A new stoppage of the subway in the City of Buenos Aires will take place this Tuesday, May 23 throughout the day, and will be staggered on the different lines. The measure of force of the subway workers is in demand for reduction of the working day to reduce exposure to asbestosthe toxic material in the wagons.
As reported by the union, this Tuesday the interruption of the service will be staggered, and will affect:
Line H from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Line B from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Line C from 12 to 15 hours
Line E and the Premetro from 3 to 6 p.m.
Line A from 6 to 9 p.m.
Line D from 9:00 p.m. to 00:00
The workers of the Trade Union Association of Subway and Premetro Workers (AGTSyP) They organized a cessation of activities on the lines to demand that the working day be reduced from 36 to 30 hours per week to reduce the risk of inhaling the substance.
What is asbestos, the toxic element for which subway workers claim
The claims of the subway workers have to do with the deadly power that this element can have, which adheres to the lungs and causes fibrosis, respiratory failure or, in the worst case, lung cancer.
It is a mineral component that if it is in the air can enter the lungs and remain for a long time.
It is also a product that has multiple uses due to its resistance to heat, acids and friction, with a great insulating capacity. The element can be found in the construction of engines, trains, ships and flame retardant material.
The AGTSyP benchmark, Claudio Dellecarbonarasaid in dialogue with Jorge Fontevecchia in Modo Fontevecchia by Radius Profile that asbestos has already claimed the lives of three workers, left 85 affected with six of them suffering from cancer and confirmed that it also affected users.
“We are asking that it be withdrawn, that the law be complied with, with the rulings of the Buenos Aires justice, that the fleets that are contaminated be changed and, obviously, demanding the reduction of the working day to minimize the effects of all the health factors between where asbestos is in our work environment”, added the metro delegate.
Claudio Dellecarbonara: “Asbestos in the subway is highly carcinogenic, but the company does what it wants”
For his part, since Emovathe service concessionaire, stated that “given the inflexible stance adopted by the AGTSyP and the reiteration of the measures, Emova continues to express its willingness to dialogue, but the reduction of the weekly working day from 36 to 30 hours is unfeasible without affecting the operation activities of the Subway network”.
The company questioned that it is the measure of force “number 15 in recent weeks and the second that will be extended throughout the day, reaching not only more than 900,000 users of the Buenos Aires subway directly, but also to those who need to travel throughout the City”.
In relation to the presence of asbestos, they ratified “that the more than 2,500 measurements carried out on air quality in all work areas of the subway, yield results considered adequate for health.”
“The measurements are carried out constantly and are carried out by specialized institutions and laboratories that were validated by the Environmental Protection Agency of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. This has been demonstrated and continues to be monitored that the Subway area complies with the conditions required by the regulations that regulate safety at work based on scientific and technical standards,” they reported.
Emova also stated that the General Directorate for Labor Protection under the Undersecretary of Labor, Industry and Commerce of the CABA, “confirmed that ‘according to the measures carried out, the conditions are adequate for the development of the activity’ and that the company “It is actively working on a de-bestization plan in continuity with the process that began more than 4 years ago.”
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