The Government of Tierra del Fuego issued a mandatory conciliation ex officio after Mirgor prevented the entry of 300 workers, including 28 union delegates. UOM requested the urgent intervention of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The measure reverts the situation to the moment before the conflict and temporarily suspends the dismissals while a formal negotiation process is opened.
Minister Sonia Castiglione explained that the decision seeks to protect workers during the discussion. The first hearing was set for 13 of the same Tuesday, with the goal that the company and the union would present their arguments. The official described the form of the conflict as surprising and noted that she did not yet have all the details that would justify preventing staff from entering.
UOM presented its version in writing. Mirgor, in a still informal manner, attributed its decision to an alleged union breach of a previous conciliation during a measure carried out on Thursday. Castiglione warned that these arguments must be incorporated into actions and records before being considered proven. The conciliation does not resolve who is right: it suspends the immediate effects and requires them to be discussed.
The situation of the 28 delegates adds a legal issue. To dismiss representatives with union protection, there are exclusion processes of protection that must be examined in each case. The minister pointed out that there were still unclear aspects and considered the magnitude of the business response excessive. The underlying conflict also includes the annual bonus, which the UOM presents as an acquired right pending agreement.
The dispute occurs in an adverse industrial context. Castiglione mentioned the upcoming expiration of the anti-dumping measure for microwaves, the national decision not to renew a measure for air conditioners, idle installed capacity, and the lack of consumption reactivation. The Province is working with national technical areas and business chambers to seek productive alternatives, but that agenda does not replace immediate labor negotiations within Mirgor.
The next result will arise from the hearings and the documentation provided by both parties. Conciliation temporarily protects income and opens dialogue, but it does not by itself guarantee a definitive solution nor does it resolve the annual bonus. The specific situation of the delegates and the rest of the staff must also be established. Until then, the 300 workers must be considered covered by the rollback ordered through conciliation, not reinstated through a final agreement.
