Argentina: Radio Workers to March After Nearly 400 Laid off Abruptly

Dozens of workers were abruptly laid off from National Radio of Argentina, prompting unions to mobilize in protest.

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The workers, part of the Federal Public Media System under the Ministry of Modernization, say they are surprised by the way in which the layoffs were carried out.

According to Saglul, the dismissals at the station are linked to cuts that the government of President Mauricio Macri is carrying out across a number of sectors.

The Workers' Association of the State (ATE) has called for a national strike against the dismissals.

The mobilization will see workers march from the Obelisk of Buenos Aires to the Ministry of Modernization.

The dismissed workers were not previously informed and they only realized that they had been laid off once they arrived at their jobs and weren´t allowed to enter the compound. Upon investigation, the workers also noticed that their profiles had been removed from the company´s identification system preventing them from accessing parts of the company´s facilities.

The delegate and assistant secretary of the union SiPreBA, Carlos Saglul, reported that there are at least 400 people who were dismissed, but exact numbers are unknown because there is no official list.

"We assume that this is the largest batch of dismissals," said Saglul, denouncing the move.