Strike at Argentine ports ends after vaccination deal, unions say

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A strike that lasted nearly a day and affected grain shipments from Argentina came to an end late Wednesday, May 26, after labor unions said they had reached an agreement granting their workers priority for Covid-19 vaccination.

Port workers held a 48-hour strike last week due to lack of vaccine access. The strike was back on Wednesday, paralyzing ships at the third largest global exporter of corn and main supplier of soybean meal used as feed.

“After several meetings with health, transport and labor Ministries, we are now considered essential workers in the country’s vaccination plan. As a result, the unions involved are suspending the strike,” said a statement from the vessel operators’ union, one of the 11 groups on strike.

The unions issued yet another joint statement highlighting the end of the strike. “All our members have received a note from the government that shipboard personnel are recognized as being prioritized in the country’s strategic vaccination plan.”

The unions represent workers essential to the berthing and uncoupling of cargo ships. The only worker groups given priority for vaccinations in Argentina prior to Wednesday’s agreement were health care, police and educators.

According to official figures, 75,588 people have died as a result of the virus in Argentina so far, out of a total population of some 45 million. Restrictive measures against the pandemic, including a night curfew, have been tightened throughout the country to fight a second wave of infection.

In neighboring Brazil, a leader in soybean exports, the government is to begin vaccinating dockworkers in Santos, Latin America’s largest port, this week. The measure was a reaction to pressure from workers, who threatened a strike unless they were included among the priority categories for vaccination.

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