The National Meteorological Service moved forward with the dismissal of 140 workers and the unions announced a strike for April 24. The measure could affect takeoffs and landings throughout the country.
One of the terminated employees belongs to the La Plata station. The cut is part of a restructuring plan that could reach 240 people.
The layoffs that impacted La Plata
The Directorate of National Weather Service moved forward with the separation of 140 workers of the organization throughout the country. Among those affected is an employee of the meteorological station of The Silver.
The decision generated concern among the workers and led to an announcement of forceful measures by the unions grouped in ATE-SMN.
According to reports, this first round of layoffs could be expanded in the coming weeks and reach a total of 240 employees on a total plant of 972 workers.
What would the staff plant look like?
According to different internal sources, of the 972 employees that currently make up the organization, some 780 civilian sons.
If the projected cut finally materializes, the civil endowment would be reduced to 540 workerswhich would imply a drop close to 30% of the total plant.
The dismissals affect personnel hired under the modality of the article 9a figure used in the national State for temporary contracts. Due to this condition, affected employees will not receive compensation.
«A list of 140 people who are going to be dismissed from the organization was drawn up. The Ministry of Defense is fulfilling a request from the Ministry of Deregulation,» said sources linked to the SMN reduction process.
The modernization plan behind the adjustment
Within the organization, the number of layoffs had been circulating for more than a month as a concrete possibility.
The cut is part of a “modernization plan” promoted between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Deregulation and Transformation of the State.
However, so far, the main consequence of this process has been the reduction of personnel. Each area director had to select a proportional number of workers to move forward with the layoffs.
The strike that could affect air traffic
Faced with this scenario, ATE-SMN announced an active strike for the next Friday April 24.
The measure will be developed between 5 and noon and will involve the suspension of all non-essential services of the organization.
According to union sources, during that period no planes would take off or land at Argentine airports, except for medical and humanitarian flights.
The reason is that the SMN provides the aeronautical forecasts that enable air operations. Without these reports, much of the air traffic could be paralyzed.
Concern about the functioning of the body
Workers and managers of the organization warned that several of those dismissed belong to key operational areas, including the network of meteorological observers.
According to different estimates, between 80 and 83 of those fired They perform meteorological observation functions, a central task for the preparation of alerts and forecasts.
Furthermore, since the beginning of the current administration, the SMN has already lost more than 200 workersa figure that deepens concern about the operation of meteorological stations and the quality of the services provided.
