Deputies debated the extension of maternal, paternal and parental leaves

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The Labor Legislation and Women and Diversity commissions, chaired by deputies Vanesa Siley and Mónica Macha (FdT) respectively, led a new day focused on the modification of care work licenses, extensive for both pregnant and non-pregnant workers. The meeting was attended by exponents of different social sectors such as trade unions: CGT and CTA de los Trabajadores, representatives of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) and the National Network of Care Cooperatives nucleated in Conarcoop.

In the first place, Deputy Siley recalled the lawyer Norberto Centeno, responsible in 1974 for the employment contract bill – still in force in Argentina – and one of the jurists disappeared by the last civil-military dictatorship in “La Noche de las Long Ties”. Siley evoked that “this issue of parental leave had an opinion 4 times in parliamentary history (2006, 2008, 2013 and 2014), and half a sanction only once in 2006”, while pondering that “both commissions have treaties for more than 54 bills to amend the employment contract law, with regard to parental leave and special leave”.

The start of the expository round corresponded to the Minister of Women, Gender Policies and Sexual Diversity of the province of Buenos Aires, Estela Díaz. Although she recognized the law formulated by Centeno as a “pioneer in the region”, the minister warned that “it still represents a discriminatory concept, which recognizes care exclusively for women.”

Deputy Dolores Martinez. (video capture image)

On the other hand, Díaz described the current draft as excellent, “because it not only deals with special licenses, and includes the extension of licenses for pregnant and non-pregnant people, but also recognizes new families in this more diverse and complex”. Finally, the minister highlighted “the recognition of the leave for parents and non-pregnant people in the educational process and in upbringing”, in line with the addition of licenses for gender violence, for which she urged parliamentary representatives not to miss this enormous and historic opportunity, “because reproducing life and caring for it is a task for society as a whole”.

In turn, Juan José Etala, president of the Social Policy Area of ​​the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), differed from Díaz’s position by theorizing that “this preliminary project, despite its numerous and greater rights, has a problem of origin, or, rather, in the consequences, which is who pays for it”. Etala expressed “deep concern about the fiscal impact of the project,” while denouncing that “workers do not make a single contribution for family allowances, nor are they a benefit that the State gracefully grants, but are paid by employers, who have historically made contributions to the social security system”.

The UIA referent theorized that the potential benefits of the modifications would be limited to formal employers, “for which reason 38 or 40 percent of workers will not have access, and another 38 percent of companies will not be able to.” concede, so that the higher costs, at the mercy of higher benefits, always fall on the same companies, and it is something that does not seem equitable to us”.

In line with Etala’s position, the president of the national SME movement (MoNaPi), Alejandro Bestani, described as necessary “to pause this project, first finding a way out of the disaster of poverty, with the generation of 8 million more jobs, and with a GDP expansion. “For this reason, to correct this terrible and dangerous deviation, we have come to propose a new SME law that will solve the problem of poverty and these rights that we are talking about,” formulated the head of MoNaPi.

In contrast to the position referenced in Etala and Bestani, Karina Moyano, Deputy General Secretary of the 62 Peronist Organizations and Secretary of Gender for Truckers, and Josefa Ávila, exponent of the National Network of Home Care Cooperatives, spoke.

Moyano demanded that the business side “understand the country’s situation and think with their heads and hearts, thinking of a better Argentina. “Change is not only for the pocket of some, but for everyone, as appropriate,” said the union reference, who celebrated “the new words that expand concepts, because it is about giving the same right to the person who is pregnant and does not gestate, to the adoptive father than to the biological one”. In this sense, Josefa Ávila remarked that “it is the first time that the State looks, through this project, at a legislation that cares for the person who cares, especially pregnant and non-pregnant people through the licenses registered in the opinion.” “We need a fairer country, where all workers can enjoy the same rights,” added Ávila, representing more than 50 care organizations of the social and solidarity economy, civil associations, foundations and other actresses and actors in society. civil”.

Finally, Macha anticipated that “next week we will convene advisers again, we will try to reach the greatest consensus.” “After the winter recess we will convene again for the opinion by majority and minority of this project,” Siley anticipated on his own, prior to the debate between parliamentarians that formally closed the joint meeting.