Broad business repudiation of the ruling that acquitted the union leaders who blockaded San Nicolás

Chambers and business associations expressed their concern and rejection today of the court ruling that this week acquitted truckers' union leader Maximiliano Cabaleyro, head of the San Nicolás, San Pedro and Ramallo regional branch, accused of having blocked the facilities of the company Rey Distribución SRL and demanded money from its owners. The organizations expressed their unease over the precedent that the ruling by Oral Criminal Court No. 2 of San Nicolás could set, which acquitted the union leader linked to the union led by Hugo and Pablo Moyano of the charges of disturbance of possession, coercion, extortion and threats. Judge Alejandro López argued that the union leader's actions fell within the exercise of the right to strike, even though the prosecution had requested a ten-year prison sentence for several crimes. However, the owners of Rey Distribución SRL, a San Pedro firm dedicated to the distribution of food and beverages, with 34 employees, reported blockades that occurred in 2021 and claimed to have suffered extortion by the union leader and other truckers' union figures since 2017. "It constitutes a worrying setback in terms of legal security and respect for the rights of those who produce and work in Argentina," the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) stated in a communiqué released this Friday. This morning in San Nicolás, the multisectoral group 21F accompanied Hugo Moyano of the Truck Drivers' Union. Press Multisectorial 21F From the sector, they warned that, although Judge López's ruling "recognizes the existence of measures that prevented the normal functioning of the company," it ultimately relies on the right to strike to exempt the truckers' union leader. In his ruling, López argued that "there is no possibility that these events [the blockades] can be considered typical of the crimes charged." In addition to Cabaleyro, former employees of the distribution company Maximiliano Pérez, Carlos Ojeda, Lucas Torrez, Matías Torrez, Enzo Ojeda and Edgardo Di Mayo were also tried and acquitted. All of them were charged with disturbance of possession. In this regard, the Argentine Chamber of Construction (CAMARCO) maintained that endorsing these practices "represents a serious setback for legal security, an essential pillar for investment, formal employment and the country's development." Alejandro Gabriel López, judge of San Nicolás. Diario el Norte. The organization took care to reaffirm its "full respect for labor rights and the right to strike," before emphasizing that "no demand can justify preventing the functioning of a productive activity or violating the right to work." Thus, they urged the Justice system to "apply the law with equity and review this ruling, safeguarding coexistence, dialogue and the constitutional guarantees of all parties." The UIA also delved into the importance of legal security for sustaining business activity, promoting investment and generating formal employment. And in that framework, it demanded that "the corresponding judicial instances review the scope of this ruling, with full respect for legal procedures and the guarantees of all parties." For its part, the Argentine Chamber of Commerce and Services (CAC) expressed its "deepest consternation" over the acquittal of the truckers' union leader and the other six union members accused of blockading the small business in 2021, and harshly questioned the magistrates' decision. "Impunity is always regrettable, and even more so when, having the corresponding elements to do justice, the magistrates choose to endorse crime," the entity declared. "The CAC recognizes the right to strike enshrined in Article 14 bis of the National Constitution. This in no way implies accepting that, under an absolutely distorted interpretation, actions that are plainly contrary to the law and common sense be accepted," they warned afterward. Although the CAC acknowledged that reversing structural problems such as the high tax burden and infrastructure deficiencies takes time, it clarified that "the recovery of the rule of law" brooks no delay.