Argentine oil workers threaten strike over access to Covid-19 vaccines

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina’s largest oil workers union said on Wednesday it would call a strike if the government did not allow it to privately purchase covid-19 vaccines, amid the second wave of infections sweeping across the country.

The Rio Negro, Neuquen and La Pampa private oil and gas union, representing 24,000 workers, many in the Vaca Muerta shale oil formation, said it would wait for government clearance until the end of next week. If permission to buy vaccines is not granted, he said he would go on strike.

“Friday the 11th, if there are no responses to our request, we will step down from our jobs to protect the health of all our colleagues,” union leader Guillermo Pereyra said in a statement.

So far, vaccines in the South American country are only being distributed to older people and priority workers.

“We do not want to get vaccinated by anyone or be assigned items for the elderly, educators, health workers or people at risk. We are prepared to pay them,” he said. added.

Argentina has seen a record number of new daily infections in recent weeks. The country has reported a total of 3.82 million COVID-19 cases and 78,733 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The government has come under fire for overseeing a slow vaccination process, which has accelerated in recent days. The health ministry said on Wednesday that a total of 12.8 million doses had been administered in a country of 45 million people.

A plea for access to vaccines sparked days of tension in major ports across the country when a strike by maritime unions recently crippled cargo traffic. The workers ended the strike when the government granted them priority vaccine status.