The Association of Officials of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (Asfusag) has called for a national mobilization starting Monday, October 13, which will halt work related to exports in slaughterhouses, meat packing plants, and ports. This measure arises from the failure to meet acquired commitments and is intensified by the recent changes in the National Directorate of the SAG.
In total, there are nine points requested by Asfusag, with the main demands being the signing of a Protocol Agreement between the SAG, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Budget Directorate (Dipres) and Asfusag to correct salary gaps and the disorder in grades and ranks. This agreement seeks to ensure that budget resources are directed directly towards improving the conditions of officials.
Furthermore, the need to fulfill a series of commitments made by the outgoing management was reiterated, among which is transferring a total of 455 officials to contract, strengthening the SAG’s own functions, recovering slots, and facilitating replacement options.
In turn, compliance with the slaughter per diems for the slaughterhouses and meat packing plants of Osorno and Ñuble was demanded, along with addressing similar problems present in other regions. The implementation of the “People Policy” was also requested without conditioning it on budget availability, stating the urgency of addressing factors that affect occupational illnesses.
The list of demands also includes fulfilling pending regional commitments, which, according to the union, would not require resources to be executed. Additionally, a warning was issued about the situation of critical infrastructure in airports, border crossings, and the ports of San Antonio, Valparaíso, Talcahuano, and Arica.
In this context, José González, president of Asfusag, told PortalPortuario that “one of the things that triggers this strike is that the Minister of Agriculture made the decision to dismiss the national director and part of his team, who were part of the mismanagement that we have been denouncing for a long time. So, together with that, commitments were acquired here that were supposed to be fulfilled by September 30, and as of October 10, the truth is that there is no response.”
“Initially, the mobilization involves paralyzing everything related to exports, including ports, slaughterhouses, and meat packing plants. From there, we will escalate, depending on the responses we receive from the authorities. Clearly, we are open to dialogue, to conversation, but patience runs out when you have been waiting for months,” he added.
González emphasized that one of the main objectives of the mobilization is to get Dipres to listen to the union’s demands. As he explained, it is essential that this entity understands that the SAG, with the budget it manages, is not in a position to fulfill its functions.
“While it is not our role as unions to look at that part, it is our role to see that there are officials who have been without a salary increase for 10 to 15 years, who are in the same grades. That is an unacceptable issue. The truth is that if we manage to sit down and sign a new protocol agreement, we would be willing to call off the mobilization,” he concluded.
