Buenos Aires casinos strike: surprise closures at peak season
The AECN declared a "wage emergency" following the failure of the wage negotiations with the Kicillof government. The action plan includes blocking the payment of tickets, closing the gaming rooms on Sundays, and taking legal action over the claim for overtime hours.
Summer on the Atlantic Coast is experiencing its peak moment of labor tension. The Association of National Casino Employees (AECN) has decided to shake things up after the stalemate in salary negotiations with the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires. With no new offer on the table and the January proposal rejected, the union activated a "plan of action" that directly affects the operation of the gaming rooms in the most important month of the year for revenue.
The conflict escalated quickly after the interim period expired without news. The union describes the workers' economic situation as "critical" and warned that they are not willing to let the provincial financial crisis erode their wages again.
Schedule of a chaotic weekend
The strike is not a simple stoppage but a scheme of tactical interruptions designed to make an impact. The plan began last night, Thursday the 5th, with a total closure of the gaming rooms from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 a.m. today, Friday, demanding payment of the night shift bonus.
For today, Friday the 6th, the scene moves to the streets and the cash desks. In the morning, workers marched to the Ministry of Labor in Mar del Plata. But the operational blow will come at night: between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., the casinos will suspend the payment of tickets, a surgical strike measure linked to the demand for the upgrading of the Value Control supervisors.
The tension will continue on Sunday, February 8th, a key day for tourism, with a new total closure of doors between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The objective here is clear: to demand that hours worked on Sundays be paid double, equating them to holidays.
Legal action and fundamental debate
Beyond the percentage increases, the AECN has decided to open other fronts. The union leadership instructed their lawyers to take the claim for Sunday wages to court, anticipating that the conflict could extend into the tribunals if there is no political response.
Additionally, the union demands to bring structural issues to the table that go beyond the end-of-month salary. They want to discuss the impact of online gambling in the province, redesign the map of physical gambling, and review how the profits generated by the sector are distributed, in an attempt to recover a free and comprehensive wage negotiation that today seems distant.
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