Late Monday night, a garbage truck nearly caught fire amid a growing conflict between the Buenos Aires city government and the Camioneros union regarding waste collection and the management of the city’s towing system.
Social media has been buzzing with videos showing a truck dumping a large pile of garbage on Avenida Belgrano at 3400. Many users reacted with outrage, viewing the incident as a union action amid the ongoing dispute with Jorge Macri’s administration.
Police sources reported that workers from the urban hygiene service, operated by the company Ashira, discovered a fire starting inside the truck. They acted quickly to open the vehicle in order to protect it from damage.
A professional and critical press is a cornerstone of democracy, and such scrutiny tends to irritate those who believe they hold the ultimate truth.
The incident occurred on a day when the streets of Buenos Aires were overflowing with trash due to a labor strike by the Camioneros union, which is protesting the proposed privatization of towing services. Shortly after the incident, a crew from a contractor arrived to clean the area.
The head of the Buenos Aires government shared on social media, “I was shown this video circulating online. I have demanded that the company clean up all the trash that was scattered and restore the site. It’s their responsibility, and we will ensure they fulfill it.”
During a conversation on Radio La Red, Macri clarified, “We have no issues with the waste collection union, so if something goes wrong, we point the finger at the companies. The real issue lies with the bidding process for the towing services. The union is pushing back where it believes it can.”
He also noted that they assured job security for the 350 camioneros (truck drivers), questioning why the union seems to be defending the companies if job stability for workers was guaranteed.
In this tense environment, the Buenos Aires government head addressed the situation after canceling the bidding process for the towing system, confirming that the service would continue to be managed by the city at a cost of less than half the original contract price.
“The decision to cancel the pre-award process was made because it would have been financially burdensome for the city, tying us to that contract for the next ten years. This pre-award would have meant a public expenditure of $360 million,” he explained in a statement.
Macri highlighted several disadvantages, including an advance payment of $8 million for the companies and the requirement for the government to cover operational costs even when no towing occurred.
The head of government indicated that the city would continue to provide the service at a cost significantly lower than that proposed in the bidding process, which raised concerns about the previous administration’s handling of contracts.
He pointed fingers directly at the management of his predecessor, Horacio RodrÃguez Larreta, alleging irregularities in the bidding processes due to the exorbitant pre-award amount.
“There was a pre-award issued on December 7, the same day I took office. Some signatures were made on the 11th, by officials who were no longer in their positions. This is part of an internal investigation we are conducting,” he told LN+.
Macri expressed uncertainty about whether there were questionable activities involved. However, he believes that something inappropriate took place, although this will be determined through the investigation.
“We will see if it ends up in court. If there was a crime, that’s a different matter. If it’s clarified administratively that a digital signature was made before and then only formalized on paper, that could have occurred. Still, if the signature was made on December 6 or 7, when those involved were leaving and I was assuming office on the 7th, it was at least discourteous to me,” he concluded.
Source: https://www.perfil.com/noticias/politica/conflicto-por-la-basura-en-la-ciudad-un-camion-casi-se-incendia-y-tiro-todos-los-residuos-a-la-calle.phtml
