New crossfire arises between Nat'l and City governments over subways

The dispute over the control of the subway system in Buenos Aires took yet another turn today, as Labour Minister Carlos Tomada renewed demands for Macri’s government to sit down with subway workers to negotiate the recent conflicts. Meanwhile, in response, City Transport Subsecretary Guillermo Dietrich stated that “they’ve got no business” going to such meeting.

“We are going to insist that all of the members of the City Government are present in the collective wage bargaining talks,” Tomada said today during a radio interview. The labour minister insisted that the law states their ability to summon “public forces as if it were for a legal proceeding,” in reference to Mauricio Macri’s cabinet members.

Meanwhile, Dietrich made it clear that the subway conflict “is between Metrovías, their employees and the National Government, who granted the concession to the company,” further enforcing that “they’re not dependent on Macri, nor Cristina, but in fact it is a legal matter with a concession contract between Metrovías and the National Government.”

“We don’t have any business attending those meetings. What we signed is an agreement to start the process of transference of the control of the subway system, which has been frustrated by the incapacity to move forward in meetings,” Dietrich explained.

The harsh criticisms continued between both officials from both governments, with Tomada blasting Mayor Mauricio Macri for his “lack of responsibility” over the subways.

“How is it possible that they have nothing to do with the wage talks and negotiations over conflicts when they are the same authorities that passed the tariff hike,” on the subways.