
"Argentina unions threaten more strikes against high taxes." Anadolu Agency 30 Mar.
2015. Global Issues in Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
"Greeks protest austerity on May Day." Philippines Daily Inquirer [Makati City, Philippines] 1
May 2013.Global Issues in Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Gilbert, Jonathan. "Strikes Over Argentine Tax Law Bring Transportation to a Halt." New York
Times 1 Apr. 2015: A4(L). Global Issues in Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Kosters, Marvin. "Unions and the Economy." World and I Apr. 2004: 54. Opposing Viewpoints
In Context. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Mandel, Daniel. "The Thatcher legacy: she reversed history and gave it new life." The American
SpectatorJune 2013: 20+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
"Politics." The Economist 18 June 2011: 9(US). Global Issues in Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Pontoni, Gabriela. Re: Now Im going on a strike! Message to Jessica Tremblay. 21 Apr. 2015.
Email.
Prengaman, Peter. "Transportation Unions Strike in Argentina to Protest Tax Rates and Inflation
Shuts Down Cities." U.S. News and World Report. U.S News, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 16
Apr. 2015.
Taylor, Adam. "Margaret Thatcher Fought One Huge Battle That Changed The UK
Forever." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.