Following a meeting that took place last Tuesday in Concordia, the Association of Producers of Blueberries of Mesopotamia Argentina (Apama) and the Government of Entre Rios reached an agreement on the actions to be taken in the context of the start of a new blueberry harvest in the region.
After the meeting, the president of Apama, Omar Chiarello, said: "We did not come to ask, but to demand greater controls on service companies."
The entity, together with provincial authorities, finalised the relaunch in Concordia of the Service Companies Registry, which was duly created by the Government of the province of Entre Rios by decree in 2011.
"We have asked the authorities to update the registry of service companies, because we, as producers, do not have the power to police it," said the leader.
In that regard, he said: "We have encountered the best disposition and firmness on the part of the government authorities and are confident that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure compliance with the rights of each worker."
Service companies are those that provide most of the logistics during harvest time.
"Outsourcing can work as long as the workforce is managed properly and that's what we're looking for," he explained. Lastly, Chiarello stated that "if we all act against unregistered work, we will be able to permanently remove it from the corporate culture."
For this year, it is estimated that the blueberry campaign will generate about 10,000 to 12,000 wages. For its part, Apama is working to ensure that the entire harvest process is carried out with local labour.
Source: www.apama.com.ar