27/06/2026 03:43 - Politica
The municipality of La Plata (the capital of Buenos Aires Province), led by Mayor Julio Alak, decided to call for a public tender for urban maintenance services such as ditch clearing, grass cutting, and street sweeping. This decision ended direct contracting with cooperatives that had been receiving approximately $90 million Argentine Pesos monthly since 2011.
The local Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Auditors) had ordered an end to direct contracts, pushing the municipality to open services to public bidding to ensure transparency. This measure directly affected the workers of the cooperatives who relied on these contracts for their livelihood.
In response to the conflict, the local government offered the protesters social cards worth $200,000 Argentine Pesos as an alternative to the direct contracts they had held for over 15 years.
However, the cooperatives rejected the offer and continue to demand the continuity of their employment contracts, arguing that the social cards do not replace the stability of formal work.
Worker cooperatives had been performing urban maintenance in La Plata since 2011 through direct contracts questioned by oversight bodies. The Court of Auditors highlighted the need for public bidding processes to guarantee transparency in hiring these essential services.
While the municipality's decision aims for administrative transparency, it triggered a social crisis for workers facing the loss of their primary source of income, highlighting the tension between fiscal responsibility and social welfare.
Sources: Information reported by TN and local media.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
